How To Move Beyond The Research Phase of Your Career Transition
I know how much you love to research and learn. I do too!
However, I often see physicians getting stuck in the research phase of their career transition.
Listening to podcasts, reading blogs (like this one!), scrolling through posts in the non-clinical Facebook groups, and browsing through job descriptions can deceive you into thinking you’re making progress.
Don’t get me wrong, research is a critical step to finding your next role (it’s the 4th step in my coaching program), however, when you’re stuck in the research rabbit hole, you’re not moving towards clarity.
Here are 3 ways I see you getting stuck and practical tips to help you get unstuck
1. FEAR OF PREMATURE CLOSURE OR MISSING OUT.
You’re interested in several different career options and you want to research them all. You’re afraid you’ll make a choice prematurely and miss out on a potentially more suitable path.
This is understandable but can easily lead to overwhelm and distracted effort.
8 steps to help you out of “option-overwhelm:”
Make a list of all the roles you’re interested in.
Based on what you know today, rate your interest in each role on a scale from 0-10 (not allowed to use the number 5).
Eliminate any role with a score of 4 or less. (If this makes you anxious, you can always come back to these later!)
Start with the highest scoring role.
Set up ONE activity to get an experience of the role. For example: Connect with and set up an informational interview with a physician who’s in the role. Sign up for an inexpensive conference or course. Find an opportunity to volunteer or shadow.
Adjust your 0-10 rating based on your experience.
Rinse and repeat for the remaining roles.
Pick the top 1-2 scoring roles to pursue in more depth.
You may find you can eliminate options easier when you get a taste of what it would be like to work in that role.
2. FEAR OF REJECTION
One of the highest yield activities towards career clarity is to talk to other physicians who are doing what you’re interested in.
But this usually means reaching out to a physician you don’t know. You might be concerned they are too busy and this is not a good time to be contacting them. Then there’s the possibility they’ll ignore you. That can feel like a personal rejection!
Your brain is committed to your safety and belonging, not your happiness or fulfillment. Your brain is quite content with you researching from the comfort of your sofa. You will actively need to guard against this!
Tips to get you going:
Notice your hesitation and fear of rejection and reach out anyway.
Commit to making a connection with just ONE physician every week. That’s all. The success here is in the action, not the outcome.
Don’t wait for a response before reaching out to another physician.
Avoid interpreting a lack of response or a terse reply as a personal rejection.
In my experience, most physicians are happy to help you!
For more tips, read how to build your network from scratch part 1 and part 2.
3. ANALYSIS PARALYSIS
It’s so easy to get stuck in your head with options swirling around and you can’t see the forest for the trees.
Even if you bounce the options off your loved ones, you recognize that ultimately you have to make the decision.
Tip to get you going:
Ask For Help!
I hired both a therapist and a physician career coach to help me through my career transition.
My loved ones offered wonderful support but I needed the objective guidance and expertise that my therapist and coach brought to the table.
In summary:
If your career transition is stuck in research mode, there are concrete steps you can take to get moving.
Eliminate option-overwhelm by taking one small step towards getting an experience of the role, let go of the fear of rejection by doing it scared, and don’t hesitate to ask for help from a professional!
“Clarity isn’t about knowing what you want to do with your life, it’s about knowing what you want to do this week.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to know your next step.”
– James Clear