Be Clear About Where You Are Going

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with a potential coaching client. We met to discuss what was happening in her job search. My first question helped to determine the direction of our conversation. All I asked is “what is it that you want to do?” My question was an attempt to understand what type of job she was seeking. She has been in the market for a jobs for about 9 months. She has applied to about 100 job and she has had 6 or 7 interviews. That’s less than a 10% hit rate, with no job offers. Her response to my question, “I don’t know.”

The problem as I see it, if you don’t know what you are looking for in your job search, you are wasting your time. If you’re not sure about what career or vocation you want to pursue you can’t begin your job search. Without a clear destination you are driving down a long empty road. How will you know if you’ve actually arrived at your destination? The young lady I was meeting with has been working for many years. She has great administrative skills, but she is not sure if she wants to continue doing administrative work. It is difficult to help anyone who doesn’t have a clear goal.

In the case of this potential coach client, she has applied for jobs with no clear plan or destination. She is looking for a job but how will she know which job to accept if she is not sure what she wants to do. If you are not sure, than all you are waiting for is a job offer. And the job offer can lead you to the wrong company not to mention the wrong job.

The job offer is the goal, but it can’t be the only goal. What about the actual work itself, or the culture and climate of the organization? Those things should be a consideration when you are making a hiring decision.

If you are not clear about what you want to do for work, here are a few things to consider that may help you decide:

1. What do you enjoy doing?

2. What are good at doing?

3. What did you enjoy most in previous jobs?

4. What don’t you enjoy doing?

Start with these questions, and go from there. If you know you prefer working independently in a job, make that a consideration when you are looking for work. If you you prefer working on a team, than make that a key component in your job search. What ever you need, whatever you prefer, whatever you enjoy, ensure you consider what you want and then go for it.

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