If you're thinking of a change in career direction, or perhaps using your skills in a slightly different environment, it can be difficult to get going. After all, there's a good chance that you will need to step out of your comfort zone and actually take some action rather than simply talk or think.
This can be enough to make one procrastinate. And who want's to be that colleague who just talks and does nothing?
Making a successful career move is all about knowing how to answer these three questions clearly and in this order:
1. Who am I?
2. What do I want?
3. How do I get it?
If you know who you are you'll know what you can offer and what brings out the best in you. Once you know this, it will become easier to identify the right direction for you. And then it's a matter of creating an effective job search strategy.
Most people jump straight to step 2. This often means taking the scattergun approach to job searching and is very time consuming, especially if your well-crafted CV isn't even read.
A good Career Coach can guide you through these steps and help you to negotiate the barriers that exist along the way (trust me, they always exist!). But you may not have the budget or time for such an investment. So what can you do?
A good starting point can be to take a psychometric assessment which can go some way towards helping you to identify the first 2 steps. I've not come across an assessment that will tell you everything, but there are some good ones out there that can get you started.
Personally, I like to use Morrisby. It's a great online assessment that identifies your potential strengths and aptitudes and it has recently been upgraded to include more information such as personality (Myers-Briggs).
At the end it will suggest possible career paths for you to investigate further.
Ideally the report should be discussed with an expert who will be able to answer any queries if there is something you don't agree with.
You also have lifetime access to the report results and you can even retake a section if you desire.
I used to be a cynic when it comes to psychometric assessments, but having had such positive feedback about the results from clients (over 100) I will gladly big them up.
To view a sample report, click here.
The results are tailored depending on your age. If you're an adult you are unlikely you want the report to suggest possible A levels!
Once you have registered you can take the assessment whenever you wish. It will take approximately 90 minutes to complete but it does need to be completed in one sitting under 'exam conditions'.
That's the only reference to exam I'll make, because it's important to stress that this is not a test. It's purely an opportunity to identify your strengths and the right direction for you.
To register and complete the assessment now for only £99 plus an optional 1-1 skype session with yours truly, click HERE
This could be the start of an exciting new direction for you!