The mindsets & character traits that anyone considering a career change needs to consider.
(especially Healthcare professionals)
The idea of changing career is a daunting prospect to most people, especially any healthcare professionals where the sacrifice & commitment you have made is very high!
I’ve talked on previous blogs about some of the factors that make it so difficult for us to feel like we can leave our careers but I want to focus in this blog on some of the things we need to change to help ourselves actually make a change….
I would argue that without overcoming & embracing some of the mindsets & character traits I outlined below it can be very difficult for individuals to make a significant career change.
I want to emphasise that I will be referring to how these mindsets & character traits apply to healthcare professionals (as that is where my own personal experience lies as a doctor) but they are understandably applicable to lots of other professions.
1. Perfectionism/fear of failure:
As a healthcare professional we are likely to consider ourselves perfectionists who are reluctant to accept failure as an option (it comes with the ultimate sacrifice in our profession and we have been hard-wired to avoid it at all costs). There is a problem with this mindset though…. A typical career path isn’t straight. The majority of individuals will change job roles multiple times in their career, trying to establish what it is they do/don’t enjoy working on or developing their skills/expertise. As part of this process, you are unlikely to find yourself in the perfect job role straight away. You might find yourself trying new things and realising that you don’t like them (or you aren’t good at them). This is part of the process and these learnings help you to better understand what it is you need from your career. It really is important to try to see any challenges or changes as opportunities for growth & improvement.
2. Regrets:
It doesn’t matter what type of career you currently work, you might have regrets about things you’ve done previously…. It’s likely if you’re reading this blog that you don’t want to have any more regrets going forward. I think it’s even more likely that you will regret leaving your current career if you are a healthcare professional reading this blog… I know this was a huge factor which influenced my decision to make a career change. You will have made a number of sacrifices to get to where you are today and you will have a vague idea of where you current career will take you… There is some degree of certainty that the investment you have made is worth it. As you start to think about changing your career, it’s easy to then wonder if a different career will deliver an equivalent outcome. It might be better (which is the ultimate goal) but it could also be worse. What if this happens? It’s this anticipation of regretting your decision that can stop you in your tracks when it comes to making a career change. It’s important to realise that it’s completely normal to have doubts like this about decisions you are making and there are things you can do to help yourself minimise the chance of experiencing any regret. Firstly, you can really carefully consider your options. I would strongly recommend reading “Clear Thinking” by Shane Parrish if you want help with making important decisions. He has a great process to follow. Secondly, you can try to adjust your mindset around regret. It might be that the next step you take doesn’t result in a better outcome but if you didn’t ever make this step will you forever regret not trying?
3. Resilience in the Face of Rejection:
It is hard work applying for jobs…. It isn’t smooth sailing and you will receive a fair share of rejection. This is really important to consider if making a career change. You need to be determined to overcome challenges you face as you try to make your career change. As a healthcare professional, this was something that I wasn’t prepared for & it took me a little while to get used to pushing on through any setbacks. At first, I tried to avoid rejection by limiting my exposure to it…. I applied only for roles of positions that I thought I would be likely to succeed in rather than apply for all the roles that I would consider myself capable of doing. By doing this I was protecting myself from being rejected but the reality is that I was guaranteeing myself rejection. There was no way I was going to get the job I thought I would be good at doing if I didn’t apply in the first place…. You need to work on becoming resilient in the face of rejection. It really isn’t your role to reject yourself from the job opportunities you think you would enjoy pursuing, leave that to the recruiter.
4. Self-confidence:
You are going to need to sell yourself when it comes to changing your career… It is hard work applying for jobs as I mentioned before and this is partly because it is competitive. You are going to need to make yourself stand out amongst 10’s (or 100’s) of other applicants. To help you do this, you will need to have confidence in yourself. This applies to having confidence in the things you have already done as well as having confidence in yourself to try new things…. You are going to need to step outside of your comfort zone when it comes to changing career (this is by definition what you are doing). It will be so much easier for you to do this if you try to overcome any self-doubt you have and focus on the things you know you are capable of doing. As a healthcare professional, there will probably be a lot more that you are capable of doing than you realise. You’ve got a stack of undeniable proof already that you can do hard things…. What else do you have proof of doing? Try to keep this at the front of your mind when you're applying for roles &/or trying to sell yourself to a future employer!
It isn’t easy making a career change but it isn’t impossible. There are lots of things you can do to make the process easier for yourself and I hope this blog has been a useful tool. Please don’t hesitate to contact me via email (elle@gabrielletodd.com) if you have any questions about careers!
Did you know I offer 1:1 coaching to help others make changes in their lives? This can be related to careers, starting a business or forming healthier habits. Please just send me an email directly to elle@gabrielletodd.com if this is something you feel you would benefit from & would like to learn more about.
