Leaving one job for a new opportunity can be undeniably nerve-wracking. After all, it’s a big step to determine your career path needs to change its course. The decision to leave could be as easy as flipping a switch, or it could be a decision that takes some mulling over to ultimately reach a decision. Regardless of how easy or hard a decision it is, it’s one that might cause some career change anxiety.

Questions flood your consciousness. Is this the best time to be making a move? Will you continue to grow professionally at the new job? And the penultimate question: Is this career change in your best interest?

Career change anxiety is normal and healthy even; it shows you are giving thought to this life change and weighing your options accordingly. However, this anxiety about a new job shouldn’t be debilitating. Learn some tips that will help squash career change anxiety.

Determine Where Your Fears Come From

When you are beginning a new opportunity, fears can cloud your thoughts. Will you find success in your new role, or will it not work out as well as you hope? Will you experience a loss of status or financial and employment security? How hard will it be to make new relationships with your coworkers, and will you fit in with the new company culture? Try to pinpoint exactly what you are afraid of, and determine how founded those fears are. Remind yourself of past workplace accomplishments and what you bring to the table.

Utilize Your Network of Professionals

Tap into your circle of likeminded professionals to discuss new opportunities. Chances are they will offer wisdom, insights and experiences about their own career adjustments that you can learn from. Talk through any fears you may have about making a career switch to help mitigate your anxiety and to hear their advice about how to make the switch as smooth as possible.

Connect with a Recruiter in Your Field

Recruiters have seen a countless number of people through career changes. They may be just who you are looking for to help mitigate any career change anxiety; they act as a perfect sounding board for discussing ideas and offering new ways of thinking. Contact a recruiter in your job field to begin the conversation.

Focus on the Opportunities Ahead

Making a career change is a hard and scary thing to do. Once you decide it is time to move on from one job to begin another, it’s easy to start to second-guess yourself. When you start to feel overwhelmed by leaving, focus on the opportunities that lie ahead at your new job: the new projects you will work on, the new relationships you will make and the new responsibilities you will be given. Beginning a new career should be exciting and full of possibility. Concentrate on what you are gaining by making this leap to calm your nerves, and squash career change anxiety for good.

Burchard & Associates is an executive search firm specialized in accounting and finance recruiting across all business sectors, including manufacturing, retail, wholesale/distribution, healthcare, financial services, and more.

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