By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Kris Parfitt
A large pile of laundry can be such a daunting task that we put it off as long as we can before we run low on under garments. However, instead of buying more skivvies every week, wouldn’t it make more sense (and be cheaper) to just sort the piles and do our laundry?
This daunting feeling is similar to what we experience when we consider a career change, pursue a promotion, or when looking for employment. The questions loom, consume and balloon into such beasts of burden that we keep putting it off until our vitality is sapped and we are truly out of underwear.
Where to begin?
Why do you want a change in the first place? Do you have a similar complaint about every position you’ve had or is there validity in your inquiry for change? Are you not doing what you WANT to be doing?
The secret to doing your laundry is well known but not as an exercise in distinctions. That big loathsome pile is not so foreboding once you’ve separated the piles into lights, darks and colors, is it? Then sit down with pen and paper and start asking yourself a few questions about why you’re looking for change.
First, distinguish if you are looking for a career change, promotion, or being employed. The first step in simplifying what you want is to distinguish the change you seek.
Next, list out everything you dislike about your current career, position or status of employment. For example if you are a mid-level manager at a retail store, write out what you don’t like about your job. It could be what you don’t like about your position as manager, or the people you work with or for; your list could include the areas you feel challenged by or not trained in doing. Write down every complaint, issue and dissatisfaction you have about your current and past positions and/or career.
Coaching Tip: Don’t get hooked into the drama of what you are writing. Keep your answers to one sentence each and list out the fact of the matter, not the gossip of the chatter.
Next, list out everything you really like about your current career, position or status of employment. For example list out what inspires you about what you do. What is it about your position or career that has you stay or continue? What makes you smile or brag about your position? (either to others or to just your mom).
Enjoying this article? You could get the best career advice daily by subscribing to us via e-mail. Coaching Tip: Really look at the positives and list them out. It’s okay if there are more complaints than positives, or more positives than complaints. This exercise is not a test or measurement, it’s a sorting of the piles. Again, keep them to one sentence answers and stick with the facts.
Next write out what concerns you the most about pursuing a change. What are you afraid will happen if you start looking, seeking or pursuing? What do you fear won’t happen? What will you make it mean if what you set out to do doesn’t come to fruition? What will you make it mean if it does?
Coaching Tip: Be honest with yourself when answering any of these questions, sometimes when you think someone might be judging your answers, you’ll document something different from the truth. Again, keep your answers short and to the point.
Once these lists are complete, summarize the common themes that have become clearer after listing all these things out. Guaranteed you will see a theme and pattern about your complaints, what you enjoy about what you’re doing and what concerns you about taking the plunge into change.
Bonus Tip: The complaint list is very important because of the insight it offers. If you have a common complaint that shows up in many to most of your jobs or responsibilities, consider that this complaint is yours to own. Meaning, you are the common denominator to any dissatisfaction you experience in the workplace – you played a hand in how your career has turned out thus far. What if you took a look at the source of your complaint, made a difference with how you cause the complaint and reinvent your outlook on the issue? You would be a source to your happiness and I bet you’d have a new outlook on your position, career and more importantly, yourself.
Your next step is NOT TO STOP being in inquiry about your desired change. Your next step is to ask yourself, if money was no object, what would you be doing? Using the themes you’ve discovered from your lists, this question will be fun to answer and also an interesting discovery into what’s possible for your future career, promotion or new position of employment.
Finding you have roadblocks to your success in making changes in your life? Or, did you do this exercise and find yourself excited about what’s possible for you but would like more guidance? Contact Kris Parfitt at www.careerleadershipcoaching.com and be the source of your success.
Kris Parfitt is a career strategist and leadership branding coach who is committed to finding your roadblocks and moving them out of the way so you can have the career success you want. Kris has over twenty years experience in leadership, counseling, and training positions all of which have provided an exceptional education which allows her to be a dynamic coach, one that focuses on inspiring you to acknowledge and express your extraordinary abilities and potential. Connect with Kris via LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Kris Parfitt
A large pile of laundry can be such a daunting task that we put it off as long as we can before we run low on under garments. However, instead of buying more skivvies every week, wouldn’t it make more sense (and be cheaper) to just sort the piles and do our laundry?
This daunting feeling is similar to what we experience when we consider a career change, pursue a promotion, or when looking for employment. The questions loom, consume and balloon into such beasts of burden that we keep putting it off until our vitality is sapped and we are truly out of underwear.
Where to begin?
Why do you want a change in the first place? Do you have a similar complaint about every position you’ve had or is there validity in your inquiry for change? Are you not doing what you WANT to be doing?
The secret to doing your laundry is well known but not as an exercise in distinctions. That big loathsome pile is not so foreboding once you’ve separated the piles into lights, darks and colors, is it? Then sit down with pen and paper and start asking yourself a few questions about why you’re looking for change.
First, distinguish if you are looking for a career change, promotion, or being employed. The first step in simplifying what you want is to distinguish the change you seek.
Next, list out everything you dislike about your current career, position or status of employment. For example if you are a mid-level manager at a retail store, write out what you don’t like about your job. It could be what you don’t like about your position as manager, or the people you work with or for; your list could include the areas you feel challenged by or not trained in doing. Write down every complaint, issue and dissatisfaction you have about your current and past positions and/or career.
Coaching Tip: Don’t get hooked into the drama of what you are writing. Keep your answers to one sentence each and list out the fact of the matter, not the gossip of the chatter.
Next, list out everything you really like about your current career, position or status of employment. For example list out what inspires you about what you do. What is it about your position or career that has you stay or continue? What makes you smile or brag about your position? (either to others or to just your mom).
Enjoying this article? You could get the best career advice daily by subscribing to us via e-mail. Coaching Tip: Really look at the positives and list them out. It’s okay if there are more complaints than positives, or more positives than complaints. This exercise is not a test or measurement, it’s a sorting of the piles. Again, keep them to one sentence answers and stick with the facts.
Next write out what concerns you the most about pursuing a change. What are you afraid will happen if you start looking, seeking or pursuing? What do you fear won’t happen? What will you make it mean if what you set out to do doesn’t come to fruition? What will you make it mean if it does?
Coaching Tip: Be honest with yourself when answering any of these questions, sometimes when you think someone might be judging your answers, you’ll document something different from the truth. Again, keep your answers short and to the point.
Once these lists are complete, summarize the common themes that have become clearer after listing all these things out. Guaranteed you will see a theme and pattern about your complaints, what you enjoy about what you’re doing and what concerns you about taking the plunge into change.
Bonus Tip: The complaint list is very important because of the insight it offers. If you have a common complaint that shows up in many to most of your jobs or responsibilities, consider that this complaint is yours to own. Meaning, you are the common denominator to any dissatisfaction you experience in the workplace – you played a hand in how your career has turned out thus far. What if you took a look at the source of your complaint, made a difference with how you cause the complaint and reinvent your outlook on the issue? You would be a source to your happiness and I bet you’d have a new outlook on your position, career and more importantly, yourself.
Your next step is NOT TO STOP being in inquiry about your desired change. Your next step is to ask yourself, if money was no object, what would you be doing? Using the themes you’ve discovered from your lists, this question will be fun to answer and also an interesting discovery into what’s possible for your future career, promotion or new position of employment.
Finding you have roadblocks to your success in making changes in your life? Or, did you do this exercise and find yourself excited about what’s possible for you but would like more guidance? Contact Kris Parfitt at www.careerleadershipcoaching.com and be the source of your success.
Kris Parfitt is a career strategist and leadership branding coach who is committed to finding your roadblocks and moving them out of the way so you can have the career success you want. Kris has over twenty years experience in leadership, counseling, and training positions all of which have provided an exceptional education which allows her to be a dynamic coach, one that focuses on inspiring you to acknowledge and express your extraordinary abilities and potential. Connect with Kris via LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.
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It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
- How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
- The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
- How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
- The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
- And, a lot more hacks for job search success!
Let us show you the secrets to getting a new, better-paying job you actually love. Sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp today.
Are you ready to land the job of your dreams (and leave the job of your nightmares)?
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