5 Practical Tips for making career transitions

Practical, tried and tested ways to make successful career transitions

I started my career in 2006 as a consultant in a Global HR benefits firm in India. It was odd, because I actually studied electronics engineering in college and my job had nothing to do with electronics or engineering! As much as I loved what I studied- it did not translate into job opportunities in the given market so I took a job that helped me pay my loans and some of my bills in a hope that I’ll come back to electronics engineering someday. Clearly, that was ambitious thinking- as that transition never happened. But what happened instead was an acute understanding of the fact that no matter what I wanted to do in my next “role”- there were some constants that made way for the next phase in my career. Over these years, I have been fortunate to get to know a lot of successful people in various walks of life and somehow I have always found a consistent pattern in the way they have navigated their careers.

1. Define your goals(Ambitious goals and your practical goals)- As cliche` as it may sound- its really important to like your job to some extent. We spend almost one third of our day at work so it’s only relevant that we spend that time doing things that really align with our long term goals. When I started out, I was just happy to have a job but over years, the single most important thing for me is to spend my time doing things I “truly” want to invest my time in. So my big goal in life is to work on things that excite me- both personally and professionally. Professionally, that means building products that I can relate to and working in a non toxic work environment. Personally, that means spending “quality” time with my friends and family and making time for my passions like writing, traveling and photography. Simple as it may sound, it’s not very easy to tease these apart and it takes a lot of iterations. Every 3–6 months, I revisit my “Big” goals in my journal and view the path forward from where I’am at that point. Then I look back to see if I can connect the dots and if I need to make any changes to my short term goals. And every-time I do this reflection exercise, I emerge more confident about the decisions I need to make.
2. Pocket Small Wins- While “The Big Success” is great and desirable to all, its the small wins that don’t get talked about much. It took me a while to understand that “Success” is a subjective term and a “success” is really a marathon. And in this process, not all days are made equal and not every day is perfect. You don’t have to be on your “A” game every day of every week. If anything, there are more game B days than game A days. It is on these days when these small wins are essential to keep up that morale and keep going. Celebrate small wins- making that good presentation, finishing a small product spec, cooking that meal or making time to exercise- everything is a win if you look at it. So celebrate every moment in your journey- Every little thing matters.
3. Build Expertise and Get things Done (GTD)- It is one thing to be okay at something and totally another to be really good at it. Strive for the latter. Building expertise is crucial to moving forward in your career. Sometimes, in a quest to land the next opportunity, we tend to de-prioritize our current role. But one thing we often overlook in that process is that If you are really really good at your job, people are more likely to trust you with stretch opportunities because your past work is going to speak for your credibility. So while you are aiming to get to that next level or that next role, being absolutely stellar at your current role will help you a great deal.
4. Take Risks- We tend to view risk-taking negatively, often regarding it as dangerous and even unwise. But while some risks certainly don’t pay off, it’s important to remember that some do. And beyond the external opportunities and recognition risk-taking can bring, it also provides an opportunity for internal growth. In addition, risk-taking won’t only potentially benefit the career-path you’re already on — it may actually open you up to a world of possibilities you have yet to consider. Taking a risk doesn’t mean doing so haphazardly. While risk taking can clearly be personally and professionally beneficial, it doesn’t occur in a vacuum, either. People don’t benefit from risks without preparing to take them and educating themselves on the possible fall-out. Calculated and planned risks are good and we must not be afraid of taking that leap of faith. So, go ahead and ask for that stretch project, consider that not so safe job opportunity and try to dive into something that makes you very uncomfortable. I guarantee that while you may not always love it- you will certainly emerge out of it more knowledgable and that, is the MOST important!
5. People matter- We are social beings, and most people are more generous about their time than we think. So finding mentors that understand your goals and can help you navigate through your options are crucial. And then there are sponsors- people in higher leadership positions whose trust you can earn through your good work and demonstrated work ethic. Sponsors work silently in the background, they nudge you towards stretch opportunities, they trust your caliber(even when others dont) and they believe in your capabilities.

So while change is terrifying, fear of the unknown is terrifying and fear of failure is the worst of it all- there is a secret of those who make it to the other side. They took small, deliberate, and brave steps toward the goal every single day, learnt from their mistakes and kept going even when it was inconvenient. Even when it was terrifying.

So may be, it’s worth breaking out of all the assumptions and actually taking a step towards your dreams and taking control of your destiny.