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ExpressWoman

Even though many women are dissatisfied at work, they find it hard to decide where their true vocation lies. LAURA MILNE takes some advice from careers experts on how to get yourself out of a job rut.

IF BEING back at work this week was even more miserable than you anticipated, you're not alone. Research from the Policy Studies Institute in London has found that more than half of all women workers in the UK are unhappy in their jobs. Typical complaints include long working hours, inadequate pay and being stuck in a post that's boring or unfulfilling. Yet more and more people are seizing the initiative and moving jobs or even changing professions when they're unhappy. Celebrities aren't averse to making big career changes either. Former pop star Kim Wilde is happier since she became a gardener. Glenda Jackson gave up a successful acting career to become a politician, while Hollyoaks star Lesley Johnston, who plays the sinister Laura Burns is to quit the soap to become a midwife. The demise of the 'job for life" mentality and boom in modern industries such as IT and new media means many jobs available now did not exist 10 years ago. Careers counsellor Claire Coldwell, whose company Ad astra is based in Swindon, Wi1tshire, says the new year is a time when many people rethink their career "It's when we reappraise our lives," she says. "Take a minimum of three hours and look at the whole picture, not just your current job. Look at your successes and disappointments over the past year and ask what you've learned from them. Re-evaluate the market you're working in and ask whether your skills match up." Careers counsellor Nick Williams, who owns a consultancy, Heart at Work, in Central London, says most people change careers up to six times. "We do ourselves a great disservice if we force ourselves to stay in a job our heart isn't in and that we're doing just for the money," he says. Also, remember that first impressions matter in a job interview. Image Matters, the corporate division of the Color Me Beautiful image consultancy in South London, says 55 per cent of the impact we make on others depends on how we look and behave, 38 per cent on how we speak and only 7 per cent on what we actually say in the interview.

Three years ago single mum PAULA FINCH, 40, was a personal assistant in a retail company. After taking advice from a careers adviser, she gave up her job and started a catering company. She is now catering manager for a firm of solicitors. Paula lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, with her children, Emma, 18, Matthew, 15, and Laura, 13

'My PA job was very pressurised and I was struggling with the workload. I need to work full-time because I'm bringing up the kids on my own. Since the job was relatively well paid, I thought I had to hang in there and make a success of it. I had trained in catering at college but never thought I could make a career out of it. However, over the years I had built up a small weekend catering business to bring in a bit of extra cash. I saw careers counsellor Claire Coldwell and she noticed that as soon as I talked about food I would light up with enthusiasm. She advised me that a full-time career in catering would be more suited to my personality. I realised she was right. Even though I had a family to support and no job to go to, I handed in my notice at work and left the next day. I worked on the clients I had already built up, had business cards printed and launched my catering business in 1999. I built it up for two years by doing corporate hospitality work. Last year that experience enabled me to get my current job as a catering manager. I don't really miss running my own business because I felt the experience I gained was a stepping stone for this job. I'm really glad I took the gamble. I feel far more fulfilled as a caterer than ever I did as a personal assistant.

The 10 Dos and Don�ts of preparing yourself for a great new job

1. Don't dwell on what you dislike in your current job, focus on what would inspire you. You may be an expert on your lousy boss but it's no help. Think of what you long for and how to inspire yourself.

2. Make a list of three things that work well in your career now and think about ways to develop them. Instead of trying to eliminate what you don't like about your job, create more of what you do want.

3. Ask yourself what's missing from your work, then use it as a positive list of what you want. You need to know where you're heading.

4. Write a list of things you would do if you were fearless. If you allow fear to limit your ambitions, you limit your achievements.

5. If you could design your dream job, what would it be? Write a list of non-financial rewards such as having a sense of purpose, creative input or just being appreciated.

6. Every success starts as an idea. Keep a diary of all your inspired ideas and review them regularly to find which ones stand the test of time.

7. Surround yourself with positive people and spend less time with those who put you down or hold you back.

8. Ask yourself who could teach you most or who could best raise your profile, then build more contact with them. Networking is a hugely important skill.

9. Read about people who achieved goals like yours. See what you can learn from the steps and strategies they used.

10. Be patient. It might take a year or more to realise your plans but small steps now will move you closer to your dream job.