Whether you’re stuck in a career rutTrottrut, contemplating your next job move or wanting to to branch outsich verzweigen; hier: sich selbstständig machenbranch out on your own, there are many ways to give yourself a professional boostAuftriebboost. We present three tips and case studies to inspire you in your career development.
1. Making the leap
Have you had enough of your job but don’t know what to do? Should you to grin and bear itgute Miene zum bösen Spiel machengrin and bear it or to make the leap into sth.den Sprung in etw. wagenmake the leap into the unknown? It might be terrifying to reinvent yourself, but it’s certainly not impossible — particularly if you have a helping hand. For example, Richard Alderson started out as an IT consultant before realizing that he was in the wrong job. He now runs Careershifters, a firm that offers workshops, courses and coaching to help people find work they love. One of his clients was Lizzie Fouracre.
Case study: Lizzie Fouracre, founderGründer(in)founder of The Humble Retreat
After university, Lizzie Fouracre’s brother asked her to help him run a technology start-up. The company was extremely successful, growing into a team of 60 within the seven years that she worked there. But deep down, Fouracre knew she wasn’t living her dream — she was helping her brother.
“I reached a point when I felt I just couldn’t do this anymore,” she says.
I realized that I needed some peace away from the noise
Fouracre left the company and went walking around the UK for two months, with just a tent, a rucksack and questions about her next move. “I needed some peace away from the noise so I could listen to myself. Then I realized what I was doing was very restorativestärkend, erholsamrestorative and wanted to make this available to others — just walking, being mindfulachtsammindful of yourself, getting back to basics and finding happiness in the humblebescheiden; hier: einfachhumble things in life.”
As a result, Fouracre opened The Humble Retreat, a convertedumgebautconverted barnScheunebarn in the Shropshire Hills, offering yoga, walking, homemade food and a place to get back to basics. She has been running the retreatRückzugsort, Refugiumretreat for a year now. “I’ve never had so much convictionÜberzeugungconviction about anything in my life apart from this. I’m positive that this is a result of me listening to my intuition, which I’d ignored for so long.”
Her message to others: “Believe in yourself!”
2. The mother of all jobs
Many of us dream of having it all: combining a fulfillingerfüllendfulfilling career with having a family. But those dreams can to crumble(zer)bröckeln, sich auflösencrumble when confronted with reality. Expectant parents worry that taking an extended breakhier: Auszeitbreak from the workplace might damage their future career chances — not to mention the temporary loss of income.
But those preparing for parental leaveElternzeitparental leave can breathe a sigh of relief. Becoming a parent can actually help you to hone sth.etw. verfeinern, verbessernhone a broad range of skills that can to translate into sth.sich in etw. verwandelntranslate into success upon your return to the office.
Dealing with toddlerKleinkindtoddlers equips parents with top negotiationVerhandlungnegotiation and diplomacy tactics. Multitasking at home also makes you brilliant at time management. But potential parents need to plan how to to keep in touch with sb.mit jmdm. in Kontakt bleibenkeep in touch with their employer. Having a performance reviewMitarbeitergesprächperformance review before you leave also provides a useful record of your competencies and responsibilities for when you return.
Case study: Jessica Chivers, CEO (chief executive officer)Geschäftsführer(in)CEO, TalentKeepers
Before having two children, Jessica Chivers worked in learning and development for Barclays bank in the City of LondonLondoner FinanzdistriktCity of London. After becoming a mother, she moved into a freelancefreiberuflichfreelance coaching role before writing a book, Mothers Work! How to to get a grip on sth. (ifml.)etw. in den Griff bekommenGet a Grip on guilthier: schlechtes GewissenGuilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work (Hay House).
“I saw this complete incompatibility between being a parent and being a professionalBerufstätige(r) mit qualifizierter Ausbildunprofessional. I also saw a complete waste of talent,” says Chivers.
Working for myself has enabled me to be in control of my own diary and combine having a family with doing really interesting work
The process of writing the book combined with her career experience and coaching background inspired her to set up TalentKeepers in 2012. Now, Chivers works with employers to help their employees through the journey out of and back into the business after maternity leaveMutterschaftsurlaubmaternity leave and other extended periods away from work.
Chivers really does appear to have it all. “Working for myself has enabled me to be in control of my own diary (UK)Terminkalenderdiary and combine having a family with doing really interesting work.”
3. Masters of their trade
You’re never too old to learn. And studying later in life can help you change career direction, learn new skills and develop an entirely new network. Now that you’re all grown up, it’s time for a grown-up course, such as the Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy at London Business School (LBS), with a group of senior managerFührungskraft; leitende(r) Angestellte(r)senior managers aged between 35 and 55.
Case study: Jean-Philippe Verdier, founding partnerGründungsgesellschafter(in)founding partner, Verdier & Co.
Leaving the world of big banking isn’t an easy step, particularly after working as an investment banker with well-known firms such as BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank or Greenhill. But taking the master’s course gave Jean-Philippe Verdier the confidence and skills to make the leap and set up his own business, the corporate finance boutiquehier: auf Finanztrans- aktionen spezialisierte Unternehmensberatungcorporate finance boutique Verdier & Co., in 2016.
The firm has since grown to have four members of staff and a portfoliohier: Bestandportfolio of clients, including big names.
I wanted to invest in myself and my perspective
Verdier was initially drawn to the course because he wished to broaden his horizons. “I wanted to invest in myself for the following decades, develop soft skillssoziale Kompetenzensoft skills such as team leadership, and equip myself with a broader perspective, for instance understanding key strategic issueFrageissues and how things ‘work’ in today’s corporate world.” He also felt he needed to take a step back after 20 years’ working in banking and finance and invest in himself for the next 20 years and more.
Verdier’s courses included those related to entrepreneurshipLeitung eines Unternehmensentrepreneurship, managing people and managing a growing business. The new knowledge shaped him for his next position and provided him with the self-confidence to start his own firm. Networking with experienced executiveFührungskraftexecutives also helped. “I to recruit sb.jmdn. anwerbenrecruited some of my team via the LBS network and also won my second — and very big — client via the network there.”
Verdier cautions anyone considering a master’s not to expect to get the dream job immediately after the programme. Also, you need to be honest with yourself. “You can only get out of the course what you put into it,” he says. And remember: a master’s is not without a cost — it’s a big commitmentEngagement, Einsatzcommitment both financially and emotionally.
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