So lately, I have been re-evaluating my life, (hitting some age milestones will do that to you). My career has been one of those areas that has come under the microscope. Sales has been a life changing journey, but there is such a thing as being too seasoned at something. Growth requires vulnerability, honesty and courage.

In this day and age, learning to change is an actual education, especially if your goal is a career change. I have found myself gravitating towards people who have taken the leap and succeeded, those who jumped and fell flat on their faces and those who just stumbled and it’s working out for them. Some recurring themes have caught my attention and the key one is, ‘start by treating yourself as a product i.e. KNOW PRODUCT YOU.

Before selling “Product You” to a new employer or industry, you need to self-audit. This eye-opening, painful but fruitful process will help you assess where you are, clarify what you want, and help you map how to get to your goal.

First step: skills check

You would think this is an easy step but try auditing over 10 years of experience and you quickly learn that it is a daunting task. However, a tip would be to start by checking those job descriptions for the roles you aspire to and use that as your marking scheme. Alternatively, apply the SWOT analysis on ‘PRODUCT YOU’ and see how well you fair.

I saw a TikTok challenge for those who have made CHATGPT their life assistant. People have been using CHATGPT for life advise, life assessments, even relationship advise. You might as well use AI to tell you where your best future lies.

Also, don’t just audit your gaps, seek to know where your strengths and hidden talents lie. A torch on some of those dormant skills can re-invigorate you in your change process cause there is nothing like knowing that you are good at something to breath new fire in you.

Second step – Goals

So you have figured out what you are good at. You now need to figure out where you want to go and why. For the younger ones, believe me when I say this. A time will come when the money will not be enough. A crazy concept for the generation that near ‘worships’ the purse.

However, I believe the bold voices of those who have gone ahead and lived to tell their stories i.e. CHASE PURPOSE, MONEY FOLLOWS. There is some hope in knowing that a career that aligns with your values will feel more fulfilling.

Step three – Upskilling to bridge gaps

Figure out what you need to do today or in the short term to prepare you for that goal. Upskilling isn’t fun but its necessary. I have found many millennials struggling with the concept of re-learning. It hasn’t been easy for me either but I have made peace with its inevitability.

I do however think it can be fun if not approached from the ‘GOING BACK TO SCHOOL’ mentality. Networking, short courses, YOUTUBE and other fun tools have made learning tolerable and sometimes even fun for me. I am treating this like product development to adapt to this brave new world.

Step four – Rebranding and marketing

This is a good step and, ironically, it is the overlooked step by many navigating career change. We only focus on updating our CV experience without really gauging what it says about us. There are so many platforms that can either contradict the message of ‘PRODUCT YOU’ to your potential customers. And after all that work of trying to be your best self, you need to ensure that your image matches. Update your professional profiles, assess and update all facets of your professional image. Extend your Network i.e. make new friends that can give you access to opportunities and most importantly, maintain the best image of ‘PRODUCT YOU’ unapologetically.

Learn how to introduce yourself confidently without attaching your current or previous job title. This particular advice I will confess, is still a work in progress for me but I look forward to the Finished PRODUCT ME.