If Career Planning’s Insanity, These 2 Steps Will Give You Internal Clarity
Looking for a job? In one but unsatisfied? Not sure of what you want?
You’re not alone.
Sigh, careers are one BIG part of adulting that can be complex, confusing and opaque. “Can I have it all?” “Why don’t I get a reply from the HR of my dream company?” “How do I pivot if I don’t like my job/ what I studied?” are common pains we hear.
The bad news is – it is not that easy to navigate careers. You actually need to do some ‘work’ to get work and continually be employable.
The good news is – it doesn’t need to be boring, lonely or impossible. Shoot for clarity with where you are now, where you are at – that’s one good thing you can do for yourself.
Here are 2 action steps you can take to gain career clarity:
1. Discover Your Self
Invest in finding out more about who you are
What are your strengths and skills?
What are your interests and passions?
How would you describe your personality?
Come out with your own list. Ask your friends, colleagues, relatives, teachers, internship supervisors…
Why is this important?
First, it acts as a filter to the jobs, roles and industries you apply to. For example, if you are interested in writing and in businesses, you may want to look for a job in business journalism. Try sitting in front of a search bar – if you don’t know where to start when looking for a job, it can be super intimidating.
Second, future employers are interested in who you are. They are not looking to hire machines, but they want to know what makes you tick, if you fit into their world and if they want to invest in you. If you are a fresh grad, usually they are hiring on potential and promise. It is super expensive to get a wrong hire, they want to get it right too. And psst… the first statement of any interview usually is “Tell me more about yourself.”
2. Discover Your Story
Imagine you’re a recruiter. You have thousands of resumes to flip through. Everyone says they are a team player, a good collaborator and their skills are pretty much similar. How do you decide who is better?
Wrong hires cost. Companies take time to recruit, onboard and train. They want to get it right. Increasingly, companies are looking for a good “culture” fit. One key way to evaluate candidates are based on your story.
Take time to craft your story. Imagine you’re writing a summary paragraph of a movie trailer of your life now. What would it be?
What were they key events in your life that impacted you?
What problems do you want to solve? Who do you want to solve it for?
What do you value?
Who/what inspires you?
After you’ve made some discoveries on your Self and Story, hop on over to Wantedly and start crafting your profile.
Stay tuned for our next article on how you can find the intersection between the “Inside” (Self and Story) with the “Outside” (Situation and Strategy).
Catch you soon!
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This article was written as part of a collaboration with Wantedly Inc. Wantedly is a job portal that seeks to create a world where work drives passion; where people and companies meet based on passions and values, rather than salary and benefits.
