Live. Love. Do.® Blog
Bold how-to advice to promote your personal brand and advance your career
This week on social media we’re sharing words of wisdom to offer inspiration, joy and positivity in 2020 and beyond. Hoping you have the Happiest of Holidays from The Living on Purpose Project!
If you want to make a career 180, you’ll first need to work as a freelancer or consultant. Many people say, “I don’t want to work for myself” but the truth is that’s the path that 80 percent of career changers will have to make. Here are seven (7) reasons why working for yourself is the secret trick to changing careers and creating new opportunities in a new field.
1. A practical way to get the experience that you lack: It bears repeating that people don’t want to hire someone who wants to be a social media content creator, they want to hire a social media content creator. It’s a Catch 22, but the only way you’ll be offered new opportunities in a new field is to prove to others that you have already done the work for someone else. Remember, all you need is just one project (paid or not) to start your “career” in a new field. In time, that one project can become leverage to find a new opportunity or perhaps even evolve into a successful consulting business.
2. Test drive what you think you want to do: Throughout your career, you may want to explore working in different fields, or even professions. The only way to determine if a career choice is what you want to do long term – is to just do it! Helping a friend’s start-up business with their digital marketing efforts is an inexpensive and effective way to test the waters and see if you want to pursue a career in social media.
3. People are more likely to hire a consultant or part-time freelancer than a full-time employee: All industries and businesses are looking for ways to streamline/minimize departments and cut full-time staff. Equally, many organizations need part-time or project based help that might enable you to work for them as a freelancer.
4. Easiest way to make a transition: Chances are, if you currently work in non-profit fundraising and you want to break into marketing and communications, it is far easier to create communications projects than to wait for others to hire you while you lack traditional experience. Working for yourself provides a great bridge between where you are and where you want to be. Remember it’s always easier to create a new needle than to find one in a haystack.
5. Helps you hone key skills that will be required to take you to the next level: Most businesses don’t want to hire people who they have to teach or train and – they want people who show up with the required skills to contribute. Working on small projects and side ventures will give you a chance to use small businesses and brands as your “professional guinea pigs.”
6. Gives you a platform to “act as if”: If you want to find a part or full-time opportunity in a new field, you have to dress and act the part. Having your own freelance/consulting business is the best way to help position you as the professional they would want to hire.
7. Positions you as a stronger candidate for a full-time position: Almost everyone understands that running your own business (no matter the size) requires serious time management, sales and marketing, and other core business skills. Regardless of how successful your venture is or is not – most potential employers will respect and value the experience any entrepreneur brings to the table.
The new year can offer many new opportunities if you are ready to take the required first step of working as a freelancer or consultant. This week think of ways to work for yourself and a huge career shift or change sooner than you think.
“ . . . Can you suggest some unconventional experts who might have great tips on how to advance my career and achieve success in my professional life?”
Here are three (3) non-traditional experts who can help you achieve greater professional success.
1. Kindergarten teacher: If you want to know the secrets for winning friends and influencing people, ask a kindergarten teacher. Most will tell you to be a good listener, ask engaging questions, and give other people lots of compliments.
2. Doorman or anyone in the service industry: Happy and successful businesses and brands, often have happy and satisfied customers. If you want to ensure that your clients, customers, and even boss(es) are happy, ask a doorman (or anyone in the service industry). Doormen are experts at knowing what it takes to make people feel valued and appreciated. They are also a great source of information when it comes to the things people unknowingly do that offend or turn off others.
3. Athletic coach: Most coaches are also great sources of motivation. They are experts at inspiring others to push themselves to achieve success on and off the field. Google the coach of your favorite team to find great mantras, stories, words of wisdom and inspirational advice to help you make positive moves and changes in your life and career.
This week seek out a non-traditional expert for their best tips on motivating, engaging, and connecting with clients, bosses and co-workers.
Personal mistakes and life experiences can be one heck of a teacher. However, there is a lot to be said about learning valuable lessons from the mistakes that other people make. Someone else’s bad decision can point you away from what they did and into the “right” direction.
If you are hoping to make some major career moves in the new year, here are seven (7) of the biggest mistakes that others have made when trying to advance their careers. Each is more than a cautionary tale, but rather a specific example of what NOT to do moving forward.
1. Telling others everything that you are thinking: A prospective employee once told me during an interview that, “she was going to have to talk with her husband to see if he thought the job was a good fit for her.” I’m still amazed that she verbalized that thought! Truth is, you should reach out to friends and family for advice. And, you also need to discuss major work moves with your spouse or partner. However, there is no reason on earth to tell your would-be boss everything you do or think. FYI: Although she was a lovely person, I never hired that candidate in large part because of that one comment. I am sure her intent was not to appear as someone who would need constant direction from me and others, and perhaps, it was unfair of me to judge her by one statement. However, it proves that you only have one chance to make a first impression.
2. Having a resume that does not represent your total work experience: When looking for a new job, you should always take time to update your resume to better fit the job description or specific opportunity. You should also make sure that your resume highlights your total work experience (i.e., the number of years since you received your bachelor’s degree or high school diploma). Even if you are like most people and have a degree or experience that is completely unrelated to your current field or what you want to do in the future – you need to include it and let others see this accomplishment or expertise.
Finally, ensure that your resume includes: a strong profile statement or core competencies at the top; and any recent training, certification and/or education at the end.
3. Appearing indecisive: People who succeed in career, business, and even life often do so because they are confident and decisive. Decision making is a skill that you must cultivate by making big and small choices every day. One of the biggest professional (and sometimes personal) mistakes that you can make is being indecisive and constantly second guessing yourself in front of others. Yes, you should always give thought to what you do. However, you also need to be a person who can think quickly, make a decision, and then stick with it.
4. Getting “lazy:” Making career moves is a draining and sometimes daunting process. Over time, it is very easy to stop giving 110%, get a little lazy and stop giving your best. People don’t get hired simply by posting their resume to a job board site or creating a LinkedIn profile. Trying to advance your career, switch fields, or find a new opportunity is not the time to slow down. Remember, it’s in the final stretch of the race that you need to bring your A game and give your best effort.
5. Telling potential employers that you want to “change” careers: People don’t want to hire someone who “wants to be an event planner” they want to hire an event planner. No matter how experienced you are or aren’t, your job is to act as if you already do that thing that you want to do moving forward.
6. Failing to network enough: You have to be in the game to win. Many people fail to make successful career moves because they surround themselves with the same people, places and things. If you want to create something new, you have to interact with new people.
7. Refusing to work as a consultant: It is far easier to break into a new field or industry by working as a freelancer or consultant than it is to find a full-time position in a new field. You have to be open and flexible to work on freelance projects, part-time opportunities and volunteer efforts in order to land something bigger and brighter.
This week take a minute to review these common mistakes that others have made in the hopes that they will steer you towards the direction you need to travel.