Digging into Your Career Search

Ever have a summer that’s just been a bit…different? This has been one of those summers for me. We’ve been working through some anticipated changes in home ownership and this is my first summer in as long as I can remember that I don’t have vegetable or flower gardens to tend.

While this might not seem odd to some, gardening is pretty much in my DNA. My grandfather, a botany professor, shared his love of all things botanical with me. Growing up our family owned flower and landscaping businesses for years, and most of my summer memories contain family, flowers, and taking care of the harvest.

Earlier this winter, when I received my new gardening catalogs in the mail, instead of hungrily pawing through them for fun new things to plant this summer, I found myself wondering how I was going to enjoy beautiful spaces, dig in the dirt, and partake in the harvest.

Without a garden I had to find alternatives to meet my need to weed. I did! In early summer I visited the Vermont Flower Show to enjoy beautiful spaces; in mid- summer my daughter and I volunteered in our community gardens; and as summer is starting to draw to a close we have been enjoying the bounty of the farmers markets in our region.

This summer, my energy has shifted from gardening to staging and home showings. Similarly, has your summer also been a bit different? Maybe you’re having to think creatively about your career path? Are you trying to grow your skills in new, different ways? Are you trying to find new ways to shift your energy into a more fulfilling way of life?

Like my summer gardening challenge, a career change can be daunting. Here are a few tips to help along the way:

• Consider your career as a whole do you enjoy it? If not, maybe it’s time for something new?
• Harvest the skills that you've enjoyed in your career that use your strengths. If you’re not sure what your strengths are, set up an appointment to learn how to refine your talents into purposeful and impactful strengths.
• Cultivate your network. Reach out to past colleagues and LinkedIn connections to see what career moves others in your life have made.
• Are you feeling stagnant? It might be time to reach out to a Career Coach to create a strategic plan, help you recognize and value your competencies, and not only increase your chances of finding a job that will make you happy, but help you decrease the amount of time you spend on your job or career search.

This summer, I’ve learned that thinking creatively about my garden woes created many great adventures for me.
​A bit of digging into your career could do the same for you.

We can’t wait to see where your career change adventures take you!

Ready to Remove the Weeds in Your Career? Click Here!

Author

Heather Palow, Career and Business Coach. I work with entrepreneurs, career changers and people who want to take control of their lives by clarifying their ideal lives and achieving their goals.