How do I change careers when I don’t know what I want to do?

At the start of every new year, many people set new goals, and if changing careers this year is one of your goals, you are not alone. A report released by the London School of Business and Finance revealed that almost half of all workers in the UK say they would like to change career. 

However, what happens when you're not happy with where you're at, yet don't quite know what your next move is going to be? Below are five tips that have helped my coaching clients to switch careers, that I hope will work for you too. 

Shift your focus: to quote Mike Murdoch, “restlessness is your future begging your feet to move.” In short, you are meant to be doing something different so get busy doing it. Don’t waste time over analysing what you think you have got to lose instead shift your focus to thoughts of what you stand to gain. To quote Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinks, so is he.”

Ask yourself questions (and be honest with your answers): what would you say if I told you that you do know what you want to do? That the answers you are looking for are buried inside of you, a bit like loose change down the back of your sofa. You know there's a couple of pounds in there you just need to dig deep to get it. 

Try this exercise: go somewhere quiet, take a pen, a piece of paper – yes, we’re going retro! Phone off, no children, partner, flatmates, or friends. When you have found your quiet place, close your eyes, and ask yourself the question “if I woke up tomorrow in my dream career what would I be doing and how would I feel?" Without hesitation open your eyes and write the first thing that comes to your mind. Don’t worry about the how, experience, connections, money or any what if’s just write what came to mind.  

Then ask other questions; Do I work part-time or full-time? Local or international? Self-employed or employed? A large or small company? Are you wearing corporate or smart-casual attire? What industry are you working in? Is it a corporate or charitable company? What do I enjoy most about the job, the company, the department? The more you dig, the more money you will find! 

If you struggle with answering the question around your dream job, ask yourself “what do I not want to be doing?" Make a list of the pros and cons of your past role(s) including whether you liked the office, the perks – the little things matter too. Knowing what you do not want is half the battle! 

The purpose of the exercise is to get you to think beyond what you believe is possible for you right now and to write it down.  

Create a vision board: if you’ve attended any of my workshops, you will have heard me banging on about the importance of having a vision for your career. Let me put it this way - you wouldn’t turn up to the airport to go on holiday without having an idea of your destination, budget, duration of travel and expect to be able to check in, would you? I suspect would have done your homework first so when you arrived at the airport, the staff were there to help you reach your destination. The same principle applies when it comes to your career.

A vision board is a tool that motivates you to take action needed to bring life to your desires. You could use a cork board, or whiteboard or a sheet of A3 paper. It's up to you.

Essentially, what you want to do is fill it with images, scriptures, motivational quotes, that reflect where you want to be career-wise. For example, you might include the salary you want to earn, the city you want to work in, the job title. You can also add images that represent the answers you unearthed from the exercise suggested above.

Some choose to formulate their vision into a statement written in first person narration essentially speaking as if they are already living their dream career. That’s fine too. Just place it somewhere you will see it daily to remind you of where you are headed and keep you focused. As Corrie Ten Boom says – "always live according to your vision, not according to your eyes." In short, the things you see daily are temporary; your vision keeps you focused on the end game. 

Set some goals: now you have a clearer idea of what you want to do, set 3-4 goals that precipitate action. However, avoid setting broad goals such as "I want a new job." Goals like that are too vague and lead nowhere.  Instead, stick to SMART goals. SMART means Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time based. 

• Specific: once you have identified the kind of role/company that interests you, an example of a specific goal might be "I will apply for five jobs tailored to my interest in the next 30 days" or "I will register with two relevant employment agencies in the next two weeks."
• Measurable: if you are looking to move into a new industry you may need to expand your contact database. However, “making new contacts” is a vague goal. A measurable objective is “I will attend four networking events each month and try to connect with two people at each event."
• Achievable: in my experience, it takes longer than a month to move into a new career so don't set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are unrealistic. If a change in careers requires updating your skills “engaging in a training course in the next two months" or “going on one informational interview a month for the next six months” are reasonable goals.
• Realistic: keep it real! Changing careers takes time, energy and commitment. Do you have the discipline to see the process through? For example, are you prepared to undergo further training, in your downtime, if need be? Can you make the adjustments necessary to accommodate a potential drop in salary? You know yourself better than anyone else. So, be honest with what you're prepared to sacrifice to get what you want.
• Time-based: "Someday" is not a day of the week. Back up your words against a specific time frame. In doing so, you will have the impetus to get started as well as the ability to measure and monitor your progress

Face the fear and do it anyway: one of the popular reasons people stay stuck in careers they do not enjoy is fear: fear of the unknown, of failure, lack of opportunity, being able to cope financially. To quote Nelson Mandela, "the brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who overcomes that fear." Whenever I'm faced with a decision that requires much faith on my part, I'm reminded of some advice I received from a very good friend: "sometimes, you have to bet on yourself." So, I pass this advice forward to you; place a bet on yourself and your ability to turn your hopes into a reality, fears after all are merely False Evidence Appearing Real.

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About the author: Arit Eminue helps people pursue careers they enjoy. She is a multi-award winning entrepreneur and career development coach, speaker and trainer. She is the founder and director of DiVA a recruitment and training organisation specialising in creative, business and digital apprenticeships and is regularly called upon to deliver workshops and inspiring talks at Universities and conferences on topics such as entrepreneur and intrapreneurship, connecting to your career of purpose, and job search and interview techniques. To connect with Arit directly call 0203 189 1784.