When you’re considering making a change in your
career, it’s difficult to know where to start. There are usually conflicting thoughts and feelings involved, and too often the result is a kind of paralysis. In addition, most people simply lack the necessary resources, knowledge and skill to conduct an effective search campaign on their own.
Although finding a better job or more satisfying career might feel like a very random and confusing experience, there is actually a proven approach to achieving this goal.
But we need to start at the beginning, and that means doing an “internal audit” of yourself. As I often tell my clients,
career development is “an inside game.” We go inside before we look outside. If you want to achieve your career potential, you must first get totally clear on such questions as – who you are, what’s important to you, what you really want and need, what your long-term goals are, what motivates you to do what you do, what your professional preferences are – and many more. Only after you’ve gained clarity on these criteria, does it makes sense to “go out into the world” and manifest your own unique vision of
career success.
Getting into resumes, interviewing, negotiating, networking, and all the other typical “job search topics” before you’ve lain a strong foundation is nothing but a recipe for frenzied activity without forward movement. Perhaps you’ve already experienced this. It can be very frustrating, depressing, and – worst of all – “de-motivating!”
As stated above, career transition is mostly “an inside game.” Your progress will have much more to do with “what’s going on between your two ears” than with the “external circumstances” of the economy or job market.
To get your job search started on the right foot, it’s important to build a solid foundation of
self-knowledge and clarity. Use separate sheets if necessary to answer the following questions. Be as thorough and candid as possible, and take as much time as you need.
