In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.
Warren Buffett
Career changes and job transitions can absolutely feel overwhelming. In my practice, career counseling is not about choosing a profession based on a list of employment options that seem to fit a profile, or which companies are currently hiring in the marketplace.
It is much more than that.
It is about learning to make better decisions as to where, why, how, and with whom you would like to work. It is finding that place that provides meaning, is the right “fit” for you, and that meets your financial goals and lifestyle aspirations.
My approach to the selection of what job you want and then how to find it comes in part from years of experience with the philosophy of job-hunting described in What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles. The materials I have developed put you in the driver’s seat to have real conversations so that you are interviewing the company to decide if you want to work for them, and not the other way around. This approach requires organization, research, attention to presentation, the willingness to learn how to be exceptionally prepared, and the enthusiasm to get out and talk to people.
- Assess the current structure of your life, and sort out what really matters to you
- Identify your sources of stress
- Understand any loss of motivation and what you can do about it
- Recognize what might be holding you back from doing what you really want to do
- Understand your preferences for work/life balance
- Discover what kind of people you like to work with – who works best with you – and why
- Identify your marketable traits and skills and the language with which to effectively talk about them
- Think about your leadership and management potential
- Refine and rewrite your personal story
- Assessment
- Developing a transition plan
- Networking
- Job Search Organization and Strategies
- Cover Letter and Resume Writing
- Skills for Effective Interviewing
- Informational Interviewing
- Positioning and management of your online profile
I just don’t know what I want to do…
I hear these words all the time – not just in my private practice, but seemingly everywhere.
It’s never too late to be what you might have been.
George Eliot