Experience is invaluable – especially when looking for a new role - but executives in the UK can sometimes feel their qualifications and expertise pigeonhole them in a career they didnít really ìchooseî, and which doesnít offer the challenge they need for the person they have become. Despite the fact that a career path has developed an individualís knowledge and professional abilities it can still feel confining, and many will believe there is no way to change this.
Margaret Sheppard is a specialist in career management and the director of professional development at Career Navigation, a consultancy dedicated to nurturing and developing executives through their careers. She believes the recession has provided an opportunity for executives, to make changes, as many career options have simply disappeared, the number of jobs has decreased, and there simply isnít the next logical step on the career path available for everyone.
ìPeople are in a great position to question their values, beliefs and vocational direction, to take stock, or even make life-changing decisions. Staying in a role for a long time can leave an executive with tunnel vision where their prospects are concerned, when, in fact, their experience and scope of expertise are invaluable and offer them a huge window of opportunity in the work place, when viewed from a different angle,î Margaret says.
A recent report by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation found that the UK job market had marginal increases in appointments in August.
ìThis is a welcome finding as itís the first positive announcement the industry has had in around 17 months. It indicates that with a bit more commercial confidence and hard work, the recruitment industry will continue to bounce back from the impact of the recession, creating further good news for job seekers by providing better and more diverse opportunities.î
For some, making life changing decisions can require an outsider to unlock their true potential, by helping them re-evaluate their career prospects. A coach can do this, helping individuals to highlight opportunities and roles they might not have considered or thought possible.
ìIt is never too late to change career path or fulfil a lifelong ambition. Executive coaching has long proved invaluable in helping professionals to focus on the important aspects of their career and their personality traits to enable them to make a positive change.î
ìDeciding to re-evaluate ones career can sometimes seem like a daunting task but a coach can help facilitate this by questioning and encouraging reflection, to facilitate options for work and life changes. The coach also helps put a framework around ideas and develops a rigorous pattern of analysis that allows the individual to differentiate the ëdoableí from the ëconceptually fascinatingí, and put their drive into the things that fit their own agreed set of criteria.î
She continued: ìIt is easy to get stuck in a rut and not feel fulfilled in a role but the skills one has learnt can be redeployed, aligned and packaged differently, in order to realise different goals. A coach can help an executive not only to convince themselves of this metamorphosis, but to convince others, including their possible next employer.î
Coaching is available for executives who are looking for their next career move, taking up new roles and facing a steep learning curve, or for executives already in a post, to help them deal with any hurdles they might be facing. For more information on how a coach can help you evaluate your career contact Career Navigation 44 (0) 020 7490 7707 or visit: www.careernavigation.com.
Skilled and experienced UK executives can find career opportunities more limited
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