Finding Direction after a Career Break

Career Direction is the process of uncovering what you’re meant to do, which starts with unpicking what makes you, you. What you stand for, what makes you tick and what you need in your worklife to be happy and successful.

Returning to work is a process and the more effort you put into the planning stages, the better your results. This stage of returning can make your head hurt, as it’s an emotional and you may have to go through it a few times to get the answers you need.

Who am I?

There are 2 ways to approach answering this rhetorical questions - 1) exploring your talents and 2) exploring your preferences.

Exploring Your Talents

Ask yourself these questions:

-When have you enjoyed your work most?

-What activities are you drawn to out of work?

-If money were no concern, what would you be doing?

Exploring Your Preferences

You can use personality tests to learn more about who you are and why you do things the way you do. This can help you discover what motivates and energises you and empowers you to seek out those elements in the work you choose to do, and avoid what frustrates and demotivates you.

When you are clear on who you are and the choices you make, you can then move on to think about what you want to do and are on the path to the best career for you at that point in time.

For some answers on which career path to would best suit you, take a look at my blog on recommended free online career assessments and quizzes for a place to start.