Job Satisfaction Soars After Role Change

Many adults who experience dissatisfaction in their current jobs believe that changing companies may give them a fresh perspective, and Mike Magnus was one of them.

In 2005 he left his employer of 12 years, a leading international market research firm for the consumer package goods, retail and healthcare industries. In search of more satisfying work, Mike moved to a new employer in the pharmaceutical industry while retaining similar responsibilities analyzing market data and sales trends. The new job gave him the opportunity to work from home, a situation which turned out to be far too isolating. He soon realized the new job was not what he hoped it would be.

"I came to Career Vision on the recommendation of a friend," relates Mike. "I had faint ideas of what I'd like to do, but never had the courage of my convictions to do anything with them." He chose the Platinum Advantage Package because the three additional hours of consulting "gave me guidance from a consultant who wouldn't let me procrastinate or remain indecisive. Also, I didn't want to do a career change half way; I wanted to fully invest myself in the career planning process. If I was going to do it, I was going to go all the way and do it right."

After discussing his assessment results with his consultant, Mike began his journey by reading about the career recommendations based on his aptitude profile, then narrowing them down to a targeted few. "I was glad to see that some of the jobs and careers I had thought about were on the list. It affirmed that I was considering some options that were a good fit for me."

He used his current network to seek out individuals in jobs he was considering. "You don't realize how many connections you have until you start to network. But you also have to be specific in your answer to the question, 'What are you looking for?' I never knew how many family and friends knew media planners, event planners, corporate training professionals and people in the travel industry." Mike contacted professional organizations and tapped resources at the downtown Chicago office of alumni career services for his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

After several rounds of informational interviews, Mike decided to focus on obtaining a corporate training position. He contacted a former manager at the market research firm who was now in charge of training, and was hired for a temporary contract position.

Two months later, Mike was offered a full-time position as a Corporate Training Manager in the Learning Solutions Group at his former employer. He does training on proprietary software for client companies as well as his company's employees.

"I am exceptionally busy, but I'm really enjoying the work. Things have been going very well - lots of positive feedback from both my boss and the clients I've trained. I have been traveling as well, and am preparing for a month-long trip to India. The great thing is that my company is treating my situation as if I never left in terms of vacation, 401k, etc., so it's as if I've been there 12 years in terms of benefits - which is very nice."

Could he have secured this new position without Career Vision? "Armed with information about myself and my talents, I had greater courage to make this choice. I would never have made this move this quickly on my own; too many second-guesses and doubts. It never occurred to me that I could return to my former employer in a totally different role, and that it would be a job that I could be successful at and enjoy doing so much. I am sure that my confidence moving into this new role was evident to my manager as well."

© Copyright 2007, Career Vision / Ball Foundation. Article may be reprinted with permission.

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