I suppose my career identity crisis actually started pretty soon after I started my career. And it just kept progressing as I moved up the ladder until one day, I just couldn’t put a name or a label on what I do for a living.
This became really evident to me when I started poking around job listings just to see what might be out there for me if I decided it was time to make a move.
But not one listing seemed to “fit” – too much experience. Too little experience. Systems and terms I wasn’t quite familiar with.
I reached out to a colleague at a placement agency to talk through my dilemma.
“A crossroads,” he called it.
And it’s not unusual at all.
A recent article by Pauline Millard says, “It tends to hit around 10 or 15 year mark in your career. You’ve been working in the same job or the same field for years — and then all of a sudden — you know it’s time for change.”
My colleague’s advice to me? Write it down.
- What are your strengths?
- In your ideal world, what do you want? But also, what do you not want?
- Identify the radius in which you want to work and look for companies in that area, regardless of whether they are hiring and then write down any connections you may have.
Thus Beth’s Brand Book was created. A small spiral bound notebook that now houses everything that makes up my professional brand. It doesn’t just include the points above, but it is a diary that also includes business ideas, conversations with the people I call “My Most Successful,” and musings about where to go from here.
Keep in mind though, like many of you, a big (and perhaps the most important) part of Beth’s Brand is being a parent. So include those parts when working on your brand, because ultimately that’s going to have a lot to say in where you’re headed.
So what does your brand say about you?
