"A job search is partially about self-discovery, finding out what would make you happy, what would you be good at, and then it’s about discovering opportunities that fit your abilities and interests.” - David Lightfoot, CareerNav Client
According to a survey released by Robert Half in July, 41 percent of workers plan to change jobs by the end of 2023. For some, where their next steps lie might be obvious, but for many, the path ahead isn’t so clear.
The School of Continuing Studies (SCS) Blueprint Career Services aims to help as many as possible of those 41 percent going through a career transition to illuminate their way forward with curated resources, expert panel sessions, interactive workshops and personalized advice through their one-on-one coaching service: CareerNav.
CareerNav client Anshuman Krishna says that speaking with an SCS Blueprint career strategist helped him to understand the current job market and where he might fit within it.
“I learned that I needed to modify my expectations, work on smaller projects or accept some sort of bridging experiences in some cases, before finding the types of roles I had in mind at first,” he explains.
Krishna says he learned a lot about interviewing, specifically about the value of setting up and preparing for informational interviews and that for him the coaching sessions “made it clear where my focus is best directed when it comes to seeking job or project opportunities.”
For former medical librarian David Lightfoot, CareerNav coaching has helped him to navigate the unique challenges of tackling a job search after 19 years in a very niche field.
He says SCS Career Strategist Ann Park helped him to evaluate his skills and abilities and what would keep him motivated in a new role.
“I learned that I had more direction than I realized, and I found myself giving myself permission to look for more challenging jobs,” he shares.
“I’m still just starting my search but with Ann’s help I did identify new potential fields and employers. It’s so easy to look for the same job you had, and I’ve had offers for jobs similar to my old one, but if I was burnt out and unhappy in one, I’d probably be burnt out and unhappy in another.”
Lightfoot is now more excited than he initially was about approaching his job search, and says CareerNav has been an important part of that.
“I worried about spending the money but it was money well-spent,” he says. “One of my personal challenges is that I tend to get too excited about lots of ideas and try to pursue too many things, so this was a good way to get me focused.”
Both Krishna and Lightfoot agree that CareerNav is an ideal tool for anyone at the beginning of a job search.
“It’s useful if you're starting out, and need an experienced eye to help you prepare or validate your job search strategy; it may also be useful in finding details you may have missed in that respect,” says Krishna.
While some exercises or tools offered through CareerNav might seem anxiety-inducing at first, Lightfoot adds, it’s important to keep an open mind when participating in the coaching.
“If you’re looking for a job for the first time in many years you can have the feeling that something is too basic for you or something is above you and it’s very hard on one’s ego or maybe it just takes confidence to accept that you’re in the middle and so it’s important to have the patience to know that some tools may not help and some may so it’s important to be open to them all,” he explains.
“A job search is partially about self-discovery, finding out what would make you happy, what would you be good at, and then it’s about discovering opportunities that fit your abilities and interests.”