Tip #4: Career vision

Generally, a lot of us go to work, get our monthly salaries, and live for the weekend. I know things are uncertain at the moment, however is what you had/have what you really want to return to?

Maybe you do with some tweaks but unsure what they are? Or maybe you want a completely new path? Whatever your situation, having a Career Vision/ plan is essential to know where you are going. 

Often people think things are just going to fall into place. Don’t get me wrong, opportunities do present themselves but taking them needs to be aligned with what you want (your purpose) and work for you, rather than basing everything on a gut feel or just because it's there. No one gets in a car and drives without knowing the destination, so why would you do this with your job? 

 What is a career vision?

 Simply put, a career vision is an image of what you want to be doing in your career / job in the future. It is an image, created by you, of what you want to achieve, where you want to be in your career, what you see yourself doing and that it is aligned with your why / purpose. It focuses on your goal and taking the time to think about what this looks like is important. Rather like a company has a vision statement - what it is aiming in the future, for example, Linkedin's vision is to create economic opportunity for every worker in the global workforce, and being members is their primary value. Above all else, a vision should inspire you, if it does not, is it really going to be strong enough for you to focus on it when the going gets tough?

By taking the time to visualise this (there are some great online visualisation tools available) and then writing this vision down, really does help you cement it. Putting something into words helps it become more realistic and tangible and is a great starting point in helping you identify steps to get you there and ultimately put a plan together. 

Everyone’s plan will vary – your vision is personal to you. It may encompass gaining new qualifications you might need, what experience you may need to gain, how much money and time you need to allow for these changes to happen and so on. Perhaps a list of dream companies that you would want to work for. It is important that your vision is what you define as success, not someone else's definition. Your vision will often be shaped around your personal values and strengths. Also consider the lifestyle that you really want for yourself. How can you carve out a career that works with your well-being? So often, we speak to people who are chasing a job title as their end goal. Though, a job title can mean internal kudos but is the job that you are going to be doing, what you really want to do, day in, day out? 

Your vision needs to inspire you. Is there someone around you whose job you aspire to? If not, is it a conversation that you could have with your manager? Sometimes jobs do not even exist yet, for example, social media roles are relatively new. A lot of the jobs we will be doing in 10 years, do not even exist yet so you trying to be open to new possibilities and not limiting possibilities is key. The clearer this vision is in your mind, the more chance you have of making good and aligned choices.

Finally ignore the self-sabotaging voice in your mind - so many people talk themselves out of trying as they are convinced there is no way of achieving their big vision or it seems impossible. However, if you don’t try, you'll never know. 

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