amy-hirschi-K0c8ko3e6AA-unsplashAre you considering making a career change in the new year? Or maybe there’s a prized position coming available and you want to ensure you’re the obvious choice for the promotion. In either case, there are several specific things you can – and should – do in advance to prepare.
Cast Your Vision
What are you striving to create in your life and what role does your work play in that vision? While you may not have thought of it this way, each day you get up and step into your life, you are creating something… are you doing it on purpose, with clear intention – or are you just going through the motions of your daily stuff, in order to get up tomorrow and do it all over again?
I believe every one of us has a unique purpose to fulfill but far too many of us are going through our days on autopilot and allowing ourselves to be moved along through our work by the ideas, dreams, and expectations of others around us. Is that really what you wanted for yourself when you stepped into your working life?
It’s important that you recognize you are “causative” in your life and the conditions and circumstances you are experiencing are a direct result of your thinking, behaviors, actions, and decisions up to this point. If you’ve just been along for the ride, believing it’s up to the people around you to decide where you best fit in an organization, you’ll find yourself in a lot of roles you may be only marginally suited for and possibly even less interested in, because they have work to get done and will fill the gaps with whatever resources they can shuffle around.
If, on the other hand, you are wide awake and realize your future is within your control, you can take steps to drive your growth and your career in the direction you aspire to. The first step is actually casting your vision – articulating, in detail, what you long to create in your life and in the various aspects of your life: Work, relationships, health, wealth, travel, education, etc. Once you have that in mind, you can back up and map out a plan to achieve it. Without that, you’ll likely wander aimlessly, flowing with whatever tides you are caught up in along the way.
Know What Matters Most
As you do the exploration and begin to define what you want your life and work to be about, you need to discern what matters most to you. What are the core values that act as your “True North” compass and serve as the filter for decision making along the way?
With respect to your working life, this is important because you’ll want to be able to look for it in opportunities that come your way or negotiate for them when the time comes. Are you at a stage in your life when you are relatively unencumbered with responsibility and are willing and able to work longer hours and take on more travel? Or maybe you’ve started a family – or plan to soon – and more time with loved ones is more important to you now.
What about growth opportunities? Have you been thinking about going back to school or adding to your professional credentials through a certification program? Is it important to have flexibility in your schedule? Are you looking for a strong mentor who will teach you what you need to know to move up in your field? Do you hope to travel for work or would you prefer to stay at your base office 99% of the time?
What’s the organizational culture like? Ask for stories that demonstrate the actual culture, as opposed to the one they might want to tell you about, that may not actually exist! The same is true for organizational values. Often times, the values posted on the walls around the office are aspirational – what they would like to be but aren’t actually.
For example, if they say they value training and development, ask how many hours/programs an employee is involved in development activities each year, and how much money the company actually invests in those activities each year. Ask how it works – who is included, what kinds of programs/opportunities are offered, and if they are facilitated by in-house staff or external experts. If this value of developing their people is a real value and not just an espoused value, they’ll be able to easily answer those questions with details; if not, their response will be vague and confusing.
All of these things, and countless others, will make a significant difference in how you spend your time, the level of satisfaction you get from working, and your ability to learn and grow along the way.
You’ll be much better able to look for these nuances in positions you explore and ready to negotiate for them when the job is offered if you do the work in advance to know what matters most to you.
Understand Your Unique Contributions
You have unique talents, strengths, and gifts you are able to offer an employer. The challenge is that you likely don’t see yourself clearly and tend to discount what you have to offer. The things each of us is uniquely gifted at are usually the things that simply flow through us, with ease and assurance, without even thinking about what we’ve just done.
You might think, ‘if it comes so easily to me, it must come easily to others, so it can’t be of much value.’ Let me just say, that thinking is wrong! The things you do so easily do not necessarily come easily to others… in fact, that’s why they ask you to do them – because it’s clear you are talented in those areas. The key is being able to articulate them – name them, claim them, and then use them intentionally to do more.
The hard part is doing that alone. As one of my mentors says, “You can’t see the picture when you’re in the frame.” I’ve found it’s much easier – and more accurate – when you have an objective partner who is able to hold a mirror up for you and help you see yourself as others do. And there are several powerful assessments you can use to help you with this part; when you use them, be sure to work with someone who is trained in their nuances and language so you get the most power available from them.
This level of self-awareness is invaluable. Imagine being in an interview and being able to say, with confidence and assurance, “these are the unique strengths I bring with me and here are the unique contributions I can offer you, your team, and your organization because I’ve developed them.” Taken one step further, you will set yourself even farther ahead of any other candidates when you can also ask for the resources and support you’ll need to offer those contributions at the highest level.
I guarantee you, that’s not a typical interview conversation; you will be the outstanding candidate when you can do that clearly, concisely, and powerfully.
Complete a Skills Inventory
While it’s great when you find an organization that is willing and able to invest in its people with education, training, and development, I encourage you not to count on it and to understand that when someone else is paying for those things, you are often a bit at their mercy for what direction and level of development you get.
For example, I once worked for a manager who decided that because my role was Communication, I should be fully responsible for all aspects of the company website. When I say “all aspects” I mean all! She thought I should not only be responsible for planning and creating all the written content, but I should also be responsible for graphic design and technical (back-end) management of the entire site, as well. She didn’t really understand how it all worked, or how unusual it would be for one person to be fully responsible for the whole scope of development.
To achieve that expectation, she directed me to enroll in an online web development and coding course. Even though the company’s graphic design manager and IT manager both explained to her they were well equipped to handle those aspects of the site, she was determined to make me take it on. That online course was one of the longest and most painful “educational” experiences I’ve had, and it was a total waste of time, money, and energy. I am truly not a website developer or maintainer, nor do I have any interest in it!
I share this to encourage you to take charge of your career aspirations and relevant development to that end. Yes, you may have to make some personal investments and spend time outside work to add to your skills, complete a new degree, or earn an advanced certification, but remember: It’s YOUR future! And if you leave it up to someone else, they’ll have you doing what they want done, not necessarily what you long to or are best suited to be doing.
Once you know the requirements and expectations for the role(s) you want to grow into, do the work to make yourself the most desirable candidate available.
Decide What the Right Value Exchange is for You
In each and every moment of your life, whatever you have chosen to spend that moment doing, you are exchanging your precious life energy; you cannot get it back! That’s why I encourage you to be thoughtful about the exchanges you choose to make, and taking a job is no exception; in fact – it’s likely one of the most important exchange decisions you’ll make since you’ll spend so much of your waking life doing whatever it is you’ve agreed to do! You’ll want to know in advance, is it normal to work a 40-hour week, or are others in comparable positions expected to put in closer to 60 hours a week?
As you consider a new position, think not only about what salary you desire in exchange for your time, effort, energy, and talent, but also think in terms of total compensation. Find out what the benefits package includes and the actual cash value of it – vacation, sick time, PTO, insurance (full scope – not just health, also ask about vision, dental, life, and short- and long-term disability, as well), 401(k), and education and training opportunities and reimbursements. There may be other benefits available, as well.
Ask what kinds of resources, support, and development you can expect to have in your new role. The bottom line here is you need to know what matters most to you and be prepared to negotiate for whatever it is in a persuasive and compelling way.
Handle the Administrative Details
Once you’ve completed – or are in progress with – all of the above, now is the time to focus on administrative details. You’ll likely need to update your resume or have a whole new version written. It may be another wise investment to enlist the services of someone who is skilled in this arena and does it for a living. Someone in this field will be up to date on the most current hiring and recruiting processes, understand the need for key word integration in the content of your resume, and will be able to provide you with the most attractive and powerful language and formatting.
As you think about this, think in terms of providing short stories (just a few sentences) highlighting your actual accomplishments in your various roles, rather than listing your job duties. Hiring managers will know what you should be able to do in a role; what they’ll want to know is what you actually did, and if it was above and beyond expectations, all the better.
Many resume writers will be able to also provide you with a powerfully written application letter; while they aren’t always required in today’s online recruiting environment, it’s better to have a great one when you need it than be scrambling to put something together at the last minute when you are facing an ever-closer application deadline. Letters should always be tailored to the specific role you are seeking; use the job posting to know what are the most relevant details to focus on in your letter.
Find someone you trust to practice your interviewing skills with; be sure it’s someone who will actually help you see where you are clear, concise, and engaging and when you need to polish an answer or response. Interviewing can make you feel vulnerable and a little nervous, so practicing with someone who genuinely wants to help you show up as your best will make a difference.
Always, always, always send a hand-written Thank You note highlighting something from your interview and reiterating how you can be of service to the team and the organization. In fact, have one in your purse or portfolio, so you can write it immediately following the interview and drop it in the mail on your way home! If initial interviews are by phone, send a Thank You by email and be sure to include everyone you talked with.
Final Tips I Wish Someone Had Shared with Me Sooner
Before I finally understood my calling and stepped into it, I had a lot of jobs and went through a lot of interviews; I confess, I really enjoyed the process – it was always interesting to meet new people, learn about the work they were doing, and I enjoyed the interaction, even when it turned out to just be ‘practice’! There are so many things I’ve learned along the way, and I want to close by sharing a few tips with you. If you’ve already heard them – YAY! And if they are new to you, I’m delighted to have offered something you can apply to help you through a process that can be stressful!
1: Remember – you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. While it’s true, the company holds the position and gets to decide if they want to offer it to you, the decision about your working there is not only theirs, but yours also! This is why it’s so important for you to know what matters most to you, what you’re looking for in the value exchange, and what is negotiable or required for you to be willing and able to say “yes” to an offer. Know that you get to choose and if it’s not a good fit, keep looking.
2: Ask what the “Oh, by the way…” things are. Every single job I’ve taken has included some responsibility that wasn’t listed in the job posting and often not discussed during the interviewing process, and these additional tasks aren’t always desirable.
For example, one job I took required me to be on-call 24/7, within the range of a pager (yes, an actual pager – it was nearly 20 years ago!), and able to appear on the job site within one hour of a page, two weeks out of every eight. Another, ‘oh, by the way…’ responsibility was managing a company store selling retail and supporting numerous cash and product donations to non-profits. While both were manageable, I may have made different decisions about taking those jobs had I known about them before accepting the job offer.
3: Before you leave the interview, ask the hiring manager what concerns she/he might have about your ability to be successful in the role based on their expectations and what they’ve learned about you up to that point. This pushes them to actually think about it while you are still together, which gives you the opportunity to address whatever comes up in the moment. If they have a doubt that surfaces later, you may never have the opportunity to address it, and that may cost you an opportunity.
4: Always negotiate for what you are worth. While it might sound good to think you’ll take the job and salary they offer, and once you’re there they’ll see how amazing you really are and offer you a raise or a bonus, it just doesn’t work that way! They will likely be pleasantly surprised by your high performance and think what a bargain they got; and you’ll likely feel resentful that they don’t see or aren’t willing to pay for your true value.
Certainly, there’s more to making a significant career transition or seeking a promotion than what is included here, but I believe this is a good start for anyone’s preparation. If you’re interested in having an experienced Coach along for the experience whose only interest is your success, send me an email requesting a free consultation. I have several tested and proven tools I use with my clients to help them achieve higher levels of self-awareness, understand and be able to articulate their unique skills and contributions, and determine what matters most to them before they need to be able to explain it to a potential employer.
#consciousleadership #confidentvulnerability #knowyourstrengths #careertransition #getthepromotion
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Copyright 2019 Laura Prisc, Conscious Leadership Partners www.consciousleadershippartners.com
www.lauraprisc.com
Laura Prisc is The Most Trusted Authority on Conscious Leadership; she is a certified Gallup Strengths Coach, certified People Acuity Coach, Gallup-Trained Builder Profile Coach, and a member of the John Maxwell Team.
