Moving on up

We’ve spoken before in the careers section about the importance of keeping focused on your goals. Kelly, a 32 year old PA, decided to leave her permanent job and temp to make the move into the media sector from the financial services industry.

This was a brave move – she had no guarantee it would work. How did she reduce the risks? Did Kelly think about what would happen if the move didn’t work?

“I had a contingency plan, which I think is a must if you’re plotting a career move,” Kelly says. “I was going to give myself six months to get a permanent job in the media sector. If I got stuck for assignments, I made sure I spent time in the agency’s office, training and boosting my skills, so I was there when the calls came in. I cut my spending right down – my friends understood that I didn’t go out much in that period.”

Kelly says she thought about the negatives, and came up with strategies to deal with them:

• She found out specifically what employers wanted by talking to agencies
• Prepared her CV in a style the media sector would like
• Saved up some money in case she got stuck for assignments
• Recognised the benefits and gains she would acquire – which boosted her determination.

It’s important to focus on the end result and put in extra energy and impetus for as long as it takes to make it happen.

Think about the long term when things get uncomfortable or tough. Change can be bumpy at first, but keep your goals in mind, and you’ll get through the difficult patches.

“I had some difficult assignments while I was temping,” says Kelly, “but I knew it was important to experience different companies until I found one which worked for me. After five months, I was offered a post in a great company, and I love it.”

Risk-taking involves weighing up the possible positives and negatives of a situation and deciding whether it’s worth the consequences. If you really want to go for it, work out strategies and contingency plans to deal with the possible negatives. Make sure you protect what you cannot afford to lose. Then look at the picture overall and consider what you should do. What does your gut instinct tell you?

Gut instinct usually says Go for it!

It takes courage to move on. “I wish I’d done this earlier!” is often the reaction people give when asked how they feel after making a change. But often it’s simply a matter of working up the courage to make the move happen, so continually test the boundaries of your courage outside of the office – it’s a great way to know how much you really have, and to boost your reserves, mental stamina and strength.

Let’s face it, without an element of risk, you won’t grow in strength and capabilities to handle situations. If a move was easy, it probably wouldn’t be worth doing.

Anna stepped outside of her comfort zone to leave London and work in Cumbria. “It was hard, but it was worth it,” she says. “I learnt a great deal from the move, most importantly about myself. Now that I’ve changed my life, I want more from it, so I’m taking more risks and my life is much more fulfilling. But I still do my homework. If you were going to bungee jump, you’d want to know that the people you were doing it with had the right knowledge and attitude to your safety, wouldn’t you? You reduce the risk. Then you take the decision to go for it.”

So what does it take to actually make that jump? Think back to all those times when you’ve taken a risk and weigh it up. Enjoy the feeling of exhilaration and excitement. Relish the tough times. We’re all much tougher and stronger than we think we are. Celebrate when you’ve done it. Then go and do it again!