Where’s your career head at, really?
It’s healthy to get some career perspective: Your career is a life-long process… and it really is all about you. A successful career is a long-term trajectory that (with a little care and homework) will lead you to make the best of your values, your gods-given skills, your unique talents and your personal drive… let alone where and how you want to apply them…
Technically speaking, you wlll be looking for (or looking to develop) “work” pretty much for the rest of your life. So doesn’t it follow that the more practice you get at it, the better you become? — Hence, the strong recommendation for an annual scrub of your goals, your brand and your direction.
Pro Tip: Motivation follows action. Everyone always thinks it’s the other way around, but motivation does not happen unless you act first. Motivation will not just “strike you”. You need to act. You take an action, you are positively rewarded with self-esteem, and you take another action. That’s how it works. Its a good career perspective to adopt!
Super-Pro Tip: The last layer (if you want to be a super-pro) is to address your mindset, around all things career. If you’re a negative-default thinker (“it’ll never happen; they’ll never choose me”), you are doing yourself a serious dis-service. If you are a blamer or a shamer (“I’ve written this company three times and they’ve never had the courtesy to get back to me”), you’re doing others a dis-service, because you simply cannot know what anyone is basing their decisions or actions on, unless you hear it directly from them. All you can do is improve your game.
If, however, you adopt a career perspective that has a leadership approach where “anything can happen”, and you back it with a well-crafted plan and well-branded message that’s delivered to the exact people/company you want, for a solid reason …Well, then, things begin to happen! You start to be taken seriously. Because you’ve done your homework, executives or decision-makers are likely to recognize, reward and appreciate your preparation, your professionalism, your targeted approach, and your clearly articulated expression of interest in their company.
A final note on improving your game: Adopt a professional mindset that takes all aspects of life-long learning seriously and gives you greater career perspective. The mindset of an academic… who researches, practices, reads, grows, risks, plans, introduces, discusses, and by virtue thereof, contributes! Then go forth, and contribute! It’s what the world needs now…
nadon@mediaintelligence.ca | 416.533.6788