Career decisions can come with a lot of uncertainties. Making such decisions in our careers can be difficult because it may be difficult to ascertain which opportunities we need to consider or not. Deciding to make that move or go in a new direction can ultimately chart your path to career success or vice versa.
Many of us choose careers for different reasons. Most importantly, our careers should be a stepping stone towards growth and personal development.
Making the right career decision is akin to making the right buying or sound investment decision. We want good returns on our investments but before you make any investment decision, rule of thumb is to assess an investment opportunity thoroughly. This will help you evaluate the risk and return associated with those investments. The offer or returns may sound good, but not all investment opportunities may be the right opportunity for you.
Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend about our careers and some opportunities we accepted and others we had to forgo due to different reasons. She was also having a hard time making a career transition. Both offers were good but she needed to be sure she was making a sound investment decision that will grant her great returns in future.
Our quest for growth comes with change and there will be many times in our lives where we will have to do a career transition because we are experiencing a plateau and we want something more fun, exciting and challenging. If you are looking to move from company A to B or switch careers entirely, here are a few things to consider.
- Have a career plan
A career plan will help you to clearly define what you want to achieve in your career and outline your short to long term goals based on what have spelt out.. This will help you identify and ascertain how that career decision will influence your goals. Will it create an avenue for personal growth and development? Will the opportunity provide optimum work -life balance? Will the remuneration and other benefits match up to what you have to offer? Is it a fair compensation as per market prices?Your plan will also help you look for opportunities that align with your goals, contribute to your growth and make you valuable to the firm. These three questions can help you make a right and conclusive decision:
- What am I doing this for?
- Who am I doing this for?
- How will this choice contribute to my growth?
- Conduct your research
The first step consider all your options. Outline all the possibilities and options you have considered and narrow them down. This will help you assess the industry, specific company or new direction you want to look at. Can you identify with their values? It will help you determine hiring decisions being made and how you can get the opportunity to speak with them.
Company culture is one of the things you can look out for. Also look out for organizations that appreciate change and innovation, and are keen on creating impact. An organization that appreciates its human capital will create avenues for them to make meaningful contributions to the growth of the company. Is the company keen on learning and development? Our personal development is something we are responsible for but it is also great to know that your employer values the importance of learning and development, and help you gain the exposure you need to excel.
Will this give you the opportunity to meet and engage with like-minded individuals who will challenge you to do more? You need to assess how relevant will your skills be in the next few years and which learning opportunities you intend to take advantage in order to stay relevant and maximize your skillset.
- Remember your values
Values are the fundamental beliefs that inform our choices and decisions. Keeping your values at the back of your mind will help you in decision-making processes and help you gain clarity on what you want from your career. Your values can you determine why company A is not a good fit for you but company B is what you have been looking for.
- Seek a different opinion
After you have thoroughly considered all your options and certain about the decision you want to take, seek a different opinion from a trusted person who will not give a biased approach. Sometimes, it’s important to seek other perspectives from people who can provide valuable insights to help you make informed decisions.
- Evaluate your plan
This step will help you identify any errors or gaps when you’re planning out your decision-making process. It’s always important to review the facts and research you collected during your process and assess all of the information in an objective way. You can also evaluate your plan by testing your assumptions and decisions against past experiences.
Also, in making such decisions, you need to trust your intuition and take certain risks. Having a plan or vision about how you want your future to be can help to inform your career decisions and choices. There will be many career decisions to make, but in the long run, the decision will rest on us to quit our jobs, seek a promotion, start that lifelong dream or keep grinding.
>>>Nana Akua Frimpomaa Amofa is a Writer and Creative Lead of Scripted Impressions, a creative consulting agency that helps individuals and brands tell their stories. She works as Senior Editor at El-Evangel Publications. Her work involves content development, strategy and review of publications. She is also the Project Lead for Community, a platform that provides support and resources to aspiring professionals and entrepreneurs. Connect with Nana Akua via Instagram/Twitter: @missamofa, LinkedIn: Nana Akua Frimpomaa Amofa, Email: [email protected]
