Job Search in May: Career Clarity
Olivera Andjelkovic
HR Consultant ?? Executive Coaching, Employee Training and Development, People Management
Do you struggle right now to figure out what you want next in your career? Maybe you want to change jobs, pivot to another field, or develop professionally?
2023 has put so much on our plates, no wonder many of us feel lost. More than ever, people are coming to me with the questions: “What do you think I should do next?”; “Should I change my career?”; “Should I change my job right now?”; “What kind of job is good for me?” Unfortunately, no one can give you the answer to these questions, but you.
But, you can definitely get help along the way. I dedicated our May Newsletter to helping you gain career clarity and focus, so keep reading.
Why Gaining Clarity About Your Career is Important
Clarity helps you understand where you want to be in your professional (and personal) life. It is a concise vision of your capabilities and ambitions and a path to achieving what will give you fulfillment and a sense of purpose.
The first important thing is to identify at what stage of your career you are in. Your options and focus will differ depending on where you are right now – early, mid, or late career.
The second important thing is to think about what you really want for you professionally and set your goals. We talk about this more comprehensively in the following section.
Gaining Clarity About Career Goals
First of all, you need to fight actively all the things that make you confused, such as:
? Spending time with people who share conflicting values and goals pulls you down.
? Fueling negativity and muddling emotions by any bad habit.
? Constantly complaining about a lack of clarity and doing nothing about it.
Seek for support of people you trust, people you know are rooting for you to succeed. Asking for help doesn’t mean that you release your responsibility for your clarity. You’re just reaching for an assist.
Second, put all your professional wishes and aspirations on paper
What you gain from writing down your career goals is a boost in clarity - you are painting a clear picture of what you plan to do, and it makes your career goals real. Start with goals you know will be easy to achieve.
You don’t know what you want? Ok, then imagine you have won the lottery, so you no longer have the excuse of money (or time) standing in your way. You can do absolutely anything you want to. What is it? The answer to this question will give you clarity about your purpose.
Third, make your career goals specific
For example, you may clarify the salary you’d like to earn, the type of employer you want to work for, or a specific skill you want to gain to advance professionally. To motivate yourself more, think about the timeframe within which you want to achieve your goals.
Gaining Clarity About Your Values and Capabilities
? Identify your top personal and career values - what factors steer and drive you in your career? For example, are these: achievements, commitment, equality, honesty, independence, respect, power, or status?
? Identify your work satisfiers and dissatisfiers (and importantly, why) – what makes you happy and motivates you, and what factors are critical for you to engage and commit?
? Identify the skills you love to use, your competence level, and the skills you’d like to develop – self-assessment often helps with this.
Gaining Career Focus and Starting Your Job Search
ONLY now, when you are clear about where you are and what you want next, you can start your job search, rewrite your resume , update your Linkedin profile , and prepare all other job search tools you need.
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When you have an idea of where you are now on your career path and what your goals are, you can continue and decide whether will you change your job, change your career , or maybe start your own business.
You can identify industries and companies you find appealing to work for, and where you would make the biggest impact, based on your values and purpose.
If you still feel stuck, a mentor or coach can guide you. Remember, there’s always a path forward, and an objective observer can often see what is not immediately obvious to you. Maybe this article can help too: “How to gain career clarity ”
Job Search: Focusing on What You Can Control
I speak daily with people who struggle to find a job in the current volatile market. They are overwhelmed and frustrated with things they cannot control: their competition, current business climate, employer’s decisions, circumstances…
If you are one of them, pause for a moment and focus on things that you CAN control.
There are 2 crucial things that depend on you and your actions:
1?? Information you provide.
When applying, your only job is to prove that you meet or exceed the qualifications for the role. To provide the data recruiters and hiring managers need to see, focus on understanding the company expectations, ask a recruiter for any interview preparation tips, and learn all about the role and team that can help you.
When rewriting your resume, ask yourself, "Does this help reinforce my qualifications for my target role?". Anything that doesn't get a "yes" isn't worth including in our resume. When updating your LinkedIn profile, keep your target job and audience in mind, and publish relevant information accordingly.
2?? Connections you make.
If you try to connect with recruiters and companies only when looking for a new role, and then forget all about that networking thing afterward, you are not playing it right. You should build relationships with several recruiters in your niche (based on your professional level, and your industry), and stay in touch with them.
If you understand how recruiters operate, you’ll be much more likely to have a satisfying and rewarding relationship with them. Remember, the recruiter’s job is not to find you a job, it’s to find the best-fit candidates to fill positions for their (client) companies.
So, stop worrying about things out of your control and do your best to understand the hiring process.
Maybe these articles can also help:
Do you need professional assistance?
?? Book a 1:1 career coaching session with me – a 60-min Zoom coaching session
???Book executive coaching services - executive resume, LinkedIn, executive bio, personal website, interview, salary negotiation, leadership development
?? Buy DIY Job Search Package - my templates and guides for making your resume stand out, and landing an interview faster
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Not having a clear career and job target is one of the main problems job seekers have. A job search cannot be successful if this step is not passed