Post one in a series of five…
- Be Prepared!
Know what you want for your next step- Starting by working with a certified/licensed career counselor or coach is a cost effective way to help you answer the big questions. (Use referral directories like the search features on the ICDA website to find a career counselor/coach that would be a good match for you)
- In addition to the usual personality and strengths assessments, ask your career counselor about a core career values assessment. The assessment can help you examine what you crave in life and what is most important to you in many aspects of choosing a career:
- Think about the reason for making your next life/career change.
- Do you want more time working from home?
- Do you want to move to a new place?
- Do you want to advance to a higher status position with more perks and pay?
- Know why you want to take the next step in your career
- Are you looking for a change of pace?
- Has there been a significant change in your life (new baby, kids going off to college,marital status change, other family needs)?
- Is there a significant expense coming up in your life?
- Are you hankering after a geographical change (moving to another region, state or county)?
- Understand what has held you back
- Lacking certain areas of expertise (concentrate on the best of your current areas of expertise; you might also consider a training program that will enhance your current skills during your search, it will show your willingness toward professional development)
- Concern about change being risky (ask yourself if stagnation may be just as risky)
- Needing to stay close to family, or just like the city where you are (ask your recruiter candidate representative if there are ways to get what you want and stay put)
- For more tangible concerns, like location, hours, pay, promotions and perks, a candidate rep at a professional executive search firm has an advantage over your self-search, they can help discover how to get past many of these barriers
- For more emotional concern, talk to your career counselor/coach
- Be prepared to articulate to your recruiter what you want and why
- Be clear about your life/career wants and needs
- Be articulate when you express the reasons for making a change, it can help the recruiter candidate rep design a search customized for you
- Ask your counselor/coach/recruiter/candidate rep if they have questionnaires that can help you verbally clarify those wants and needs.
- Have a willingness to have great communication with your recruiter candidate rep, but if that communication breaks down:
- Reach out to your career counselor/coach when you have a pivotal question, frustration or want to report a significant change in your search
- Your counselor/coach cares about your life/career change motivations
- Your recruiter cares about getting you a good fitNext week, October 14, 2019: Next steps in finding the right employer.Best regards, Jonni Lukenbill-BowlesContact me at: jonni@sageprairie.net