Are you in the wrong job? Maybe the wrong career? That’s an alarming thought if you don’t have a clue what the right job might be.
What’s the point of leaving if you don’t know where you’re going or what you’d do once you’d get there? The last thing you want is to end up in the same sorry mess you’re in now.
There are plenty of reasons people stay in the wrong careers:
They may like their job, dislike their boss; like their boss, dislike their job; like them both, dislike their colleagues; like none of them but need the money; like the money, can’t do the job. Whatever the cause, they’re not making a contribution and they know it.
You and others like you, are burning out, dragging around, working at 50% potential, making yourself and everyone around you miserable.
Burnout isn’t terminal, it’s grown up ‘time out’. It’s a place to think and regroup when you’re not where you’d like to be.
Can you be productive in time out? Yes, you can. That’s what it’s for, that’s why you’re there.
What happens? Your brain goes to work, organizing, cataloguing, figuring out stuff that it will tell you about later.
What can you do in the meantime? Hard work. In order to progress to networking and then interviewing, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses; what brings out the best in you and what brings out the worst.
Although you’d probably like to figure that out by sitting alone in the dark, don’t. Haul yourself out of hiding and ask for the opinion of people you trust, who know what it’s like to work with you. Need more help? Ask more questions. It’s a good idea to write down what they say because, chances are, you’re going to be surprised.
What’s next on the agenda? Take what you’ve learned about yourself, pore over old performance reviews, add what you already know and prepare your case.
And your case is? Your rationale for seeking a different career opportunity; strengths that you bring to the table; ways that you can contribute to a company’s bottom line.
Are you ready to interview? Not yet.
Work on your style. Ask others to tell you how you’re coming across: your body language as well as your voice pitch, tone, tempo.
How do you look? Like last week’s laundry? Treat yourself to some new duds. Exercise, socialize, read more and watch less television.
Where’s your resume? Find it or write it or update it. Format it to highlight the strengths you want to emphasize in the future.
Are you ready for primetime? Not unless you’ve practiced for interviews. That means doing role plays, answering open ended questions. (They’re the ones that sound easy but aren’t, like, “tell me about yourself”; “what do you want to be doing in five years?”’ and “what qualifies you to work for us?”)
Rehearse with mature humans who have held responsible jobs. Enlisting the services of your cat, your baby, or your baby sitter’s friend may be convenient and non-threatening, but not a good reality check.
Networking. Come to grips with how to do it right.
We’ve got to come up with a better word than networking. It conjures up images of sweaty palmed, glad handing back slappers telling everyone in earshot, “give me a call me if you hear about a job.”
That’s not networking. That just tricks you into thinking you’re looking for a job while you’re really wasting your time and everyone else’s.
What is networking? Come back Thursday and we’ll continue your job search. In the meantime, do your homework.
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Joyce Richman (www.joycerichman.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.
