A typical career coaching client enquiry is from somebody who is very unhappy in their work but has no idea what to do.
when I ask them what they have done, they often have used a similar approach. this is to scan job ads – online and in print and hope that something catches their eye, but it doesn’t help. They are just too many possibilities and they can be overwhelmed with all the options, unsure how they match up and still wonder if this job will be ‘the one’.
Some people will apply for lots and lots of jobs, without taking the time to think if they are a great match or not, and applying for 10 jobs a day, but the applications are not targeted, so they don’t get invited to interview and this can lead to them feeling depressed, through the constant rejection.
I’ve recently had an enquiry from somebody who has spent nearly 3 years unhappy in their job and struggling to make a decision on their own, but self assessments and reviewing job ads haven’t brought her any closer to choosing what to do next.
There are lots of negative consequences in being in a job we don’t enjoy, from making us feel stressed and anxious, to lacking in confidence, especially if we don’t get the support from managers and team members. It also has negative consequences on relationships, both with our partners and friends. This can be down to the stress and anxiety seeping out into our non working lives, and we can be seen as a bit miserable and not a great person to be around.
People contact me as they have read on my web site that I have an approach that works, taking a systematic approach to finding out who you are, and what you want to do.
So, for example, The Gold Programme includes in-depth self understanding via 3 assessments – The Highlands Ability Battery, Myers Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory, so we look at abilities, personality and interests. But we look further, taking account of career history, skills, passions and interests and values.
This then helps my clients to have a much better understanding of who they are, which is also helpful for interviews, and what they want to do, so they can take a focused approach to career and job search.
So if you are struggling to work out what you should be doing in your career, please get in touch.
