What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?
When you’re looking for a job, this question seems to sneak in from your childhood and sit directly on your right shoulder, providing a lot of background noise and interference. Actually, now is a great time to give yourself over to that question and decide what it is you want to do with the rest of your life, or at least this particular chapter.
You have four options as you think about what you want to be:
• Look for the same job in the same industry
• Look for the same job in a different industry
• Look for a job that will utilize your transferable skills
• Look for a completely different job
Options 1 and 2 provide the path of least resistance. You have a lot of familiarity and comfort in these options and articulating your goals and accomplishments related to these two areas should be pretty straightforward. Designing your résumé around one of these goals is also pretty straightforward.
Option 3 requires that you think differently about the job you did and focus instead on those skills that would transfer to a multitude of other jobs. These skills include management, complex problem solving, great customer service, strong written and verbal communication skills, organization, and so on. This can actually be the most challenging option as you try to determine how to match and sell those skills to a new job.
Option 4 may require training or education, a significant financial investment, and a lot of time. However, if there is something you always wanted to be (listen to your inner child to determine how realistic this might be), then this might be the best option.
Sharon DeLay is a certified career coach with the goal of helping people find jobs they love and love the jobs they have. Visit www.boldlygocoaching.com or e-mail Sharon@boldlygocoaching.com for more information or to subscribe to her twice weekly blog or twice monthly ezine. (c) 2010 BoldlyGO Professional Development Services