About Latarsha Lytle, MBA Expertise For me, it's all about wrapping your SweetSpot - THAT thing you were made to do into a career or business that fits your passion, your life AND earns you money...all while allowing you to leave your mark.
I am a career positioning expert and a small business startup specialist whose passion is to help you position yourself into a business or career that makes sense for you.
www.career-change-positioning.com
www.small-business-ideas-branded-by-passion.com
Experience I've worked with many career changers and small business startups who felt stifled and trapped in a career or life that no longer fit their passion. Together we find THAT thing that they were made to do and be...and then we position them to take their rightful places in new careers and businesses that allow them to fully use all of themselves.
Education/Credentials MBA with Emphasis in Business Strategy and Positioning
MA in Marketing with Emphasis in Branding Strategy
Certified Life Purpose/Career Coach
Expert: Latarsha Lytle, MBA Date: 2/17/2008 Subject: Pls advise me
Question Hi
I am currently in a dilemma and I hope you can give me an advise or two. Here's my long story..
I'm going to be 28 this year and a degree holder in business. Ever since I graduated in 2001, I've changed a number of jobs. The longest period that i've worked in a company is 2.5 years, which is my current company.
I am working as customer service executive in an multinational insurance company since Oct 2005. My role is to answer correspondence from customers and agents, investigate and resolve complaints. From June 2007, I was promoted as Team Leader. You can call me as not ambitious, but I understand the job load and stress..thus, I prefer to be a normal executive. I guess my manager saw the 'potential' in me, so I was promoted without being asked beforehand. As my director is very demanding, I am doing a lot of work which is very heavy and stressful.
After being team teader for 4 months, I have told my manager that I prefer to be a normal executive. But she asked me to be patient, try my best and she trust that I can do it. She also told me that it's impossible for me to step down because I have the experience and knowledge. Honestly, I was disappointed when she said it, because I already gave myself 4 months probation for this new position and really cannot take it.
I have several senior and junior colleagues already resigned and I think it is time for me to think of my future. I know it is impossible for me to step down as team leader, and i'm also not able to transfer to other department. Now, my manager thinks I like wat I'm doing and she even gave me hints that I might be promoted higher next year. I just smiled and nodded. But deep in my heart, I just want to leave this position.
Currently, I have 2 job offers. The 1st one is a multimational bank and the position is also customer service. It is similar to my current role, which is to investigate enquiries and complaints and resolve them. The salary is few hundred more than my current pay. Since i dont have experience in banking industry, i'm afraid it will be difficult for me to learn the company's products and processes fast enough. I dont want to be terminated during my probation period.
The 2nd offer is from an insurance company. It is not customer service position. I'll be the backend processing staff, meaning I need to process proposal forms that come in daily. There is also a target to meet everyday. The interviewer told me, this will be a routine job and I will be doing processing job everyday. If the load is heavy, i will need to stay very late and work during weekends. The salary is also the same as offered by the bank.
I am really confused now. I dont know which one to accept. I dont want to regret my decision later. Actually, to be honest, i am not sure what i want to do or achieve in life. I guess I am the lazy and not ambitious type, means I just want to work, earn better salary, dont have to hold extra responsibility.
My colleagues told me to weigh the pros and cons and decide wat I want from both jobs, what are the prospects..But i really dont know what to do..I dont want to end up looking for new job again after few months into the new position..
Answer Hello Jessica,
First, I'd like to congratulate you on going with your guts and taking the time to think through your career change from a positioning standpoint.
It's highly critical at this point to really think through what it is that you REALLY want out of your career.
Your life and career belong to you...and you deserve to be in a position that energizes you and brings you some level of personal fulfillment.
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Your Step One: Stop Undervaluing What It Is That You
REALLY Bring To The Table.
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Here's a starting point:
First of all, give yourself credit: don't underestimate who you are and the true value you bring to the table.
Twice during this post you stated that, you are "lazy and not ambitious type"...however, based on what you have written this is not so.
The fact that you've stayed in a probationary position that you hated for the last 4 months speaks volumes about your character.
The fact that you're deciding NOT to jump ship BEFORE you've weighed your options also says a lot about you.
It says that you are ambitious enough to make a move that will actually create a win-win for you AND your future employee.
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Your Step Two: Reconnect Yourself To...You.
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You've got to assess the direction you want your career to go. It's YOUR career and your life...and you have every right and permission to position it forward.
Too often in life we wander from one job to the next, accepting those positions that are offered to us...without thinking about whether they are actually positioning us into the life the we imagined for ourselves.
And at some point we look up from it all and realize that we've somehow disconnected with who it is that we REALLY are and what it is that we REALLY want out of our lives and our careers.
And then...at some point we awaken to look at ourselves in the mirror and wonder what happened to those dreams we once had for ourselves.
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So, Jessica, one of the most crucial things I'd recommend
that you do right now is to re-connect you to...you.
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I honestly doubt that you are NOT as "lazy and unambitious" as you think...you've probably just somehow disconnected yourself from what it is that you REALLY want.
Also, if you haven't heard about it already, then you may want to check out "Do What You Are" by By: Tieger, Paul D.; Barron-Tieger, Barbara.
It is my absolute favorite career book because they have found a way to help you put your career desire into words while helping you to find THAT career that will fit you.
They also do a phenomenal job of matching who you are to those jobs that will fit your personality.
You can find more about them here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDo-What-You-Are-Personality%2Fdp%2F0316167266%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1203315485%26sr%3D1-1&tag=smabusidebrab-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Do What You Are</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=smabusidebrab-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
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Your Step Three: Evaluate Your Options From A
"My-Future-Self" Perspective.
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Also, when evaluating your current career or life options, look at your life from a future-perspective.
Look at each of the options you have available to you and imagine how each option will play out for you five years from now.
Actually, here's a fun, and enlightening exercise that will help you look at yourself from a more future-oriented perspective.
Go there, and actually work through the exercise, they will give you a glimpse of what is REALLY important to you.
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Step Four: Lay Out A Plan Of Action That Will Give You The
Opportunity To Accomplish Your Life Dreams.
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Jessica, life is too short to stay stuck in a career that just doens't work for you.
It's time that you give yourself permission to actually pursue THAT career direction that will make your heart go wild!
It gives you crucial information about those action steps that you can take right now to actually begin living out a life that fits within the context of your passion, your skill-set, and your experience and background.
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The Bottom-Line:
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You have an incredible opportunity in front of you. Seek out THAT career option that energizes you, and actually gives you something to look forward to.
Spend time understanding you.
Spend time understanding the reasons behind making a career change.
Spend time, upfront, defining what the career of your dreams would actually look like, feel like, and taste like.
Don't leave your career position up to chance.
You deserve a lot more...
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Here's to making THAT career change move that will make your heart beat faster!
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Signed: Latarsha Lytle, small business success strategist, motivational coach, and a huge fan of those people who design their lives to leave their mark in the world!
