Post-Holiday Blues: Is it Time for a Career Change or just a 'Word' with your Boss?
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After a summer break, often slipping back into work mode can be a challenge. Being welcomed by a never ending inbox and a hectic schedule can trigger some back to work blues, making it difficult to focus on the mountain of work that is staring back at you.
Waving goodbye to the sun, sea and the freedom of not checking your emails can often feel like the end of the world when you have to return to reality. There's nothing quite like a strong dose of the back to work blues to make you wish that you had booked a one way ticket and become a yoga instructor.
However, it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. In actual fact, this can be the best time of the year to take stock, feel refreshed and plan ahead for a real boost in your life and career. Here are some top tips to finding career fulfilment and avoiding the post-holiday hangover.
Before you return:
Plan Ahead
In order to make a successful transition back to work, planning ahead is vital. The temptation to just jump head first into work will only come back to haunt you later on. Schedule catch up time in your calendar to follow up on emails, listing tasks realistically and in order of importance will help you find some stability before moving forward.
Find your 'back to school' excitement
Just like new shoes can help kids get excited about going back to school, having something to look forward to can really help when returning to work. Consider the one thing that excites you about the work that you do. Are there particular projects that you're looking forward to working on, or an opportunity to become involved in a new initiative? Taking a holiday is often the time when people begin to question their role, what they're doing with their work and if they are really happy in what they are doing. Self-reflection before returning to the office and finding something you can get excited about can help to ensure that you return with a new found focus and energy.
Once you have returned:
Take the lead:
Treat your own career as a business. Look at your own personal brand, keep up-to-date with the latest trends in your industry and look for new ways to add value. Sign up to professional development programmes or volunteer for projects that will bolster your skill-set.
Stop trying to balance work and life...blend them instead:
Time is a traditional measure when it comes to work-life balance. We focus on the hours spent, but when looking for a balance, time is not a good thing to judge. A better way to look at it is by asking yourself, 'have I achieved in all areas that matter to me?' Consider all the areas that you enjoy and focus your energy on getting them right.
3 Key Attributes for Happines at Work:
Passion for your work is the ideal situation and is something that we all aspire to. But realistically it isn't always that easy. Your job is what you make of it, the challenge is to recognise what's troubling you and how you can push through it and make it work for you. With this, there are 3 key attributes, that when used can allow you to strategically make the change that you need in your career and personal life.
1. Value
Valuing your own work and skills is critical. This means having the inner confidence to know that if you put in the effort, you will get the results or see progress. One way to build your sense of value is to continually look at ways to develop and learn new things. To deal effectively with making changes in your work life, you need to be engaged in changing yourself.
2. Enthusiasm:
Being eager to try new things and see the upside of a project can lead you to interesting assignments and opportunities that will help to bring happiness to your working life.
3. Resilience:
The knack of springing back in the face of difficulty or failure is essential in achieving happiness at work. When you are resilient, you are familiar at spotting trends and turning them into opportunities. You can teach yourself to be resilient by learning to be more comfortable in an environment where nothing stays the same. When you gain resilience you can create a more successful career path.
If it's more than just a case of the back to work blues...
Be honest about what motivates you:
Be honest with yourself about what really motivates you and then focus on it. Look back at your career and think about the times when you have felt most engaged and valuable. There are likely to be common themes when you look closely at the skills you were using, the environment and the relationships of the times you enjoyed and the times you didn't. These are usually good predictors of what is going to work best for you in the future.
Talk:
Friends, family, business connections and recruiters can be a great source of advice, feedback and information for when you are considering a career change. Talking to an exclusive recruiter will help you to work out what roles may work and what options are out there that best suit you.
Get Pro-Active:
Set goals and timelines, identify the resources that you'll need and monitor your progress. A plan will help to ensure that you stay on track. It's also important to consider time management, so schedule in time to focus on your career goals to make it happen.
Take calculated risks:
Find out what is happening in your market and find out what employers are looking for. Most importantly, talk to people who are currently in these roles. Making any career change is a risk, but staying in a job where you're not happy carries its own risks. If it feels like the right decision for you and it is achievable then what have you got to lose?
To find out more information on how you can reach your career fulfilment...
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