It’s a fact. Whether we are looking for our best suited career right out of college or considering a move after an involuntary job loss, there is a recommended process. Assuming that the goal is to result in our obtaining work that is uniquely right for us, it behooves us to follow a plan.
The first step will involve handling what I will call our grieving about the loss. We are losing friendships. The people with whom we have worked, have met with each work day, become our support network. We will miss them. We may miss other things about where we were and what we did but we will definitely miss our associations and we understand that they are a loss that we grieve.
Incidentally, if we are embarking on a brand new path, we will grieve the loss of “our routines.” We are experiencing an end to one life and embarking on a new routine.
The next step will require us to take a clear and deep look into our preferences, needs and motivations. An honest accounting of those introspections are basic; a professional validated and reliable assessment is a possibility.
The third step will ask us to do some real work in terms of putting our introspection into practical terms. Who are those companies for whom we can solve problems? In what precise capacity are we ideally suited to do so? Will we “fit in” with the culture of this organization?
Now we are prepared to meet with people. We identify who makes sense. Who can be most helpful here, to validate my “marketing plan”? Who might assist in clarifying, validating and modifying my basic thoughts on this plan? Who might each of these contacts know that may also be helpful in a new way? How and when may I meet with them and what are my precise questions for them? Preparation is essential.
The revisions will be ongoing. Each contact adds another dimension of clarification. Those results will send us to our target companies for investigation. Who are they, what can we do for them, which openings might they currently have that might be interesting? What can we discover about their culture and how we match up to fit in?
When we land closer to the “decision maker” in an interview with one of our target companies, what questions do we have that demonstrate our unique interest in them specifically and how might we prepare to respond to their anticipated questions? The target is for a mutually benefical association–how do we leave them with that thought?
These are the key six. There are also “mini-questions” and matters to consider when managing our career moves. Each step in the process brings us closer to ultimate happiness and success in our work life.
