Autumn is a great time to take stock.
This is the time to see how the job is going, decide on any changes you should make. Deep – perhaps to consider a new job, or smaller to reflect and make smaller changes to your current job.
You may want to make plans for a promotion, increase your profile, get exploring for a career change.
Let’s take stock – what do you know
It’s worth getting clear on what you already know. Not just your qualifications but skills and knowledge gained. Of course, some of it will be dated, and other areas you may want to move on from. So, focus more on what you know, what you want to use and what employers will want. If it covers all three, write them down.
Let’s take stock – what interests you
We generally find it easier to learn things if we are interested in. Whilst both natural ability and interest combined makes it easiest to learn how to do something, when we have a high level of interest it does help us to put in the effort to learn. Interest in a subject can also lead us to appearing more interested in and motivated for something which will appeal to a recruiter/ hiring manager.
Let’s take stock – who am I
Understanding if you prefer introversion or extroversion is part of who you are and can help understand the level of people contact you want, but there is much more to who you are. Think about your personality characteristics so you can make choices that allow you to be more of who you are. Values are also worth considering too.
So, what will I do?
The hard question. You can get ideas for what to look at via assessments – both the Highlands Ability Battery and the Strong Interest Inventory provide career suggestions that match with Ability and Interest respectfully. But you need to go beyond the job title, to do as much research as you can online before talking with people.
Some people find it easy to identify options, others less so. Then making choices, can you do this or are you unclear? Do you see possibilities or problems? Working with a career coach will help you to take stock and make choices.
If this prompts you to act, why not schedule a laser 30 minute no fluff session with me.
