No Work Prospects? It’s Time To Reinvent Yourself!

“Reinvention” surely has become a very popular term recently, yet it holds a lot of weight. Many people see it as a daunting, even intimidating task to undergo. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. One thing’s sure – if your career is in a rut or your skills are at risk of becoming irrelevant, it’s probably time to reinvent yourself.

Sure, reinvention does require hard work. Yet the process becomes easier when it’s broken down into logical steps.

So in this article, I will show you the step-by-step process of how to go about reinventing yourself and/or your career successfully.

Use Your Strengths (And Mitigate Your Weaknesses)

Here’s the thing. Some believe that reinvention is tossing out the “old” (your previous roles, experiences, maybe even work identity) and exchanging it for something completely new. But, that’s not accurate! Instead, the power of reinvention lies in leveraging everything you’ve ever done. That means the good, the bad, the ugly; the successes, and the failures!

So you don’t need to try to create a new personality from scratch. Instead, use everything you’ve done, and really everything you are for your reinvention process.

Changing yourself is difficult. But it’s also a source of many opportunities. As Rose Lin from roselin.me said:

“Changes are not only challenges but also opportunities.”

Realize This – Reinventing Yourself Does Not Mean You Failed

Building a career from scratch takes a lot of effort. However, even with our best effort, success is not guaranteed. Things just go south sometimes and you will have to adapt to it, come hell or high water. Sometimes, you will just have to reinvent yourself or completely leave your niche.

Leaving everything you did so far is never easy. It’s hours upon hours of hard work that you now need to delete out of memory. However, if you do want to reinvent yourself, this might be the only way out.

However, you need to keep in mind reinventing is not a failure. It happens to all of us. Sometimes, it’s for the reasons that are out of our control, like:

• The market evolved. As the market evolves, your target audience changes. Maybe their tastes and needs have become different. Maybe a new competitor came up.
• A natural occurrence hindered your work. In 2019, this happened to all of us when coronavirus struck.

Just like Nodari from hagrid.ME said:

“Changes are inevitable, and I’ve always tried to stay one step ahead, so instead of preparing for the change, I’m trying to be part of the change, and maybe even bring the change”. 

And even if you did make some mistakes? Give yourself a break. We all do. The key is to learn from those mistakes. In the words of Alvaro Parra from aparra.ME:

“In order to learn, you always need to fail and make mistakes. It is part of the learning process.”

Dwight Johnson from djinspires.ME encourages his followers by saying that mistakes aren’t a sign of failure. Rather, they’re a sign of growth. In Dwight’s words:

“You’re not failing. You’re growing.”

Make A Plan That Works (And Make It Practical And Flexible)

Construct a Plan that Works

This should go without saying. Without a plan that actually works, reinventing yourself might become just another slippery slope down to doom for you.

In that regard, there are a few rules that are always better obeyed to than not:

• Compare your plan against other plans like it. Did those plans work? Did someone else try and follow through a similar plan as yours and failed (or succeeded)?
• Ask your mentors, colleagues, family and friends, and even strangers for feedback. What do they think of your service? Would they use it?
• Does the plan seem too easy? If yes, then I would ask you to go back to the drawing board and reconsider it.

Make a Practical Plan And Make It Flexible

Now let us pause and get this for a second – you’re reinventing yourself. Precisely because of this, you want a reinvention plan that’s practical. That’s consisting of clear steps that need to be taken, along with long term goals you’re striving for. Additionally, you want a plan that will keep you focused as the project advances. A practical plan means you will know what to do the next day.

The words of Sara Prlja from samsaradots.ME can be highly instructive in this regard:

„I always like to say that you can be anything you wish to be and do anything you imagine only if you put your mind to it. Dream but take action the following day to make those dreams come true.”

However, even though you want your plan to be practical (and thus detailed), you won’t want it set in stone. Because no one can predict the future. What’s awaiting you on the other side of reinvention is shrouded in the veil of unpredictable outcomes.

Once the real work starts, unexpected things happen.

And even though you should have a plan, it shouldn’t be written in stone. If the circumstances dictate it – change your plan. Having a plan that’s adaptable can save you and help you become more valuable to both your clients and colleagues. And it’ll also help you reinvent yourself.

If You Want To Reinvent Yourself, You’ll Need A New CV

Whether you’re a recent grad seeking your first gig or a long-established professional in your niche – your job hunting starts with a CV. And your CV is your first encounter with a potential future employer.

Your reinvented self will need a new CV or resume too.

Chances are, you have what it takes for the job. You’re just not conveying it properly.

Yes, I know you know what content to include in the CV and how it should generally look like. But that’s an oversight right there. You don’t want your CV to be just like any other CV. You want it to stand out among others. Mariel Alvarado from CommunicArte.ME thinks this is more than crucial:

„Speaking of my industry, it’s clear there are many super talented independent creative professionals showing mind-blowing work in their portfolios. The graphic design industry is steeped in talent, and it’s crucial to stand out from other creative professionals.”

So there’s always something to be done to make your CV more appealing and unique. Some of the practical tips that will help you in that regard are:

• adapt your CV to the position you’ve applied for
• be clear and concise
• mind the visual appeal
• adjust the language; use savvy keywords
• provide content that’s scannable.

For more details, read through our article that we prepared for you.

Read More: Your CV in The Eyes of an HRO

Try Something You’ve Always Put Off

A common mistake all people make is not exploring our options enough. A while ago, we asked Rose Lin from roselin.ME if she would change anything in her career path so far. And this is what she told us:

“I would be braver to explore more new stuff. … I felt that I was settled in my own comfort zone, so my view was narrow. Had I had the chance to embrace uncertainty and try new things, I might have discovered my interests earlier and/or be on a completely different path. Changes are not only challenges but also opportunities. I’m happy to be where I am today but wish that I could have explored more when I was younger.”

Rose sure is a data scientist, but this applies to all professions. Even creatives. Luka from lukapsd.ME says that if you are a designer, you should be exploring your real potential by testing your limits:

“Get out of your comfort zone and try designing things you never imagined doing. If you’re a print designer, try animation. If you’re an illustrator, try branding.”

Gabriel Marino from gabrielmarino.ME seems to agree with Luka here. He says:

„As a creative, you have to flex your muscles and seek different solutions in order to get noticed. Try to find a different angle or medium. Acquire different skills and learn how to use various tools, even those you don’t think you’d necessarily need. Because by widening your horizons and expanding your path, you’ll grow as a creative person.”

So, my question to you is: is there something you once passionately thought you’d do, but didn’t?

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

This thing could be something as mundane as taking a class. And why not? Education is key when pursuing a new field or direction. Classes will not only direct you in your studies, but will also give your opportunities to connect with people with similar interests and aspirations.

Really, anything that gets you out of your comfort zone will help you reinvent yourself and start your career anew. And the courage to do that? Well, Gerry (another awesome .MEr) thinks it’s all in you:

“Without a doubt, courage is always 100% within us. … I found out that we’re all a lot braver and stronger than we think, and we can make life how we want it. I believe we have the power to reinvent ourselves, transform our lives, and achieve anything we dream of. We just need to believe in our own abilities, work hard for our dreams and never give up.”

Gerry then adds:

“Once we step out of our comfort zone, we’ll be able to conquer our greatest fears, and by doing so there won’t be anything else standing in our way when it comes to fulfilling our dreams.”

And don’t forget – every step you decide to take is one more opportunity to reinvent yourself. Whether it is a small step (traveling to a place you’ve never been before) or a big step (writing a book), it will help you grow.

Track Your Progress

Tracking your progress can help you see how far you have come in your journey to reinvent yourself. It will also show you the things that you still need to learn. You can learn from the things that have not gone according to plan, and create strategies for things you can change while moving forward.

So keep track of your achievements, and put them up for the world to see. And not only that. Keeping track of your progress can also inspire you. At least that’s what Anita from alfianita.ME told us:

„I’d record all my achievements from my jobs, key projects, and results to show my contribution. It’s good to keep track of this and artefacts. One forgets about these achievements over time and it’s hard to showcase on a resume. They also represent a good source of personal inspiration.”

Wrapping Up

Shifting from one path to another is definitely one of the greatest challenges you may encounter in your life. However, a mistake that’s all too common is feeding the doubt that something has gone irreparably wrong for you to be needing to reinvent yourself.

Of course, you may have made mistakes. You may have taken a career path that’s not for you or that’s not the most secure. But once you’ve embarked onto a new path, you should never, ever regret it.