Maybe it’s time your next adventure took flight

Recently, on a plane to Anchorage, Alaska, I sat next to a woman who was on her way to a small fishing village in Alaska with a population of 400 people.

She was heading there for a final job interview.

When I looked at her rather incredulously, she told me she was a nurse practitioner from Atlanta and she was ready for a change and a new adventure. She was also well aware that she’d get plenty of both.

If she accepted the job, she’d be the only medical person for a string of four rural villages. She’d travel between them because it was too difficult for the villagers to get to her.

She went on to tell me that she had lived in Georgia most of her working life. She’d raised a family there and now was recently single, so she felt free to make choices for herself.

While her current job with a large hospital chain wasn’t awful, she didn’t find it very energizing or exciting.

The job she was considering included a two-year commitment, but if it didn’t work out, she knew she could always return home. Whatever happened, she wanted to experience new places, people, and challenges.

She may have gone to the extreme edge of seeking change, but she was clearly excited about moving forward.

What’s your version of moving to Alaska?

Looking to change their jobs within the next year

I often see research that says 50 percent of Americans are looking to change their jobs within the next year. But are they really doing anything about it?

It may be as easy as updating your LinkedIn posting, or taking a headhunter’s call.

When we call on top prospects and they tell us they’re happy at their current job, we listen for two general responses.

First is, maybe we can make them even happier. Maybe we can offer a position that better fits their new lifestyle, such as mostly working remote. Or it may be increased salary, benefits, more vacation, plus lots of other options.

Next, we listen for someone who hasn’t faced up to the fact that they’ve checked out of their current job. Simply put, we listen for hints of a burned-out worker.

We also listen for someone who just needs to be enlightened about other jobs and energized to make the effort to get their job search going.

This wonderful job market is not a time for complacency. It has never been better for new opportunities than right now.

Personally, I believe we will have a soft landing of our economy over the next six months, not a full-blown recession. As long as enough people are working, our economy should do fine.

Now is the time to do something about it

Meanwhile, if you see yourself, or anyone you care about in a complacency mode at this stage of their career or life, now is the time to do something about it.

It’s not just randomly quitting a job in a huff, because it’s still easier to find a job when you have a job. But change can be within the same company and just transferring to a new department, project or division.

We are also seeing a new energy when workers begin to go back into the office for either a few days a week or full-time. They feel good about getting up in the morning and getting dressed up after a few years of sweat pants.

Seeing co-workers and meeting new people also is energizing. Meeting with team members and sharing ideas is energizing. And coming home with stories about your day is energizing, especially after being around your family 7/24 for the past few years.

Start day-dreaming about your ideal job. Look at where technology is going and what fields you might be excited to learn more about. Talk to friends who are happy with their current job, company and industry. Research how you might fit into a new, exciting company.

This is your “me time” and your career options are pretty much limitless.

Even in Alaska.

Blair is co-founder of Manpower Staffing.

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