There are times in the year when it is good to take stock of your life. We tend to immediately think of the new year as being the point where we should consider our aims because we focus on the tradition of new year resolutions. However, the end of the summer is probably a more appropriate time to be thinking about what you want and where you want to go with your career. We tend to see a lot of people looking to either move jobs or make a career change in the early autumn, but when you think about it, there are a lot of reasons why this is the case.
How do you feel about your current role?
Firstly, most of us have had a long summer holiday or at least a week or away from the workplace. While you are sitting in the sun relaxing, you can’t help but think about things. That return to work after a break is likely to get you thinking about how you are feeling about your current role. We start to ask questions about it. Does it fulfil our needs financially now and will it continue to do so in the future? Can you see yourself still being with the same company and in the same career path in five or ten year’s time? What are your prospects for advancement? And let’s not forget the really big question of whether you have job satisfaction?
A time of change
Throughout your life, this has also been a time of change. The end of summer has signalled things like the change to new schools, moving on to further or higher education and for graduates, it tends to be the end of the student period and the start of the focus on the rest of your life. We are sort of raised to see this point in the year as a transition stage to something new.
It is also much harder to focus on things like career and prospects when the sun is shining, the barbecue is blazing, and friends are gathering to have fun. Once the summer has passed, we tend to shift to a more serious frame of mind, and we often do it relaxed and ready to get back down to business. So, it is no wonder then that we tend to see a rise in the number of people looking to change their career because this is a good time of year to be doing just that.
It doesn’t hurt to spruce up your CV
We perhaps do need to be a little careful, because there is a big difference between a bit of post-holiday grumpiness and real recognition that it is getting to be time for a change, but looking at your options certainly won’t do any harm. So why not embrace that end of summer feeling and use it to take a long, realistic look at your career? Perhaps jot down your aims and see if they match your prospects in your current role. If they don’t then maybe now is the time to think about a move. Either way, it will do no harm to spruce up your CV and come along for a chat. We can look at where you are currently and where you want to go. You may be surprised by your options, or you may confirm that you are fine as you are.
Whatever the situation, a career chat with us will more than likely result in you heading into the Autumn focused and clearer about what you want from your working life.