The Best Questions to Ask When Switching Careers

The Best Questions to Ask When Switching CareersWhen enthusiasm and passion for your career turns to apathy and discontent, it may be time to move on to the next opportunity. There are benefits to a job changesuch as leaving your comfort zone, diversifying your skills, and taking a chance on your own ambitionsbut its also important to consider the risks and determine whether its worth the trade-off. This is especially true if youre switching careers, where you may need to take a demotion or step back, starting in a lower fleck to make your way back up the latter. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Before jumping into your new career, ask yourself these five questions, all of which will help you figure out exactly what you want and need.Do I Need More Opportunity to Grow?A common cause of job dissatisfaction is boredom and lack of engagement because your experience or skills are underused. In this case, Fast Company suggests considering whet her theres still room for growth in your current position, or if youve maximized the opportunities for advancement. To remain engaged, motivated and empowered in a career, you need responsibilities that can help you stretch and progress.This may be possible in your current position, avoiding the need to switch jobs or careers. Express concerns with your manager and see if theres a promotion opportunity, or even a chance to step up or lead on a new project. If your current job doesnt offer the potential for growth, its time to seek one that does. Am I Afraid to Do What I Really Want? According to a 2016 fears survey, personal failure is the number one fear among Americans. This intense aversion to the idea of failing keeps you stagnant, detached, complacent and timid to make any change that disrupts the status quoeven when its a change that could improve your situation long-term, like a new job or career change.Instead of allowing fear and uncertainty to hold you back, be intentional about gaining both the confidence and courage to bet on yourself. Consider what you really want to do, and whether its feasible at this point in your career. In most cases, it is.Note that it may be helpful to find a mentor and learn how they got started and how your current experience could be valuable in this new career. Theyre guidance will allow you to get started on the right foot and set reasonable expectations.What Skills Do I Need?A lack of formal training or experience in the career you want to pursue doesnt mean youre unqualified. Forbes points out that skills honed in your current position may also be transferable to your new role. The key is knowing how to present those skills on your resume to show youre prepared for this new career or job. Here are a few tips from Resume Genius for making your skills stand outQuantify when possible. Instead of Types nicht weit davon entfernt sein say WPM Typist.Instead of listing Proficient with Adobe list the specific tools Proficien t with Illustrator and Indesign.List most important skills for position first.Include examples of how you use those skills, if possible.Finally, consider whether you should list your technical skills at the top or bottom of your resume Most job seekers end up choosing a resume templatethat places their relevant skills closer to the bottom, butfor some specific industries listing them at the top is very effective, explains Resume Genius. These industries includeInformation TechnologyGraphic DesignManufacturingTechnical WritingEngineeringHow Can I Meet the Right People?Professional contacts in your field of interest can be assets during the transition period, offering recommendations, answering questions, and introducing you to the right companies. If you dont have these contacts already, the first step in switching careers is finding them by setting up meetings and attending networking events. It may sound like a lot of work, and it can be, but in the end, its worth itFinding people who challenge your ideas, push you to be better and give you developmental feedbackthe trifecta for success and growthrequires hard work, notes Ted Rollins, long-time entrepreneur recognized by Inc. 500. So find events, both networking and otherwise, where you can connect with people who cross geographical, organizational and hierarchical lines, then youll be on a path to success.Am I Willing to Start from Scratch?Regardless of your current rank in the pecking order, when switching to another industry, its often unavoidable that youll need to start from the bottom. If this new role requires a degree of expertise outside your wheelhouse, prepare to accept an entry-level position rather than overshooting based on your former credentials. Remind yourself that this will likely be challengingYou might be leaving behind a reputation, and sets of skills that you worked hard to build. When you take a risk like that, it can be doubly frustrating when things dont happen right away, or you don t get the level of job or salary that you were hoping for. So as you go into it, take a deep breath and understand that there will be challenges, says Kate Lopaze, another contributor for The Job Network.Besides, a positive attitude, eagerness to learn and diligent work ethic can help you advance faster than a sense of entitlement and inflated ego.Is it time to switch careers?If you feel that a career move would be in your best interest, after considering these questions, then embrace the change and trust in your own abilities to succeed. Form relationships with others who can point you toward actualizing your objectives, use resources like LinkedIn and job posting websites to make yourself visible to recruiters, and continue honing the skills and confidence needed to forge ahead on this next phase of your career.BIO Jessica Thiefels has been writing for more than 10 years, is currently a full-time writer, content marketing consultant and business owner. Shes also no stranger to car eer changes, having gone through 5 jobs in 5 years. Shes been featured in Forbes and Business Insider and has written for Manta, Virgin, Glassdoor and more. Follow her on Twitter Jlsander07 and connect LinkedIn.

8 Everyday Thoughts That Are Getting In The Way Of Your Success

8 Everyday Thoughts That Are Getting In The Way Of Yur Success Mindset missteps are common among even the brightest, most well-meaning people. We can all relate to that feeling of sometimes getting in our own way. The good news is that you can learn how to develop the necessary self-awareness to spot and correct toxic thoughts. With a little discipline, you can retrain your thinking to rise to your full potential and have a positive effect on the people around you.Here are common, unhelpful thinking styles that keep smart people stuck. Its typical to fall into these traps every now and then. Recognizing toxic thoughts as illogical and impermanent is an important step for letting go of the stress they bring1. Discounting the positive. Its common practice for you to downplay positive experiences by telling yourself they dont count. If you do a good job, you reason that anyone else on your kollektiv could have done just as well, so what does it even matter?2. Emotional reasoning. You as sume your negative emotions are proof of the way things really are I feel terrified about going to networking darbietungs, you might tell yourself. Therefore, It must be a bad idea to attend them.3. Mental filter. You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it. You may receive lots of positive comments about your presentation at work, but if one colleague says something mildly critical, you obsess about it for days.4. Personalization and blame. This cognitive distortion causes stress when you hold yourself personally responsible for an event that isnt entirely under your control. For instance, when youvehit a bump in the road with a co-worker you think, This is all my fault, instead of trying to pinpoint the cause of the problem so you and your coworker can get back on the same page. Meanwhile, its also common to blame your circumstances on others and discount the ways you might be contributing to the problem.5. All-or-nothing labeling. You see things in black and white. If y our boss says you did not meet expectations in a single category on your performance review , you label yourself as a complete failure at your job.6. Should statements. Instead of focusing on how best to handle situations for what they are, you demand they turn out as hoped. behauptung should statements directed against yourself lead to guilt and frustration, such as Im an adult. I shouldhave figured out my passion by now. When directed against other people, they lead to anger and resentment. My team should be able to handle this without bothering me, is a good examples.7. Overgeneralization. This is believing something will always happen simply because it happened once. If a plum assignment goes to someone else once, you cant help but think, Just my luck I lose out on everything.8. Jumping to conclusions. Interpreting things negatively without facts to support your conclusion is the hallmark of this mindset. No matter what, you predict things will turn out badly. Before a crucial m eeting, for example, you may tell yourself, Im really going to blow it.Next time you find yourself falling into one of these traps, try these toxic thinking interventions on yourself to turn things aroundIdentify which distortions are trapping you.Write down your negative thoughts to help you decide which of these thought distortions apply to you. Youre more likely to be able to think through the issue in a way thatsboth realistic and positive.Take a look at the evidence.Dont simply assume your negative thought is true. For example, if you keep thinking your supervisor wont like your ideas no matter what, recall a time when she or your team rallied behind you, even in the smallest ways. Dont be afraid to prove yourself wrong.Drop the double-standard.If you had a friend in the same position as you are now, would you allow them to wallow in distressor would you point out the waystheyre being illogical and falling victim to a negative cycle? Youd most likely be both realistic and suppo rtive, so show yourself that same compassion.Give your experience a realistic rating.If youre convinced a presentation you just gave was a disaster, take deep breath and try to satz it on a scale of zero to 100. Unless its a zero or a 100 (both of which are unlikely) its not perfect, but its not all bad either. That means theres hope.Instead of dwelling only on the negative, ask yourself what you can learn from what went well, what surprised you and areas youd like to improve in the future.Ask for feedback.When you feel trapped in a distorted thinking, turn to colleagues and mentors you trust. Proactively seek feedback, instead of hiding from it. Theyll be able to gently let you know about what you might need to work on, but also reassure you that its very unlikely things are as bad as you think.Watch your language.Pay attention to how you speak to yourself, particularly, if your internal dialogue is full ofextremist statements or harsh self-talk like calling yourself an idiot, fool , or complete fake. For instance, instead of thinking, What a jerk I am for correcting my co-worker during her presentation, youre more likely to remedy and move past the slip-up if you retool the thought Its important to me that I improve on the way I give other feedback. How can I make this right?Share the blame.Try to be realistic about what caused the negative event youre facing instead of piling all the culpability onto yourself. In most situations, a number of circumstances have to coalesce to make something happen. Take personal responsibility for your contribution, but realize youre not the sole reason a meeting went south or your team lost that client.--A version of this article originally appeared on Forbes.--Melody Wilding helps ambitious women and female entrepreneurs master their inner psychology for success and happiness. She teaches human behavior at The City University of New York and is a nationally recognized Master Coach who distills psychological insights into ac tionable career advice. Learn more at melodywilding.com.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women. Join us by reviewing your employer