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 Jo Mills is the General Manager of Career Analysts, an organisation dedicated to helping individuals and businesses to identify their talent and realise their potential.
She writes a regular column for nzgirl to help you all with your career worries, troubles and questions...
If you'd like to get in touch with Jo you can email her here, or visit www.careeranalysts.co.nz
Are you in a job or on a career path that you don’t really feel is the perfect fit for you? It’s never too late to try an ‘extreme makeover’ when it comes to your career...
Push any feelings of self doubt or uncertainty aside, and read on as Jo Mills from Career Analysts shows you how to completely makeover and transform your career! She speaks to two nzgirls, who with a lot of hard work, perseverance and passion have completely revamped their careers and are now happier than ever...  Seizing the opportunityJane Kennelly From Art Teacher to Recruitment Director After years of being an art teacher, Jane Kennelly, director of Frog Recruitment made the move to recruitment and within a year was global top consultant for a multinational recruitment company. Jane credits her success to being in the right place at the right time. Looking for a new role due to a geographic move, Jane was introduced to the world of recruitment by someone she met socially.
“Opportunity whispers, not shouts, so you have to be naturally inquisitive and curious”. By being prepared to investigate new ideas, Jane was able to discover a new career path that she would never have thought of otherwise. “Coming from a teaching background I always assumed creativity was limited to the arts… but in recruitment I discovered that I could not only perform but excel creatively within the business environment,” she says. Having just launched www.frogfastforward.co.nz, an online career website, Jane is continuing to combine her love of recruitment, technology and creativity. “With the creation of Frog, my fascination with recruitment is as strong as it’s ever been - in fact even more now with the impact of technology and the way people communicate with each other around the world." It just takes time Maria Thomson From Sales Assistant to Managing Consultant
Maria Thomson, of Talent Technologies has just submitted her PhD in Industrial Organisational Psychology. Maria has an impressive work portfolio including work with the New Zealand Police. But only ten years ago, Maria was working in a completely different field, with no formal qualifications. Leaving school at 16, the thought of tertiary education seemed like a far away dream.  However, after eight years of travelling the world and working in retail, she decided that she wanted something different, and University seemed like a great way to explore a range of options. “The first year was really a year of exploration. It is like buying clothes – you try things on, until you find something that fits”. After discovering psychology, Maria started building her networks in this area. Although still working in retail while studying, Maria attended events and started building a strong peer group in this area. “Making incremental changes meant by the time I finished university, I had established a network”. This helped with job opportunities and to gain experience in her field.“When you find something you are good at, you are a master of your fate, and nothing is more rewarding." How do you make radical career changes for yourself?  Know what you want from your career
Enhancing your awareness of your talents, motivators, values, and preferences help to define what your ideal career would look like and provide a platform from which the transformation can begin. Talk to people in the career you aspire to, research vacancies on the internet, and figure out what specific skills, experiences, or qualifications you need in that field. - Create and execute a realistic plan
Once you have a clear picture of what you want, you can begin creating a step-by-step plan of how you will achieve it, including anticipating any potential obstacles and how to overcome them. 
- Be passionate about your new field
Whether you are able to move straight into your new career, or need to take mini-steps over time to get there, you can use your spare time to spend time in your chosen field immediately. We often make the mistake of over-estimating what we can achieve in the short term, and under-estimating the huge achievements we can make in the long term. Remember that each step takes you that much closer to your dream career. A career coach can guide you through this process and keep you moving forward, helping you to create certainty about your next move as well as giving you the support and fostering the skills you need to make it happen. Like a cosmetic extreme makeover there may be some ‘pain’ and ‘healing’ involved, however the end result can give you the attractive career you’ve always wanted. If you would like assistance in making a career change, check out the Career Analysts website www.careeranalysts.co.nz or call Career Analysts on 356 9758.
Jo Mills
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