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Creating the Career You Most Want

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Even though many economic indicators are looking a bit rosier lately, the jobless rate remains puzzling and worrisome – persisting around 9% like a sharp stone in our collective financial shoe.

I don’t understand why this is happening – not my area of expertise at all –but I do think there are things we can do to help ensure that we don’t make negative assumptions that reinforce the situation.

Here’s what I mean. I’ve spoken to way too many talented, bright professionals over the past few years – especially younger professionals – who aren’t focusing on building their careers because they make an assumption that, “Wow – 9% unemployment; I better just stay here and be grateful that I have a job.” And I’ve seen folks who have lost their jobs, or who are employed way below their skills or experience, who don't take steps to change their situation because they make the assumption that, “Unemployment is so high - there aren’t any jobs out there; why try?”

These beliefs can all too easily become self-fulfilling prophecies. So, how can you avoid falling prey to this sort of paralyzing, limiting assumption?

First, manage your self-talk. If you need to look for a job, and you’re saying things to yourself like, “There’s no way I’ll find a job – so many people are out of work”…you’re defeating yourself before you start.  Instead say to yourself something that’s more hopeful, yet still realistic: “I know there are companies out there that could really use my skills and expertise.  I need to find one." or "Thousands of people are getting hired...what do I need to do to be one of them?"

Next, figure out what’s most important to you.  Do you want a job that has a lot of professional growth potential?  Are you most interested in making as much money as possible?  Does your dream job involve being part of a really fun, supportive team? Perhaps you really want a job that’s straightforward and clearly defined, where success is measurable and measured.  Or maybe it’s just the opposite – you want a job where you’re tasked with figuring out new ways to do things or finding out what’s needed and making it happen.

The clearer you are about what you really want, the more focused your efforts will be, and the more motivated you'll be to make them. I suggest you frame what you’re looking for as a “How can I…?” question.  For example: “How can I find a job that takes full advantage of my skills and experience and allows me to support my family?” or “How can I create a career that’s mentally stimulating and gives me room to keep learning and growing?

Then, get accurate about where you are now. Once you know what you want, it’s essential to see where you’re starting from relative to your “How can I…?” question.  Look with “fair witness eyes” at the strengths or skills you have that will help you answer that question, and at the weaknesses or deficits you have that might make it more difficult.  Then think about the circumstances around you:  what people, resources or situations could support you in your quest, and what could get in your way?

Being truly accurate about your current situation is the only way to know how difficult or easy it’s likely to be to achieve the career or job you’re hoping for, and the best way to give yourself a good sense of what you’ll have to do to get there.  For example, let’s say that your “challenge question” is, “How can I find a job building and managing a team of IT professionals in a big, well-established company?”  If you’ve had 10 years experience being successful in a similar job, and you live in a large city, your path to answering that question will be very different than if you haven’t ever managed people, and you live in rural Oklahoma!

Once you’ve gotten clear about where you’re starting from, then you can envision success, assess the obstacles, and build a path from where you are to where you want to go.

I’ll offer you some ideas about how to do those things in my next post: stay tuned…