Much of the work I do is with clients who are hoping to make a career change. Shifting gears from one industry or role, to a totally new one, is probably one of the biggest challenges for a job seeker to face. This is especially true if the job seeker has been in one industry or role for a long time and can’t necessarily envision how to connect the old path to the new.
It’s this lack of vision that creates the greatest obstacle in the career-changer job search and that obstacle is:
Not believing they can achieve their goal.
There’s a certain language that makes this obvious to me when people indicate that they don’t believe they can achieve their goal. They say things like:
“I want to do this new job but I’m not qualified…”
OR
“I just don’t see how I could be a fit for that thing I want to do…”
OR
“I have done what they are asking for in the job description but..”
If you are feeling the career change itch BEWARE of this kind of language because it will cause you more hurt than harm.
I too have been in moments in my life where I haven’t felt entirely qualified and have really been in a state of zero hope but the minute you start letting that kind of language or those thoughts of doubt seep in, trust me, it’s over.
We will always have a reason to talk ourselves out of achieving our goals but there’s one quote that always strikes me and gets me back on path and I want to share it with you. Henry Ford said:
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Most of the people I work with are more than capable of reaching their goals (even if they’ve never spent a day in target industry or role) but they self-sabotage with thoughts of “I can’t,” or those subtle “buts.”
This is probably the most dangerous pitfall in the job search because it sabotages your belief in yourself which translates to others’ belief in you and your abilities. You can’t tell me that lack of confidence is going to make the interviewer sit back and think: “Wow I really want to take a chance on him even though he isn’t super qualified.”
No way jose! Confidence and belief in you, are more evident than you think and if you’re ever going to get out of a tough job search, this has to be the first area to tweak.
If you know that you are getting stuck in this negative mindset trap, I want you to write down the quote I shared and paste it to your bathroom mirror. Read it every time you see it. Start to tell yourself you can because that’s the only way you will be able to convince others.
Now I want to hear from you. Are you self-sabotaging your career change? Share some of your biggest doubts below as well as how you’ve overcome them. If you need a buddy to offer suggestions, you can bet I’ll comment back!
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