The 'I Don't Know What I Want' Career Conundrum. Three Questions to Help You Focus.

One of the best parts of being a recruiter is that we have had the privilege to speak with thousands of candidates from a specific industry. Which means we can track candidates through various stages of their careers - their successes, failures and everything else in between.

We see the candidate's present, learn about their past and can ultimately guide them towards a superior future by helping them avoid the mistakes made by those who came before them.?

But before career tinder begins and we can align a candidate to the job of their dreams - we need to understand their dreams. It's just that in the majority of cases the candidate does not know themselves.

----> Some candidates openly state they have no idea what they want and are keeping their options open so they will be ready to move when 'the right opportunity' comes their way.

But this is flawed logic.

If you do not know what you want then how do you know what is the 'right' and what is the 'wrong' opportunity? And on the off chance that the actual perfect opportunity comes your way, what makes you so sure that you will be able to recognise it in the first place?

----> Other candidates exclaim they know exactly what they want. But actually what they really want or would be best suited to are two completely different things - they just aren't aware of it yet. They don't know what they don't know.

Therefore the questions below are outlined to help provide insight. They encourage you to think deeper, reflect on your choices and ultimately get better acquainted with the most important person in your life (that's you!)

Shall we begin?

1) What is missing in your current role that you hope to gain in your next one?

Straight off the bat, this question separates the candidates who know what they want from those who literally have no idea what they are doing.

Basically in a nutshell what I'm really asking here is why are you going where you think you are going? This question should reveal your internal motivator.

Ideally what it is that you want to gain in your next role, should excite you. You should feel engaged talking about this instead of monotone. The prospect of learning what you want in your next role should energise you. The more it excites you, the stronger the motivator. The less it excites you, the more comfortable you will be staying where you are.

Motivators in themselves can be external (company bankruptcy, unfair dismissal, management changes) or internal (desire to learn new skills, achieve greater impact, create something for yourself). Whilst the external motivator often acts as a catalyst it will be your internal motivator that sustains your search and ultimately determines the quality of the next role you land.

The strength of the motivator will split candidates neatly into two groups as outlined below:

Candidates who want to move out of their current role and into a new one, look for solutions.

They ask relevant questions, speak to the right people, learn how to position themselves in the market and ultimately (despite all obstacles) land where they want to be. They are proactive and engaged in their search process, listen attentively and are receptive to all help received along the way. The solutions focus helps propel them into their next role.

Candidates who have no clue what they want to do or are comfortable in their current role, look for excuses.

They immediately come up with the disadvantages to every role presented to them, are slow on the uptake to network and/or receive help, ask shallow questions about the role (money/work-life balance) and generally seem disengaged. Their attempts at moving will be half hearted at best and they will prefer to wait for opportunities to come their way instead of proactively searching themselves. The excuses focus helps keep them where they are.

There are not many exceptions and oftentimes this simply occurs on a subconscious level.

If it's been a few years and you are still static, have an honest sit down with yourself.

Aim to go beyond surface level motivations such as ‘more money’ or ‘better work-life balance.’ Whilst these are justifiable and reasonable answers, if you are searching to understand your purpose and have energy to invest in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and beyond - challenge yourself. Think deeper.

Remember, chasing money is not a career and putting lifestyle first is how you find a job - not fulfilment.

2) What part of your job gives you energy and what gives you energy in general?

This is a really big one. I ask every candidate this question regardless of their seniority - from fresh graduates to seasoned CEO's. Why?

Because energy is a great indicator of: how self-aware the candidate is, how much they enjoy their current job and how aligned they are to their purpose.

Energy is your lifeline because you are a walking battery. There will be things that give you energy (++++) and things that deplete it (-----). These include:

• Your tasks/responsibilities (linked to your skillset)
• Your environment (team culture, access to resources, red tape/flexibility to move)
• Other people (your colleagues, clients and other stakeholders)

So think about what tasks that you complete give you energy? What environments do you feel good in? What specific traits in certain people make you feel more alive?

If you hate all aspects of your day job or have not held many jobs yet then look at your personal life. You are still you (with all your wonderful skills) regardless of whether you are in an office or not.

So what is it that you do in your free time that gives you energy? Are you great at organising get togethers? Finding creative solutions to problems? Planning road trips? Travelling, meeting new people, starting conversations with anyone and everyone?

These are skills that you are utilising in your personal life that you can utilise in your professional life too...

Remember you are not linear. You are a multi-faceted and versatile human being.

3) What inspired you to move into this industry?

Were you even inspired to begin with? Or were you just meandering like a lost sheep on the Serengeti and are only now trying to understand how you ended up where you are?

Inspiration is important because it gives you energy, and that energy can propel you into one career path over another.

Taking a step back to objectively evaluate the trajectory of your career to date forces you to look at each of your steps and the underlying motivations behind them. Have you been going with the flow or have you been strategic in all the steps you've taken? Have your motivators been external or internal? Did your inspiration fizzle out somewhere along the way? Why?

When we lose our inspiration, we ultimately do not know which way to go. And not knowing which way to go over a prolonged period of time is anxiety inducing. The more pressure you put on yourself, the worst your anxiety will become.

And when anxiety runs high, objectivity runs low.

Candidates who cannot control their anxiety become restless, irritated and dissatisfied with their current career path. Unhappy. They cannot see clearly or think rationally and therefore cannot recognise inspiration.

Candidates who can control their anxiety (unhealthily) will supress it so they can avoid this emotion altogether. They rationalise away the reasons they are not moving and seek comfort in the familiar to keep those niggling feelings at bay. These candidates cannot feel inspiration because they try not to feel too much at all.

In order to bring you back to a healthier base so that you can evaluate clearly I recommend re-tracing the steps you've already taken.

This can often provide you with unexpected clarity.

It will remind you how far you've come, what you've achieved and the valuable lessons you've learnt along the way.

It will also remind you of what you are capable of. And when you feel more capable, you feel less anxious of the unknown. This then helps you move forward from a stronger mindset.

So retrace, recalibrate and off you go!

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In need of additional inspiration? I recommend the following books:

Cal Newport - So Good They Can't Ignore You

Marshall Goldsmith - What Got You Here, Won't Get You There

Mitch Albom - Tuesday's with Morrie

Good luck!

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Lika Petitt is the Co-Founder of?First Point Partners , an executive search firm focused on the private equity sector.

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