Career Pivot Blueprint

Purpose

Transform career change from an overwhelming idea into a concrete, achievable plan. This Blueprint gives you a clear roadmap with specific milestones, actions, and timelines—so you know exactly what to do next.

Most career transitions fail not from lack of desire, but from lack of structure. This Blueprint eliminates the "I don't know where to start" paralysis.

When to Use

Use this Skill when you need to:

• Create a step-by-step plan for your career transition
• Set realistic timelines and milestones
• Identify what skills to build and how
• Know exactly what actions to take each week
• Track progress toward your career change goal
• Stay accountable during a transition

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Current State Assessment

Understand where you are right now in your career and transition journey.

Ask guiding questions:

• "What's your current role and how long have you been there?"
• "Have you already started exploring alternatives, or is this the beginning?"
• "What resources do you have? (savings, time, flexibility, network)"
• "What constraints exist? (financial obligations, location, family)"
• "On a scale of 1-10, how urgent is this change?"

Document:

• Current position and industry
• Time available for transition activities
• Financial runway (months of savings)
• Network strength in target areas
• Key constraints and non-negotiables

Output Variable: current_state

Step 2: Target Definition

Clarify the specific destination—role, industry, and what success looks like.

Ask:

• "What role or industry are you targeting? Be as specific as possible."
• "What does your ideal day at work look like in this new career?"
• "What salary range do you need to maintain?"
• "What's your timeline—when do you want to be in the new role?"
• "What would make you feel this transition was successful?"

Define:

• Target role title(s)
• Target industry/industries
• Required compensation
• Target timeline
• Success criteria beyond just landing a job

Output Variable: target_definition Context Used: current_state

Step 3: Gap Analysis

Identify exactly what stands between current state and target.

Analyze gaps across:

1. Skills Gap: What skills are required that you don't have?
2. Experience Gap: What experience do they want that you lack?
3. Network Gap: Who do you need to know that you don't?
4. Credential Gap: Any certifications or education required?
5. Positioning Gap: How do you need to reframe your background?

For each gap:

• Severity (Critical/Important/Nice-to-have)
• Time to close
• Resources needed

Output Variable: gap_analysis Context Used: current_state, target_definition

Step 4: Bridge Building Strategy

Create specific strategies to close each gap.

For skills gaps:

• Online courses, bootcamps, self-study options
• Projects to build portfolio
• Volunteer or freelance opportunities

For experience gaps:

• Stretch assignments in current role
• Side projects or consulting
• Informational interviews to understand what counts as relevant

For network gaps:

• Events and communities to join
• People to reach out to for informational interviews
• LinkedIn strategy

For credential gaps:

• Essential vs optional certifications
• Fastest path to credibility

For positioning gaps:

• Resume reframing strategy
• LinkedIn profile updates
• Narrative development

Output Variable: bridge_strategies Context Used: gap_analysis

Step 5: Milestone Timeline

Create a phased timeline with specific milestones.

Structure as phases:

1. Foundation Phase (Weeks 1-4): Research, skills building, network initiation
2. Building Phase (Weeks 5-8): Deeper skill development, active networking, portfolio creation
3. Positioning Phase (Weeks 9-12): Resume/LinkedIn updates, narrative refinement, target list building
4. Active Search Phase (Weeks 13+): Applications, interviews, negotiations

Each phase includes:

• Key milestone to achieve
• Weekly actions (3-5 per week)
• Success metrics
• Checkpoint questions

Output Variable: milestone_timeline Context Used: bridge_strategies

Step 6: Generate Final Blueprint

Create the comprehensive Career Pivot Blueprint document.

Create a document titled "Career Pivot Blueprint" with structure:

Section 1: Executive Summary

• Current state snapshot
• Target destination
• Total timeline estimate
• Critical path items

Section 2: Gap Analysis Summary

• Visual gap assessment
• Priority ranking
• Investment required (time, money)

Section 3: Bridge Building Plan

• Strategy for each gap category
• Resources and links
• Estimated effort

Section 4: Phase-by-Phase Roadmap For each phase:

• Duration and dates
• Key milestone
• Weekly action checklist
• Success metrics
• Checkpoint questions

Section 5: Risk Mitigation

• Potential obstacles
• Backup plans
• Support resources

Section 6: Accountability System

• Weekly review questions
• Progress tracking method
• Who to share this plan with

Context Used: All previous steps

Output Format

Career Pivot Blueprint

# Career Pivot Blueprint for [Name]
Created: [Date]
Target: [Role] in [Industry]
Timeline: [X weeks/months]

## Executive Summary
**From:** [Current role/industry]
**To:** [Target role/industry]
**Timeline:** [Start date] → [Target landing date]
**Critical Path:** [Top 3 must-do items]

## Gap Analysis

| Gap Category | Specific Gap | Severity | Time to Close |
|--------------|--------------|----------|---------------|
| Skills | [gap] | Critical | [weeks] |
| Experience | [gap] | Important | [weeks] |
| Network | [gap] | Critical | [weeks] |

## Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)
**Milestone:** [Clear achievement marker]

### Week 1 Actions
- [ ] [Specific action]
- [ ] [Specific action]
- [ ] [Specific action]

### Week 2 Actions
[same format]

### Week 3 Actions
[same format]

### Week 4 Actions
[same format]

**Checkpoint Questions:**
- Did I [milestone marker]?
- What did I learn about [key area]?
- Am I on track? If not, what needs to adjust?

## Phase 2: Building (Weeks 5-8)
[same structure]

## Phase 3: Positioning (Weeks 9-12)
[same structure]

## Phase 4: Active Search (Weeks 13+)
[same structure]

## Risk Mitigation Plan
| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation Strategy |
|------|------------|---------------------|
| [risk] | [H/M/L] | [strategy] |

## Weekly Review Template
Every Sunday, ask yourself:
1. What did I accomplish this week?
2. What obstacles did I encounter?
3. What's my focus for next week?
4. Am I still committed? What's fueling me?

Tools

• basile_create_document - Creates the Blueprint in user's space
• web_search - Research skills, courses, and industry info

Example

Input: "I'm a Senior Accountant wanting to move into Data Analytics. I have 6 months runway and can dedicate 10 hours/week to the transition."

Output: A Career Pivot Blueprint with:

• 16-week phased plan from accountant to data analyst
• Skills gap: SQL, Python, Tableau identified with specific courses
• Experience gap: Portfolio project plan using financial data
• Network gap: 3 data analytics communities to join, 10 informational interviews target
• Week-by-week actions including "Complete SQL basics course (Week 1-2)", "Build first portfolio project (Weeks 5-8)"
• Positioning strategy for resume that highlights analytical skills from accounting