In this job search training lesson today, I answer a question from a 63 year old person wondering how they can compete against 30 million people in their job search.
Learn how to bust the myth that you are too old to find the job that you want.
Learn how to bust the myth that you are too old to find the job that you want.
I swim in memories as I listen to this Meatloaf song. It seems like just yesterday I was directing HR traffic in corporate America. I was large and in charge. I had a great team. We led positive change. The senior staff respected me. Ah, those were the days.
Ever feel like that? I know plenty of job seekers and folks suffering in stuck careers who speak nostalgically about the way it used to be.
Looking backwards allows us to only see what we want to see. Those clear memories mask the pain, confusion and frustration right under the surface. Those bad feelings are not so close anymore. We forget.
It is so much easier to see the best parts of the past than to imagine the future. We have to create the future ourselves. It is right there, just out of reach.
Tomorrow can be kind of fuzzy. I had to create my own new reality when I started The Interview Doctor. Every day for the last fourteen years begins as a blank slate, a fresh start, an opportunity to reinforce my vision of the future. I have to find new clients. I imagine new marketing efforts. I build an impression of what success looks like in the new reality, what success feels like for me today.
My vision extends beyond business to include HOW I want to work. I set up my business life to support my personal vision of adventure, writing and travel. I did not have a roadmap. I had to create my own plan through trial and plenty of error.
Here are five tips to taking that first step to creating your own future vision:
What does your future look like? Do you have a vision for where you want to be? Are you ready to take that big step into the unknown, putting the objects in the mirror further into the past? I would love to hear how you define your future or how you have taken a step away from that rear view mirror!
Kids get asked that all the time. I remember getting asked that question in 8th grade (a million years ago!). My parents and most of my family members were teachers. I knew I didn’t want to do that. But what else was there beyond the familiar family business? I had no clue.
It took me years to figure out how to apply my problem solving, communication and arguing skills in a way that made sense. Even then I backed into my career. I turned my love of history and my writing / arguing skills into a career in labor relations then human resources. If I knew then what I know now I would pick something else. I would love to be in Supply Chain, Process Improvement or Industrial Engineering because those fields really fit my skill set.
These days I meet plenty of adults who still cannot answer that question to their own satisfaction. Folks who stumbled into a career early on then discover it is not what they really wanted. My son and daughter couldn’t figure it out either.
My son Dan bounced around from random service jobs until he decided he wanted to be a blood technologist. Ever heard of such a job? I never did either, but he is happy as can be in his new career identifying buggers in blood and bodily fluids.
My daughter Marissa started out with leadership roles in campaign politics. Campaign politics requires lots of geographic movement as the operative moves from campaign to campaign. She really enjoyed it until she wanted to settle down. Then she went back to school for her MBA and settled into a new career in healthcare supply chain consulting. Still roaming but more focused this time around with a longer future ramp.
At the core to both career choices is to understand what you are good at. Simple as that.
Both Dan and Marissa did a lot of introspection to understand their strengths, what they are good at, and what they are most interested in. No sense finding a career in a field that does not leverage one’s strengths. Dan loves detail and really doesn’t like interacting with lots of people. A career in a hospital lab away from people really hits his strengths and interests. Marissa loves to solve problems. People naturally follow her so a career convincing people to see the problem her way really appeals to her. Put either of them in a different environment and they would not be as comfortable or happy.
When you build your career around your skills and interests, everything else falls into place. It is much easier to create the job search materials, easier to explain your career choice and more fun to go to work every day.
Start with the end in mind by understanding what you are good at, what you like, and what kind of environment in which you want to work. Take the long view then go after what you want!
Interested in finding a career you can live with for the long term? Check out “5 Tips to Kick Off a Successful Job Search or Career Transition” to explore what you want to be when you grow up.
My dad, an elementary school principal, used to say, “Make a positive impression on teachers in the first week of school and you will have more leeway when you mess up later in the year. Otherwise you will spend the school year pushing a rock uphill trying to recover from a bad first impression.”
His advice gave me a stable foundation in my career. He reminds us that everyone leaves a footprint, an impression based on actions or behavior.
The strong foundation for any career is the impact you make on others. Not just the work you do. Not just the accomplishments. But the impact you have on others.
No one is an island. Networking, building relationships, getting things done through influence are all built on the foundation of the impact you make on others.
A recent client, Don, is disappointed in his career. Since he graduated eight years ago with a marketing degree he has wandered from one inconsequential job to another, uncertain how to get that product marketing job he wants.
Don does not have a strong foundation for his career. He is uncertain of the footprint he leaves in his current role but he is not sure what to do to be more effective or even content in his current role much less how to get the product marketing career he really wants. He thinks he needs to change jobs.
I think Don needs to build a stronger foundation for his career so he has more to offer a new employer as he pursues his ideal job. Growing in place while he builds that foundation will give him confidence as he learns new relationship skills.
Here are some tips to make a positive impression, the strong foundation for success when winds of change shift:
Sometimes it is hardest to see your own imprint. The Interview Doctor can help you evaluate your situation to strengthen your career foundation.
In the meantime, check out this great resource to learn more about your career foundation or to view other videos featuring strategic job search tips and tools from The Interview Doctor click here.
What do I want to be when I grow up? Although I look grown up on the outside, I still ponder this question periodically. I never want to I feel like I am living the same day over and over like that great movie, Groundhog Day. I seek insight to improve my career and my life.
Ever feel stuck? From the number of folks I talk to about this, I bet you feel the same way occasionally too.
You know what I discovered? Insight begins with evaluation. Really!
To discern your future, look at where you are, consider what you like and don’t like, then make a plan for change.
I have used this technique myself many times to unstick my career. I found some insight into how younger folks look at this situation in an interesting article by Jay Kim in Forbes, “If you feel stuck in your career don’t do something drastic, do this”. Kim describes Ryan Holiday’s thought process as he grew his career by making some life changes.
The key to finding satisfaction seems to come from using your time wisely to gain insight.
Here are five steps for evaluation to gain insight as you prepare for career growth:
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