Making a career change is anything but child’s play. The soul searching involved with making a decision to change one’s livelihood is complicated by the challenges of learning new skills, going back to school, and being reconciled to accepting what’s often a lower salary to get started in a different profession. But the tools and means to make a new you have never been more readily at hand. An embarrassment of riches are available for the career changer who knows how to look. In this talk, Todd Nilson will present the potential and pitfalls of managing your job search as a career changer. This will not be a session about how to write a resume but will be a presentation-and-discussion format seminar that will address the underlying concerns of taking on a new career path along with the tools and techniques that can bring you to the attention of a new employer or help you to reposition yourself as the entrepreneur you always dreamed of becoming. In this presentation, you will learn: • How to get mentally prepared for a career change: three essential mindsets • Ways to better understand the careerscape you’re entering • Designing a transition plan that works which defines your goals and the people who will help you to achieve them • How to stay on target during the search

1. Getting your ducks in a row...
Career
Changer
Mindset,
Branding
and
Execution
by
Todd
Nilson

2. A Paradox (Pair-a-ducks?)
Better
career
options
available
Challenge
of
learning
new
skills
Learn
a
new
industry
Need
to
return
to
school
Pay
cut
to
get
started
Fear,
uncertainty
and
doubt
Job
search
has
changed

3. Feeling overwhelmed yet?
(While
it
can
seem
like
a
daunting
task
to
prepare
yourself
for
a
career
change,
it
is
possible
to
break
it
down
into
manageable
steps.)

4. Observe
Orient
Decide
Act
“Forty-­‐second
Boyd”
had
a
standing
bet
that,
from
a
position
of
disadvantage,
he
could
defeat
any
opposing
pilot
in
fewer
than
40
seconds.
He
is
the
originator
of
the
O-­‐O-­‐D-­‐A
loop
which
became
the
underpinning
of
modern
fighter
aircraft
combat.
(Source:
Wikipedia)
Have
you
heard
of
Col.
John
Boyd?
Think
O-­‐O-­‐D-­‐A
Loops
for
the
job
search...
OBSERVATION & ORIENTATION

5. Getting mentally prepared
3
Essential
Mindsets

6. 1. Attitude enables agility
(A
fixed
attitude
is
the
enemy)
Release
negativity
Validate,
Examine
enhance
motivation
skills
Open
to
Decision
to
discovery,
be
social
challenge
Decision
to
Accept
change
(career)
Agility
failures
=
learning
Agility means readiness to act quickly

7. Fixed vs Agile Mindsets
Fixed
Agile
• Ability
is
static,
like
your
height
• Ability
can
grow,
like
a
muscle
• Goals
make
us
look
good
• Goals
enable
learning
• Challenge
is
to
be
avoided
• Challenge
is
to
be
embraced
• Effort
is
for
the
untalented
• Effort
is
the
path
to
mastery
• Paralyzed
by
challenge
• Meets
challenge
with
resilience
Source:
Linda
Rising
lindarising.org

8. Agile Manifesto (for the job search)
Individuals
and
interactions
over
processes
and
tools
An
active
job
search
over
sending
resumes
&
cover
letters
Collaboration
over
negotiation
Responding
to
change
over
(slavishly)
following
a
plan
Adapted
from
http://agilemanifesto.net/

9. 2. Change habits with small wins
In
The
Power
of
Habit,
Duhigg
talks
about
how
making
a
small
change
to
one’s
habits
can
cascade
into
many
positive
changes
over
time.
The
Power
of
Habit:
Why
We
Do
What
We
Do
In
Life
and
Business
by
Charles
Duhigg

10. 3. Get Organized
Get
out
from
behind
the
8-­‐ball
• Understand
your
targets
• Formulate
your
message
• Determine
an
approach
• Measure
efforts
• Revise
as
needed

11. Understand the Careerscape
• All
related
job
titles
• Online
search
agents
• Understand
requested
skills
for
new
career
• Information
interviews
• Industry
chatter
for
target
career
• Internship
opportunities
• Less
obvious
points
of
entry
to
new
career
– Staffing
firms
– Professional
groups
– Friends
and
neighbors

12. Define your target audience
You
have
the
qualifications
he’s
got
stored
in
his
head
Speaks
your
language
(and
you
speak
his)
Your
personal
qualities
(and
aggressive
interest)
intrigue
him
Hungry
to
hire
talent

13. How
will
you
enter
the
job
market?
What
will
your
approach
be?
DECIDE

14. Prepare your personal brand message
• Know
your
assets
– Highlight
new
skills
– Relate
old
skills
to
new
job
requirements
• Elevator
speech
• Look
the
part
• Supporting
documents
• Your
online
self

15. What are your building blocks?
Great
story
Great
story
Great
story
demonstrating
demonstrating
demonstrating
affability
brilliance
confidence
is
for
Brilliant
is
for
Affable
is
for
Confident

16. Building the brand
What
you
convey
face-­‐to-­‐face
Résumé,
LinkedIn
profile,
communications
Your
foundational
qualities

17. Execution
is
the
fun
part
when
you’ve
got
a
plan.
MAKE ACTION HAPPEN! (AT LAST)

18. Stay on target
The
job
search
is
a
full-­‐time
job
itself.
It
requires
discipline
to
stick
to
the
plan.
But
sticking
to
the
plan
will
yield
benefits.
Stay
on
target!

19. Forge ahead and adapt to the curves
No
plan
survives
contact
with
the
enemy.
The
same
may
be
said
of
the
job
search.
Expect
delays
and
detours.

20. Now
that
you
have
seen
how
the
O-­‐O-­‐D-­‐A
Loop
works,
start
cycling!
SUMMING UP

21. Take Aways
• For
the
foreseeable
future,
career
management
necessitates
personal
brand
management
• Social
media
is
a
visible,
practical
way
to
establish
and
maintain
a
personal
brand
• Social
media
personal
branding
only
works
in
conjunction
with
your
other
career
management
efforts
• Start
with
stories
that
define
and
exemplify
what
you
stand
for
professionally,
then
build
messages
and
choose
channels
for
delivery
• Measure
your
efforts
critically
and
adapt

22. Thank You! Todd
Nilson
tnilson@socialsyntax.net
414.378.2083
Connect!
@socialsyntax