Career Moves: Tips & Advice

Are you about to make a career transition? Do you want to make a transition? If so, then keep these tips in mind:

What Do You Want To Do 

Are you wondering what your next career move should be? If so, then evaluate where you're currently at in life. Think long and hard about what you want at this stage in life. Do you want a challenge or do you want to have a better work/life balance? Perhaps you are a teaching assistant wishing to specialise and looking for SEN teaching assistant jobs.

Different people want different things at different stages of their lives, especially when it comes to careers. You might have wanted something in your early 20s, but now you want something different as you enter your late 30s. Once you reach your 50s, your wants may change again. 

Determine what your values are. Do you want to work for a company that aligns with your values? At the same time, you want to evaluate your strengths and skills because you'll want to find roles that are suitable for them. 

If you're not certain what your skills and strengths are, then take a skills assessment test. Head over to the National Careers Service's website, where they have a tool you can use to receive career suggestions. There's also assessments you can take. Doing this is a good first step to determine what your skills and strengths are. 

Grow Your Network

Networks are a powerful tool, and can lead to being introduced to someone in a company you want to work at. Your network can open doors to new opportunities or learning about positions that open up right as they become available. This is why you should grow your network and then use it to your advantage. 

Use social media and go to networking events because doing these two things can help you build your network. If you go to events, be it in person or virtually, you'll likely receive a list of names of other people who will attend. Consider connecting with these people via social media, or on a site such as LinkedIn. 

Before you start conversations with others on LinkedIn, personalize your profile. Focus on inviting people to connect with you over a virtual coffee. If you have an existing network, then send them messages every now and then, or ask the ones you like the most if they want to have a virtual coffee or meet up. 

Networking is all about supporting and helping people, and not just about what others can do for you. Be as generous as possible with people because you could end up receiving much more than you imagined. However, help others because you actually want to help others, and not just because you want to get something back. 

Address Imposter Syndrome

Most people end up experiencing imposter syndrome when they find themselves in an interview. You might be worried about not being good enough. You could end up doubting yourself and wondering if you should have applied in the first place. 

You can challenge your negative thoughts about yourself by reminding yourself you were chosen for the interview for a reason. That reason is because you're good enough and have the skills required to handle the job. Practice giving yourself positive pep talks and this should help you. 

If imposter syndrome arises as you're in the middle of the interview, then remind yourself you can't be worrying about that at the moment because you don't have the time. When you're in the middle of an interview, you need to focus on getting through it. Tell yourself you'll worry about it later. 

By the time you actually get back home, whatever you were thinking about will probably not even bother you. However, you should still think about how the interview went. Determine what you could have done differently, and then tell yourself you'll do those things if you land another interview in the future. 

Responses Should Be Succinct 

Use the S.T.A.R, method as a frame work. S.T.A.R. is short for situation, task, action and result. Use this method when you're answering questions about situations and behavior. When preparing for the interview, ask yourself questions that relate to competency or behavior, and then frame your answers using the S.T.A.R. approach. As a general rule of thumb, you should ask yourself at least 4-5 questions.

You want to make your answers succinct. Also, they should be pitched at the level that is appropriate for the role you're trying to land. This will show the prospective employer that you are capable of performing at the level they want their prospective employees to perform at.