Career Transition Services

… a career coaching model to purposefully transition into the future

The Career Transition Experience

Transitioning to the next step in your next career is an iterative process which can lead to an opportunity that matches your skills and abilities, career interests, and personal aspirations within an organization that aligns with your values. Successfully making this transition requires a purposeful and disciplined approach. An individualized career coaching model using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is the basis of our methodology.

AI is about discovering and applying new knowledge/new ideas concerning key aspects of your personal, professional and organizational life. In particular it focuses on generating and applying knowledge that comes from inquiry into moments of excellence, periods of exceptional competence and performance – times when you felt most alive, productive and energized working.

Your career transition consultant will become familiar with the challenges you may encounter through each of the career transition stages. Over the course of one-on- one meetings we will provide you with the framework, methodology and consulting support you need.

Our Career Transition Framework

Our career transition framework is organized into four (4) stages. We will begin with a personalized needs analysis to align our services with your requirements.

Reflect

During this stage we will assist you to develop, understand and articulate the key attributes of your next career step. You will accomplish this through exercises and assessment tools that direct your reflections of your best career experience, personal values, your strengths, and ideal work environment. With this information you will research and consider the career options that fit your aspirations. At the conclusion of this phase you will be able to effectively communicate your personal vision for the future including the ideal next step in your career. In Stage 2 - Prepare, we will guide you through the preparation of supporting documentation such as a resume or profile.

Prepare

Using the results of your reflections in Stage 1 - Reflect, you will now take a more granular look at those career achievements and experiences from which you draw the most satisfaction. This will be the most important work you complete during the transition process because it will test and validate your ideal next career step; identify your core competencies; prepare a career objective that is supported by your achievements; provide the content for your resume; and prepare you for ‘behavioural’ interviews.

With a clear understanding of what you wish to do next and why, supported by an accomplishments based resume, you will then identify your target market. Once again your career transition consultant will guide you through the exercises. There is a significant amount of personal work involved for which you will be rewarded as you pursue your next career opportunity.

Stage 3 – Act

You now have a career objective, supporting resume and target market with an initial list of potential employers. Now is the time to act; to enhance your understanding of your target market and generate interest in you as a potential employee.

Our emphasis will be on conducting ‘Information Meetings’ for the purpose of deepening and expanding your ‘connectedness’ to your target market and uncovering career opportunities. Once those opportunities have been uncovered sound preparation in anticipation of a ‘behavioural interview’ is essential.

This stage requires ‘action’ – accessing your target market, meeting people who operate with and within target market, deepening your ‘connectedness’, and uncovering opportunities.

Prepare a weekly schedule to follow that includes time for arranging meetings, preparing for meetings, and conducting meetings. It is easy to become distracted by domestic responsibilities, recreational activities, and web-based research – keep all of these to a minimum.

Stage 4 – Land

At this stage you will have received a job offer(s) and are in the process of landing your next career step. Prior to acceptance there are important items to prudently consider. These are the questions you need to ask yourself. If the answers are not affirmative or you are not able to answer them – more time is required to explore and understand.

 Does the role and the work environment align with my ideal next career step, my core values, and my career objective?

 Can I work effectively with this person as my supervisor and team members as my colleagues?

 Is the job offer complete? What is missing?

 Is there a ‘pre-nuptial’ clause concerning termination of employment? What are its implications? Are they acceptable?

In order to successfully integrate into your new job it is important to take a few proactive steps that acclimatize you to this new organization, supervisor, and colleagues. In consultation with your career transition coach you will be able to build an integration strategy that fits your situation