How to Find a Job: When There Are No Jobs (Book 1) a Necessary Job Search and Career Planning Guide for Today's Job Market (Find a Job Series) (4 page)

My life has continued to change and progress and as a result, my career has also seen significant changes. Over the past several years I have made many adjustments and changes to my career and will continue to do so. I believe this to be a necessary step towards my goal of achieving true happiness and satisfaction in my life. What I have discovered thus far on my journey is that changes in my life are inevitable and continue to significantly affect my career path. Although difficult at times, I have learned to embrace and accept this almost certain fact of life, and make the appropriate changes that have allowed me to move forward and succeed in my career.

Intuitive Personal Assessment

T
hroughout most of my life, I have been on a journey towards the identification, development and implementation of my personal career path. Many years ago, my father introduced me to the concept of establishing and setting goals. He had developed a very sophisticated goal system and each Thanksgiving would have a series of goal-setting meetings with his business partner. Being involved in my own business for many years, I have incorporated much of what he has taught me into my personal life and career planning sessions.

Utilizing my personal and business experience as an executive recruiter since 1984, I have developed a unique twelve-step career assessment and goal setting process called “Intuitive Personal Assessment,” or IPA. The twelve steps and exercises of the IPA process will guide and assist you with the discovery, acceptance and implementation of your desired career path. The IPA self-assessment program utilizes your intuition and incorporates your ideas, skills, interests, values and life experiences to determine your career path.

The goal setting segment of IPA is based on the principle of establishing and maintaining balance in all of life’s seven components, including: Health, Family, Knowledge, Relationships, Spiritual, Financial, and Career. Balance is the key to life’s longevity and by achieving balance in your life your career will prosper. Setting goals and taking action to achieve them as they relate to the components of the IPA process will enable you to visualize and accomplish your career objectives.

The IPA personal assessment program is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to discover his or her unique career path. After completion of the twelve-step IPA process, you will be equipped with the knowledge needed to determine your career path and the tools in the form of goals needed to implement your job search plan.

The current job market is a tremendously competitive environment. Many individuals, who have recently lost their jobs often have very similar job skills and will be seeking a limited number of positions. Only those who have a clear understanding of their desired career path and are armed with the proper skills and job search knowledge will be successful in their search.

When searching for a new job, most individuals are doing so for one of two reasons. They are either dissatisfied with their current job, or they have been laid off or fired from their current position. They may be unhappy with the type of work they are doing or dislike the company environment in which they work. They may have a personality conflict with their boss, or salary and benefits issues that can’t be resolved. The reasons for an individual’s job dissatisfaction are endless.

This book is intended to serve as a guide for those individuals who either want to make a career change or for those who are literally forced to make a change and are looking for a new job. The current-day perception of the job market is that there are fewer good paying jobs and more people competing for the same positions. Many US companies continue to export thousands of jobs to foreign countries and as a result have dramatically restructured their businesses and have downsized their work force. Thousands of individuals out of work with similar job experience are thus infused into an already hyper-competitive job market.

When searching for a new job, time is always your enemy; you must start your job search immediately once you are out of work. Should you be privy to company layoffs or you decide to leave your present company, it is important that you begin your job search as soon as you are able to do so. Far too many people I have known through my executive search business have mistakenly decided to wait more than two weeks, to almost a year to start their job search. Some made a decision to take time off from work or even took extended vacations. 

Competition for new jobs is very fierce in today’s economically tight environment with fewer quality well-paying jobs available. As an executive search recruiter with over twenty-six years of industry experience, I strongly recommend against taking an extended vacation should you leave your current company. Time away from work may sound like a good idea, perhaps to regroup and charge your batteries. However, it could prove to be a very costly mistake, especially if several people from your company with similar work experience are also laid off. My advice is that you take a day or two to get organized and gather your thoughts, and then move immediately towards your goal of locating a new position before your competition has time to act.

Begin to ask yourself the following questions: Do I enjoy the work I was doing at the previous company? Does the work challenge me? Am I doing something that I feel is important? Was the environment, culture and location of the company suited to me as an individual? Do I want to work for a small, medium or large company? What personality traits am I looking for in a boss and my coworkers? These are questions that will help you to mentally prepare yourself to begin your job search.

Beyond the Beginning, an Intuitive Journey

If you are one of the very few and fortunate individuals who already knows what your career path is, but may need assistance with developing a job-search plan and strategy, please disregard the remaining section of this chapter and proceed to Chapter 4, Education, Your Key To Success.

After having counseled thousands of individuals seeking a new job or a change in their career path, nearly everyone between the ages of twenty-five to thirty years old are intuitively aware of their career path. This particular age bracket is an adequate time to assess the world in which you live and determine your interests as they relate to a desired career path. There are very few individuals who are fortunate enough to know what their career path is prior to reaching the age of twenty-five, simply because they lack the life experience to determine it. Unfortunately for most people, it takes at least twenty-five years of life experiences to determine one’s career path. However, not everyone at this point of his or her life chooses to take their unique path, but rather follows another path dictated by monetary or other contributing factors.

“Intuitive Personal Assessment” or IPA is a concept I have developed that simply states because of who we are, dictated by a combination of life experiences, genetics and environmental forces, between the ages of twenty-five and thirty years, we intuitively know and are aware of what our true career path shall be.

Realization and acceptance of your career path takes courage to seek out and become aware of its existence. Awareness of one’s career path must be followed by action and the perseverance to achieve it.  To receive something, you must first be receptive to its existence.

A Wise Friend’s Perspective

An old friend and client of mine by the name of Green Whitney, was in charge of the entire laboratory at Chicago’s South Water Filtration Plant. Green had an incredible responsibility for quality control due to the enormous amount of water being purified through this plant from Lake Michigan on its way to Chicago’s water faucets.

Green is an incredible man who put himself through college and achieved a degree in chemistry. He struggled early in his career as he tried to secure a job in his chosen field as a chemist, but was rejected by nearly all employers because he was a black man. He took to the road after several unsuccessful attempts to land a job as a chemist and raised money from a number of his relatives in an effort to start a produce company.  He was phenomenally successful and made more money than he could have as a chemist. 

However, Green was not satisfied with his life because he wanted desperately to be a chemist. After several years, he was eventually able to beat the racial bias and landed a job as a chemist. He had a very strong passion and interest in chemistry and left a very lucrative business to pursue his chosen career path. He was one of the fortunate few who knew what his career path was at an early age and he never lost sight of his true internal desire to work as a chemist.

Green took me under his wing as a young twenty-five year old sales person and he quickly became a mentor and an important person in my life. During one of several lunch meetings where Green and I would often discuss everything from owning our own businesses to selling him some laboratory equipment he said, “Paul, to reach your dream of owning your own business, you must first be receptive to the idea and then you must receive it. You must have faith in your intuition and believe what you want to happen will happen, and be receptive to it once it does happen. Then you must act upon your reception, only then does it become acceptance.” Although I have not spoken to Green in several years, I often think about him and his very sage and caring advice.

A Possible Alternative

Your ultimate career path may be present within your current job responsibilities. When assessing your career, it may be possible to make changes to your current job by incorporating more aspects of the job you enjoy most. In other words, don’t change companies, but rather speak with as many people within your own company in the areas that interest you.  My father used to tell me, “Walk the halls.”

Intuitive Personal Assessment

Step One

What helped me to confirm my personal review was a mental exercise I did with my wife several years earlier to help strengthen our marriage. We both agreed to do a strength and weakness assessment of each other.  I would suggest that should you do this exercise with your spouse, in the spirit of fairness, designate the number of strengths and weaknesses each spouse shall indicate. This single exercise proved to be a major help and contributed a great deal of support for my career search. It helped me to confirm what I perceived were my strengths and made me more aware of those areas I needed to work on. The exercise also gave me a tremendous amount of confidence to pursue my specific areas of interest. If you do not have a spouse, you can accomplish similar results with a close friend or partner.

In addition to the strength and weakness assessment, I have found it valuable to first personally assess your own strengths and weaknesses and compare them to your spouse or close friend’s assessment.

* Please refer to step (1) parts “A” and “B” of “Intuitive Personal Assessment.”

Intuitive Personal Assessment Step 1, Part A

Strengths and Weaknesses, Self-Assessment

Strengths

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Weaknesses

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Intuitive Personal Assessment Step 1, Part B

Strengths and Weaknesses, Spouse/Friend Assessment

Strengths

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Weaknesses

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Faith in Yourself is Essential

An individual’s career change is usually a cause and effect relationship and the result of many changes over time within one’s life. Sometimes these changes may seem unrelated to your career path. A career change is usually not a very sudden event, although when the actual change takes place, it may seem as though it occurred very quickly. Patience and persistence are the keys to a successful career change. Having faith in yourself and being confident with your career related decisions is essential. It is important to allow yourself to become more aware and act upon your intuitional feelings as you move closer towards a career change.

The Point of Reception and Acceptance

My belief is that every job someone currently has or has had in the past is important and carries with it a level of wealth and experience to your next job. Everyone has a different pace and method by which they are able to identify and accept their career path.

You may be one of the fortunate few who have discovered your career path early in life. Conversely, it may take you several years to reach your career’s realization and acceptance point.  I call this, “The Point of Reception and Acceptance.” Realize always, that you have options and are in control of your career. Expect and embrace change, and most importantly begin to take control of your career path. It is important to realize that you will always have options in the pursuit of your career. It may take time to identify your options but it is important that you begin to think creatively in terms of your career and your thoughts will begin to emerge and options will become evident.

A career change can and should be a satisfying and meaningful experience.  Once you have made a career decision, the process of change and moving towards your career goals will become enjoyable. Your energy levels will increase significantly because you have a new purpose in life. Further, as your confidence grows, your overall mental status will improve and you will become more content. Other individuals will notice that you have changed and comment on your new demeanor. You will begin to feel better about yourself because you are doing something you genuinely care about and enjoy. In order to live a happy and productive life, it is imperative that you have a career where you are doing something for which you have an internal interest.

Pursuit of the Child

A child to a certain point in their life does basically what he or she wants to do without reservation or consequence. We sometimes call this level of behavior the “Terrible Twos.” It is a period in the young person’s life that is uninhibited by most things. Fear is very limited and almost nonexistent at this early age. If you have ever watched a child sleeping, their arms and legs are usually spread wide open, indicating a fearless and uninhibited sleep. How wonderful and stress free those times must have been. I have five children, and they all sleep like that.