Discovering Your Route to an Extraordinary Career
Building an extraordinary career is a worthy goal but, of course, it is as challenging as it is lofty. To help discover and thrive along the best path for you, I invite you to take this 15-minute survey (you can do it now or read to the end of this post and then do it, but please do it!).
The career marketplace has never been more competitive, unstructured and difficult to maneuver. This is even more true if you are in the early stages of your career, where for every high-quality professional position, there are likely to be hundreds or even thousands of candidates.
How do you stand out in an interview and get the coveted offer? How do you get the right introductions even to be noticed in the first place? And when you get the job, how can you get off to the right start? These are just a few of the burning questions that consume ambitious people everywhere.
Not only do you want a job, but you also long to be part of an organization that aligns with your values, that pays you well and that enables the lifestyle you want to live. You know you are likely to work for many different employers over the course of your career, but if you're like many, you also want the stability and predictability of a structured career path, with training programs, promotions, and a predictable future.
Along the way, other important questions will invariably come up: How can you cultivate a mentor who will give you the sage advice and honest feedback you need? How should you think about whether to jump from a stable corporate position to the excitement and potential upside versus the risk of a start-up? How can you grow from being a strong individual contributor into an inspirational leader?
These are among many questions that I am exploring as part of a new book I am working on, which is dedicated to helping people — especially those in their 20s — achieve their greatest possible career success. The aforementioned survey will form a foundational layer of research that will provide input into these and other questions.
I would deeply appreciate it if you would invest 15-20 minutes to complete the survey. I hope you will find it an interesting experience in its own right, teeing up issues that cause you to reflect on some of the trade-offs that are necessary to successfully navigate your career.
Photo: unsplash
jobseeker at any company
10 年I like your post because hunting for is not that easy. I graduated in 2004 with Diploma in Business Adminitration for Kyambogo university kampala uganda. But do you what upto now i have got the job that fits the course i did which is dissappointing and embressing on my side
Democratic candidate for Emerald Coast Utilities Authority District 3
10 年You know who had a very extraordinary career? Former Polish President Lech Walesa. The man who along with Pope John Paul II helped bring down Communism. But of course if the Lech Walesa of 1976 tried applying for a job most companies in this country would not even give him a fair chance, wouldn't even see what he would become over what is basically BS. I discuss in this article whether this is good business leadership or not https://www.dhirubhai.net/today/post/article/20140515122908-30706821-would-you-hire-lech-walesa?trk=object-title
IT Leader | Team & Project Manager | A hands-on IT strategist helping companies manage today and plan for tomorrow.
10 年Jacob, I would have to agree and disagree. I would agree that on the outside it looks very much like you say it looks but peal a layer back and it is what you want it to be. Yes there is information overload but it doesn't take much to weed out the garbage. Ditch the career fair and find networking, professional and informational events. In Portland, I could go to at least two events a week in my field and network. I can have a conversation with 20 new people each week and let them know who I am without pushing myself on them.
IT Leader | Team & Project Manager | A hands-on IT strategist helping companies manage today and plan for tomorrow.
10 年James. I took your survey and like you said this is really geared to the 20 something, but it would be great if it could be geared it to any part of your career. Aka, how to start an Extraordinary Career at any age; for those of us that are late bloomers, misguided or career changers.
Anglo-American Attorney and Solicitor
10 年I'm very pessimistic about the job market right now. I think it's so riddled with problems that it's actually extremely anticompetitive in a much broader sense. The internet has turned the whole process into an unmanageable information overload. The logical solution should be more personal interaction with applicants. Instead, career fairs are excuses to tell people to go to a website and apply. The HR/recruitment team won't even take calls. The whole thing ends up being a spectacular waste of time that doesn't even put talent where it needs to be- in the pipeline. It doesn't give innovative thinkers or even most niche specialists the opportunity to demonstrate their competence- it just looks for round pegs to fall into the round holes.