4 Ways To Regain Control Of A Career That Feels Lost, Broken, Or Just Plain Over

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In my years as a career coach, I've encountered countless job seekers of different ages, backgrounds, skills, and fields; who all have the same problem. They're worried that they've made a huge professional mistake and chose the wrong career path.

The harsh truth is most of the time they're right. They're in the wrong career.

How Do We Choose The Wrong Career Paths For Ourselves?

School teaches us everything except how to find a job.

What do I mean by this?

Whether a professional has just graduated high school or college, they're expected to be able to find a job based on the years of schooling they've gone through. However, for many of us, this is impossible. If we're being honest, how can we possibly have all the information needed to choose the perfect career path?

In reality, many job seekers in their teens, twenties, or even thirties aren't truly equipped with enough life experience, self-knowledge, and information to determine suitable careers. In fact, in college, it's not uncommon for a student to change their major throughout the course of their studies. Or, realize years after they graduate they no longer love the field they studied.

Despite current circumstances, there are still an endless amount of career options, some of which didn't even exist a decade ago. Thus, while that might imply there are ample opportunities for you to find a new job, it can also leave many professionals feeling overwhelmed and unable to control their career paths.

How To Regain Control Over Your Career Path

If you're reading this article then it most likely means you're ready to take ownership of your career path. Here are 4 things you can do today to discover the right career for you:

1) Become An Expert In Networking & Informational Interviews.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Over 80% of jobs today are gotten via referral. What does that mean for you? It's no longer about what you know, it's whom you know. While networking may seem impossible at the moment, that's not true at all. There are new, unique, and successful ways to network your way to your dream job while social distancing.

2) Understand How You Add Value To The Workplace.

You are not an employee, you are a business of one. In today's world, every job is temporary which means you need to view yourself and your skills as a service that you must sell to employers.

How do you do this?

The key to selling your services is knowing how you save or make a company enough money to justify hiring you. The secret to career happiness is also understanding how you prefer to deliver that type of value. While the first aspect will get you the job, the second one will ensure you're happy in that career.

3) Determine Your Professional Strengths & Preferences.

Your professional profile is one-of-a-kind. This unique profile is created from a variety of things like your communication style, work style, learning preferences, unique gifts, life priorities, passions, and interests.

If you're serious about finding a career that's suited for you, you have to truly know yourself as a professional. This information will make it easier for you to narrow down positions that will suit your needs and aspirations. As an added bonus, this knowledge will help you to pitch yourself to employers as an ideal candidate for a position.

4) Create An Interview Bucket List.

Create a list of companies you'd like to work for but make sure they're ones that you respect for some clear an compelling reason. These companies should only earn a spot on your list if you feel deeply connected to their products or services. This will help you and the employer know if you're a good cultural fit for the company.

It May Be A Lot Of Work, But It's Worth It.

This might not be what you want to hear, but it's what you need to hear.

Finding the right career for you is not going to be an easy feat to accomplish. There is a reason my company is named Work It Daily; you need to work towards your career.

Every. Single. Day.

Those who are willing to invest time daily in getting smarter about how they manage their careers are the ones who succeed. I'm not saying you need to spend hours a day on your career, but why not pause that show on Netflix and set aside 15-30 minutes and work towards bettering your professional life? It's time to make a better choice andWhat invest in yourself.

P.S. - Be sure to use the hashtags #JTTalkJobs & #CareerChange so we can all join in the conversation.

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P.S.S. If you don't think a membership to my company's career coaching service is for you (yet).

At Work It Daily, we put together the following free career growth tools for you:

• Guide to changing careers.

CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.

• A complete job search checklist.

CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.

• Masterclass on how to avoid common job search mistakes.

CLICK HERE to ACCESS the video training.

• Free cover letter samples.

CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.

• Laid Off And Looking. How to Bounce Back After You've Been Let Go

CLICK HERE for the FREE Training & to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.