5 Signs You Should Consider a Career Pivot

Finding a fulfilling career is not a life event, it’s a journey. For most people, it’s not even a linear process, but rather a series of twists and turns. That’s because what is ideal in one season of life may not be in another. Lifestyles change, priorities change, and physical and emotional needs change.

Knowing that, one of the most valuable insights you can develop on your career journey is understanding when it’s time to pivot. It’s important to know when the work you are currently doing no longer meets your needs and the needs of your family. To help guide you through that process, here are five signs that you should consider a career pivot.

5 Signs You Should Consider a Career Pivot

If you’re wondering whether the path you’re on may no longer be the right fit for you, ask yourself if you relate to the following descriptions:

• You're missing the flexibility to spend time with family. Once you become a parent, your priorities naturally and inevitably change. Your children need you, both physically and emotionally, and time with them is important. If your current career does not allow the flexibility you need to spend time with your family, that is a good sign you should consider a career pivot.

• Your life values have changed. Age, parenthood, and life experience all have a way of changing us. As a result, you likely have different life values now from when you first started your career. If so, and if your new values do not align with your current career, it may be time to seek a new one.

• You are often frustrated by your work instead of being fulfilled by it. If you dread going to work, you feel demoralized or undervalued, or you’re simply performing on autopilot, it might be time for a change. Everyone has days that require a little extra boost to get up and go to work, but when it’s every day, that signifies a deeper issue. If you find yourself frustrated and dissatisfied more days than not, you should consider pivoting to a career that better aligns with your passions.

• Your work is adversely affecting your personal life. Your work should challenge you, but it should not debilitate you. If you suffer from chronic exhaustion, regular headaches, loss of sleep, stress ulcers, or other physical symptoms, that’s your body’s cry for change. If your schedule is affecting your relationships, your loved ones have commented on your stress levels or irritability, or you notice you’re not the person you once were, those are also signs a career change may be in order.

• You daydream about a different career. No job is perfect, and everyone has moments in their career when they question what they are doing. However, if you find yourself pouring over job boards, spending your breaks thinking about what you’d rather be doing, or fantasizing about giving your two weeks’ notice, it’s more than a passing mood. Regularly daydreaming about a different career is a good indication it may be time to pivot.

Even if your current career was once your dream job, life changes. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that the work you’re doing now is no longer the right fit for you. In fact, that’s the perfect next step in your journey of finding a fulfilling career.

If, after reading these five signs that point to a career pivot, you know you need to make a change, reach out to Parents Pivot. We would love to help you find the next career that’s right for you.

5 Ways To Prepare For Returning To Work After A Career Pause (and Post Coronavirus Pandemic)

Are you interested in returning to work sometime in the next year or so? Or maybe you are thinking that this will be your last year at home with the family before you return to work next year?  Whether you’ve taken a career pause because of the coronavirus pandemic or other family reasons – believe it or not, now is the perfect time to start preparing to return to work, even if it’s not in the next few months. It takes 8 months in normal, non-pandemic times for a continuously working person to find a job. That process takes even longer for people with a career pause on their resume. The good news is that there are things you can do now to make the process stress-free and successful! 

Subscribe the Parents Pivot newsletter and you’ll receive a free download of the Ultimate Return to Work Checklist to keep you organized and moving forward during your pivot. 

5 Things You Need To Do To Prepare To Return To Work

Preparing to return to work after a career pause or after the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Focus on these five tips and you’ll be making great progress towards landing a position you’ll love.

1. Maintain your network. Whether you like it or not, sometimes landing your dream job comes down to who you know. Getting your foot in the door through a connection often has a higher success rate than applying for a position without knowing anyone in the company.

2. Reflect. Take time to think about what you have enjoyed doing in past work, explore your values, and come up with your ideal vision for your next step. What do you really want to do in your next job? Having a clear focus on where you’ve been and where you want to go is a key to a successful career.

3. Pursue professional skills. You don’t have to be doing paid work to sharpen your skills! Volunteer with a local organization or take some courses online. Doing this now will add skills and experience to your resume that helps to fill the gap you have from taking a career pause. Coursera and General Assembly are great resources to enhance your skills from home.

4. Update your resume and LinkedIn. Yes, it’s not fun, but you have to do it. Working on your resume and LinkedIn in small chunks as you have time will be less daunting than trying to do it when you see a job opening that you want to apply for. If you have recently left a job during the COVID pandemic, now is the perfect time to update your resume for your most recent position. Contacting past employers for measurable results of your work while the work is still relatively fresh is also a good idea if your pause hasn’t been too long.

5. Be patient. This process can take awhile, even when you are doing everything right. Find your tribe to support you through the long haul! Understanding your “why” of returning to work can also help you get through the process. Learn how to find your “why”.

THRIVE is the perfect way to implement these five ways to prepare to return to work into your transition.

A Solution For Returning to Work After Career Pause: THRIVE

THRIVE is a supportive community of like minded returners going through the same thing that you are, returning to work after a career pause. THRIVE enables you to maintain a solid network, helps you to organize your thoughts about your career path, and helps you to update your job search resources - all while leaning on other women taking the same path.

Join us for this 3 month return to work program! Let THRIVE be the catalyst for you to move towards what’s next.

Join THRIVE today!

Plan The Future Of Your Career Without Sacrificing Summer Family Fun

“Almost half of working mothers have taken an extended career break beyond their paid family leave benefits after the birth of their children, and many hiring managers believe the personal skills they develop during that time off make them better employees when they return.” 

- BizJournals

Did you catch that? Hiring managers WANT YOU, mommas! You are a valuable asset in the working world, and the career gap you now have on your resume, whether it’s three months, three years, or 18 years, will not stop you from finding a satisfying and fulfilling career that you love. 

Given the recent coronavirus pandemic, you may be a mom taking an unexpected career break until things get back to normal. Or maybe you are on maternity leave, planning to return in a few weeks or months. Or maybe you are a mom that stayed at home with your kids during those critical, formative years, but now you are ready to get back to work. Whatever your reason for taking a career break, there are things you can do this summer to plan for your future career. Below, you’ll find tips that are stress-free and can be worked into your fun-filled summer plans. 

Plan Your Future Career This Summer Without Sacrificing Family Fun

I don’t know about you, but my summer plans include splashing in the pool with my two daughters while relaxing under the warm sun and recharging from a hectic winter and spring. If you are planning a return to paid work in the fall, there is no reason why you can’t plan the future of your career and still enjoy that valuable time with your family. Review the tips below and customize them to fit your family’s situation and your career.

Choose one career skill to work on during the summer. Alison offers free, online courses on a range of topics: health, technology, science, language, business, lifestyle, and more. Choose one skill that will enhance your value at work, and spend an hour or two here and there during your week taking a professional development class. The thing I love most about Alison is that you can enroll in everything from a non-verbal communications class to yoga. Use this season to take classes to develop your professional skills plus you can do new things together as a family (like take a cooking class)! (Note: You do have to have an account to take courses, but it’s free to sign up.)

Network at Every Opportunity. I can’t tell you how many clients I talk to who have struck up conversations with friends at kids birthday parties and found a job lead. Get out there and get comfortable speaking about what you are looking for. 

This summer may look a little different than normal because of social distancing, but there are still opportunities to network! You don’t have to wait until the next in-person birthday party to make connections. I’m seeing a surge in zoom meetings and online social gatherings that are great places to network. Drop the news that you are looking to return on your next wine and zoom! Put yourself out there and meet new people, introducing what you’d like to do with your career when it’s appropriate. You never know who might have a connection that will give you that foot in the door.

Practice Your [Adult] Social Skills. Being with kids 24/7 can make being with adults seem like a vacation. But don’t get caught up in wanting to have a non-kid chat so much that you don’t stop talking. (Confession: I’m guilty of this!) Be sure to ask lots of questions and actively listen to whom you are speaking with.

And here’s a social distancing way you can practice: When on the phone, smile! It sounds silly since they can’t see you. But a smile comes across in your tone. Don’t believe me? Give it a try! Call your best friend and do an experiment. Say a couple of phrases twice in a row - one without smiling and one with smiling. Ask which one was with a smile. Was he or she correct? Simply smiling can make a big difference in your career development. 

Write out your goals and aspirations. Planning for your future career won't be successful if you don’t set actionable and measurable goals for yourself. Ask yourself where you want to be in five years, then set yearly, quarterly, and even monthly goals to reach between now and then. Thinking long-term first will help you to create smaller steps that are more likely to get you there. 

And keep in mind that this process should take some time. Don’t plan to sit down and be done in an hour. Spend 30 minutes a few times a week working on it during the summer. You can even brainstorm while sitting next to the pool or taking a family road trip. And don’t be afraid to get the family involved! They will love that you are including them in such a big move and will likely have some great ideas.

Want more? Here are five effective Parents Pivot tips for re-establishing yourself after a career break after kids. And if you are finding the process of returning to work stressful and overwhelming, I’m here to help you make it fun and successful! Contact me today to set up a one-on-one coaching session to uncover your potential.