Do You Have a Vision Regarding Your Career?

I was reading a book the other night and the author quoted Proverbs 29:18 and in his translation it stated: “Where there is no vision, the people perish...”

Now that got me thinking about my clients and career growth. Many of my clients come to me with a vague sense that something is wrong in their life. There is a gap or a hole that is difficult to identify or is producing an anxiety. They report that everything is “okay” but that the joy, pride or excitement they once had in their career is no longer there.

I’ve come to believe that many of us are suffering from a lack of vision. The loss of context to our lives. Many of us work to meet a need, achieve a goal of one type or another. Often these goals are born out of our core values. Say “Family” is a core value in your life and providing for your family is a principle goal... once the family is grown and on their own the reason for working so hard on the job is no longer there.

In a job search, if the job seeker doesn’t have a compelling reason for landing a job, it is difficult to motivate himself. He wakes up in the morning knowing that he has to look for work, but there is no drive, no plan, no vision. Alas the job search falters and the people perish.

Of course there are many other reasons why someone struggles in a job search or moving forward in a career... fear of rejection chief among them. Yet, without a clear vision and definite goals with timelines the person stands still. Whether a career has grown stagnant or the rug was pulled out from under you with a layoff, you’re most likely missing a goal and vision of your future.

Even a person who doesn’t like to plan needs to know where they are going, needs a vision of their life actualized. I think of Chevy Chase in “Caddyshack” when he’s advising one of the movie’s characters about life, “I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball... Be the ball Danny...”

Maybe Chevy Chase’s character isn’t a good example of a Career Coach, indeed he’s not. Still we all need to be in touch with our values and have a vision that is in alignment with our values. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. But with some willingness to look deeply into yourself, working with a coach or a mentor, your career and your job search can be meaningful and filled with passion, enjoyment and excitement.  With a vision, you’ll not perish and will find that hole, that emptiness filled.

Job Search Plus Holiday Stress

In the last couple of weeks I’ve had a number of clients tell me that they are overwhelmed by everything they need to do to launch and carryout a job search. They tell me that they cannot believe everything they need to do, all the meetings, classes and lectures they need to attend. Yes, it’s overwhelming... getting a professional resume put together, researching target companies, creating a contact list, developing positive responses to common interview questions and we’re just getting started. It’s a lot to do. That’s why I tell my clients and friends that people in Job Search are not unemployed... they’re working full-time.

“OMG, what about social media? LinkedIn and getting my profile complete and not to mention how long it takes to fill out some of these job applications...” Gee, I’m getting stressed just writing this, so what do you need to do, especially since the holidays are just around the corner?

I don’t know who first said, “Plan your work and work your plan.” But, this little cliche is a good device for decreasing stress in your life. Stephen Covey has another cliche that says, “First things first,” and I’m a big fan of Franklin Covey planners because they really help organize the goal setting process into daily activity where you can actually measure your progress toward a goal.

It’s important to realize that for most people planning decreases anxiety and stress. It allows us to see what needs to be done and what is next to do. If we follow Covey’s advice to do first things first, we are able to evaluate what activities are important and urgent and what activities are dependent on other activities which have priority. Okay, that is easy to say.

When we are at work, customers or bosses provide priorities to our day. With your career plan or job search you have to provide the priorities and create a sense of urgency. I sit down with some clients and we develop a formal plan of action for their career or job search. Some clients already have the plan but they haven’t written it down. Often when we keep things in our head they get confused or muddled. Sometimes we forget something that is essential in order to proceed.

Writing a plan down, putting it on a time line is a further way to eliminate stress.  It allows you to see in concrete terms how something is going to work. With a plan and a schedule written down you are able to fit in other activities that are necessary but ancillary to your job search. Christmas shopping for example or my favorite holiday activity, Christmas parties. I always want to make sure I have time for going to Christmas parties. They’re great networking opportunities.

Sit down and plan out what you need to do... if it’s a struggle, give me a call! I do this with clients all the time. When necessary, hire a coach or consultant to help you get up and running quickly. Remember the holidays are stressful enough, do some planing and enjoy the holidays.

Job Search Goal Setting & Project Management

I’ve been working on a goal-setting presentation geared to job seekers for the last couple of weeks. Midway through my preparations, I realized that if someone were to approach a job search as a project in need of management, rather than just applying for as many jobs as possible in an ad hoc manner, they would be far more successful. In other words, the job seeker needs to approach their job search as a Project Manager would approach a critical project.

I stopped and thought “Wow, a stalled job search has all the issues and problems of a project that is behind schedule and in danger of failure.” The elements of any project are:

• Mission statement, with goals and objectives
• Clearly defined requirements
• Selecting people for the project team
• A breakdown of work
• Schedule with milestones and realistic deadline
• Listed risks and opportunities
• A written plan with mitigations for risks
• Accountability or status meetings
• Cost control and resource management

No wonder so many job seekers drown in all the work to be done. It’s daunting, especially if you see yourself alone, with no one to share the burden of job hunting. But you’re not alone, there are people, resources, groups and organizations there to support you in your job search.

Some people hire a coach to help them better manage their job search. Others have outplacement resources and others utilize job clubs, accountability groups and support ministries to reach their goal.

So the quick lessons are: a good Project Manager would not take over a critical project with a helter skelter attitude and expect to be successful. And no Project Manager would attempt to accomplish a project all by themselves. You should have a plan and shouldn’t think that you have to find your next job all by yourself either.

Have a career plan

   Coaches and bus drivers both employ a plan when they are working. A bus driver might say, "I want to know where I am going so we know where we are when we get there. So, before we start, I look at a map." The Chicago Black Hawks had a goal this year, and Joel Quenneville had a plan on how to accomplish the goal. Some people are planners and others like to fly by the seat of their pants.

   In your career, flying by the seat of your pants is likely not to get you where you need or want to go. I understand that some people have been successful without planning, but let's agree that you and I are not these people. Many more successful people achieve their goals because they plan, write down their plan and revise the plan when unforeseen things happen. So, let's agree that planning is generally a good idea for positive career growth.

   One of my favorite interview questions is, "Where do you see yourself five years down the road?" (Actually this is a great question after you've started the job, too.) The question that isn't normally asked which is far more important, "How are you going to get there?" This involves planning, setting milestones and intermediate goals and accountability.

There are several elements required in a good career plan.

1. State the goal
2. Cite the requirements, (education, experience) to meet the goal
3. Evaluate any shortfalls you have regarding the requirements
4. Detail the steps needed to be taken with target dates
5. Evaluate each step in the plan and review the plan regularly
6. Achieve the goal and celebrate

   Some people need a coach to hold them accountable. Others just tell everyone they know. And some people join an accountability group. We'll talk more at a later date on accountability groups. Each of these methods are set up to help keep you on target to meeting your milestones, intermediate and final goals . When accountability is missing this can be the root of failure.

   Make a plan for yourself. If you're on the job, how are you going to get to the next level in your career? If you are in transition, how are you going to land a job that will move you to your next level? If you need help, hire someone like me to consult with you and walk you through the process... Call me and then see the places you'll go!

(My number is: 630.319.7587)