Clarity – The first step to your next career destination

Are you in job search or thinking about the next step in managing your career? Gaining clarity, before you do anything else, is essential and will help you learn where you want to go and what you need to do to get there. Clarity comes into play throughout your job search and career. The more you understand (and can communicate) who you are, what you want, and which companies and jobs would be a great fit for your unique combination of skills, interests, and qualities, the more likely you will be to connect with just such opportunities. (Without this clarity, you won’t even know where to start, and others won’t know how to begin to be helpful.)

Start by increasing self-awareness. A great deal goes into this, so here are just a few of the areas you’ll want to look at:

• Think about your values and priorities and rank them in order of importance. What do you need to be happy and fulfilled in a job? It might be the freedom to do your work fairly independently, to work in a position that has prestige, or to make a positive difference, help others, and work in a friendly and collaborative environment. As you consider what matters to you, also think about the priorities in your life (not just those related to your work). Having a job that is flexible enough and close to home so you can take care of children and an older parent may be your top priority right now. Or, work that offers plenty of training, education, and professional growth opportunities might be very important. Priorities can change depending on your stage of life and individual circumstances, so it’s a good idea to consciously explore them from time to time.    

• What work-related interests do you have? Think of activities you would enjoy as part of a job. You might prefer a job that allows creative expression and using your imagination; work that involves teaching, guiding, and helping others; researching and analyzing; or working with your hands. Knowing your top interests will help you look for jobs that put them to use (e.g., if you want to work with your hands, be outdoors, and work with plants, you may look for work at garden centers such as Homestead Gardens, landscaping companies, or public gardens and parks).   

• Understand your personality and preferences. If you need quiet time to think and process information, and individual/private space to do your best work, a position and company that just do not allow the time and space for these are not likely to be the best fit for you. Look for jobs and companies whose cultures fit your personality. Companies such as Southwest Airlines, Zappos, and Nordstrom are each known for their distinct culture and look for candidates that match it. Like them, once you recognize your own preferences and style (and how/where you do your best work), you have the power to choose organizations that are a good fit for you, where you’ll be more likely to thrive.

• Think about your current and previous jobs and what you enjoyed the most about them (as well as what you disliked about each). This can also give you good clues about your interests, values, personality/preferences, and what to look for and avoid in your next position.

• Put it all together. These and other factors (such as your current skills, knowledge, and training) come together to create a picture of who you are and what the right job fit for you might be.

Ready to start? You have a number of options in exploring your interests and values, including: making a list and ranking each item, using appropriate assessments and exercises to help you identify them, working with a career counselor/coach, and using resources such as “What Color Is Your Parachute” – a great book for job seekers – which includes a chapter on clarifying your priorities and interests.  Once you have clarified each, the next step is finding jobs or fields that match them. For instance, if you enjoy being a resource to others and one of your values is making a positive difference, you may want to research helping professions to see if an area such as psychology, teaching, healthcare, or a related field might be a good fit. (We’ll look at how to do this research in another post.)

What have you found helpful in clarifying who you are, what you want, and which jobs/employers are an ideal fit for these? Share your tips here.