8 Steps to Help You Pivot into a New Professional Direction  

If you are ready to take a new direction in your career, young author Jenny Blake has some good advice for you: “You hold the answers.” During her recent presentation at SXSW titled “Pivot: The only move that matters is your next one,” she inspired me to evaluate my career transitions and share my personal insights:

• It’s all about you. Carve out the time you need to do the things you love, the things that are restorative, and the things that you may not currently be making time for. Refocus on your health, and ensure that you are getting the right amounts of sleep, food, and exercise. Spend quality time with your family.

• Think about the gifts you have. Write down a list of your strengths. If you need help deciding what you do exceptionally well, take an assessment, like StrengthFinders 2.0, re-read your work evaluations, or ask your friends, family, and co-workers for their opinions.

• Intentionally network and ask for help. Intentional networking means you are meeting for a purpose. Do you need introductions to meet people who work at companies you are interested in? Do you want help to expand your network of recruiters? Do you need someone to fine-tune your ideal job description, or to give you feedback on your resume? Once you have decided what assistance you need, look up former co-workers who can provide it and ask to meet for coffee or lunch. After your meeting, remember to thank your colleagues for their time and effort. Tell them when you land your next job so they know your search is over, but let them know you want to stay in touch.

• Define your ideal job. Determine what industry you are interested in, what size company appeals to you the most, and in what culture you would thrive. Remember that your strengths should help define what role, function, key responsibilities, key partners, success factors, and deliverables would be best for you. Determine what trade-offs you are willing to make to land your ideal job.

• Do some basic housecleaning. Update your resume, focusing on your accomplishments. Include metrics to highlight what you have achieved. If you are unsure about how to go about it, hire someone who can help you. In addition, have a new work-ready photo taken. Make sure the photo makes you look as smart and accomplished as you are.

• Update your profile on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other job-search engines. Pay the premium for at least one. To ensure that your profile includes key words that recruiters use for searches, read other job descriptions to pick up cues about the language companies you like are using.  Look at the contact lists of people in your own network, and pursue connections with those who could be useful to you. Ask key people to write recommendations for you—testimonials from former bosses, peers, and employees can be very helpful.

• Go for your ideal job. Talk with people who work at companies you admire, and present your ideal job description. Communicate how you can add value, drive growth, and satisfy customers at the company. Find out if the job you want exists within the organization, and ask your contacts if you could be introduced to recruiters or relevant hiring managers. Even if the role doesn’t currently exist, remember that, in the increasingly dynamic workplace, leaders want to hire talent who can see opportunities and generate abundance, and may be willing to create a job if they see a need. Once you have had these discussions, learn from the reactions and feedback you receive. Use what you have heard to refine your job description and customize your resume to align with both your career goals and the company’s culture.

• Take the next step and pivot. do have the answers. You know your strengths, you know what is non-negotiable, and you know what your priorities are. You have defined your ideal job and researched possibilities. You will know when you find your next best step.

In today’s dynamic job market, developing the ability to make a career change is a crucial skill, and one that you will rely on again and again. These eight steps will give you the tools you need to successfully pivot.