How Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone May Benefit Your Career!

It can be a little awkward when you aren’t in your familiar workplace environment. A tad daunting, a whole lot of nervousness and often you will feel just plain uncomfortable. But saying YES to opportunities may lead to bigger and better things, especially when it comes to your career and prospects. Discover Why This is True – How Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone May Benefit Your Career!

So how do I know this? Well, that was ME last night, speaking the ‘ins and outs’ of all that I am passionate about, careers, recruitment and how your behaviours influence your pathway, in a room filled with eager listeners of an industry that I am not that familiar with. I said YES to an opportunity, hesitated that maybe I shouldn’t have, got over myself, and am pretty damn happy that I did.

So how can this ‘phenomenon’ help you? One of the topics I spoke on last night was that many of us enter our careers geared with the Degree/Qualification/Certifications to go ‘full steam ahead’. After all, we have spent years studying for this opportunity; we are eager to get started, and we WANT a chance to prove how brilliant we will be in your team and for the organisation.

But what about other key skills that we might not have quite honed yet? Well, this is what opportunity teachers us. The ‘Core’ skills are those gained through learning and development (technical qualifications), or through industry experience. The ‘Critical’ skills are in addition to core skills such as thinking beyond what we know technically, not relying just on our qualifications or industry experiences but introducing more communication, strategic thinking and how we can help solve our clients/customers issues by focusing on their ‘pain points’. Then there is the gutsy stuff; the ‘Cutting Edge’ competencies that moving forward we all need to adopt in a forever changing workplace environment. How do we react to transformational change, how best to manage teams within your business that might not be sitting at the desk right next to you, and how to become a trusted partner with your client, looking at the relationship as far more than just transactional, but as a trusting affiliation with a solid foundation.

So here are my tips for pushing past your comfort zone and how that often leads to success!

1.      We are more than our qualification! Yep, you heard it. Each of us brings our individual traits to our workplace, experiences and certain characteristics that our colleague next to us does not. These can be identified as ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork, collaboration. communication skills, problem-solving, conflict resolution, adaptability and cultural understanding to name but a few, with a touch of personality! Don’t be afraid to show exactly what you are made of. Organisations with a fantastic culture ensure they have an eclectic mix of employees who display these and a whole lot more similar skills. They are the workplaces you ache to be employed in!

2.      Start getting ‘comfortable with the uncomfortable’. Utilise your often untapped knowledge and resources by saying YES to an opportunity that may just be the best thing that has ever happened to you. It certainly was for me 23 years ago when I embarked on a career in the mining and resources sector…. Little did I know that 16 years ago it would happen again. By being open to a different opportunity to the role I was in, it would lead me to my ideal career and one in which I have since morphed into all while gaining qualifications and additional experience and therefore further opportunities for me personally, often because I diversified my capabilities.

3.      Reach out. You, just like me, would have a great network of friends, family, industry colleagues and even those you might have studied with. Reach out if you are looking for an opportunity, ask if there is a chance for some volunteer work, or if they know of any companies hiring that might have a role or a person you can speak with to gain greater insight.

4.      Be NICE – Have the right attitude, no-one likes a ‘grumpy arrangement’ as I call them. Be open to giving your IP freely (but not too freely). I am a true believer in ‘what goes around, comes around’ so if you are open to step outside of ‘the norm’, you never know what may be just around the corner.

5.      Be open to learning new things, and experiencing new experiences. Leaving your comfort zone with help you deal with change and this may be just the transformation you have been waiting for!


Dani Tamati – (MRCSA) (CDAA – Member) – dip HR │dip OHS is a Resource Industry Recruitment, Careers, Talent and Behaviours Strategist, Outplacement Consultant, Diversity Advocate, Mentor, Principal, Keynote Speaker, FIFO Wife and a Mum of 4

Dani established “THE resources HUB” (THErh) in 2012 as a careers, talent, recruitment and managed services company dedicated to the sector including civil, construction, mining and oil and gas; herself having 25 years’ experience in living, working, recruiting and career coaching in this industry.

Dani is regularly in the Media and has recently been interviewed on ABC Nationwide, Today Tonight, Channel 9 News, The Sunday Times, Perth NOW and on ABC Drive National Radio and is often called as a Keynote Speaker across different industries around career development and the employment landscape at present.

THE resources HUB can be found on FacebookLinkedInInstagram and Twitter

Should you need assistance with careers, recruitment or managed services, feel free to contact us here or phone us on 08 9295 5722 or 0499 841 722

Dani Tamati: About Dani Tamati
MiningLink: The Resources Hub! Who we are and what we do?
Jobs and Services: The Resources Hub Recruitment and HR Capabilities
Government of Western Australia North Metropolitan TAFE: Get into Resources

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