PART TWO: HOW SERENDIPITY AND RESEARCH COME TOGETHER
Continuing with PART TWO after conducting assessment in PART ONE. A good tweaking of your personal profile with a career coach can help define new opportunities emerging in the changing labor market in your current or a related field. Or you may discover through a serendipitous encounter that something new and evolving is on the horizon.
Recently I had a client who was a geography major in college and followed one track for 15 years. After completing his assessment he started researching the world of work and discovered a slew of new opportunities using GIS in the non-profit sector. Building an urban park and improving the existing pathways was one of the wishes on his list of “what needs doing.” He’s going to start applying to a whole new arena of opportunities.
And then there is the woman who had a successful career in politics (basically because she was so good at pleasing others) only to discover 5 years later after recovering from burnout that she would really rather be writing and developing programs than doing all the politicking.
These 2 people did enough self assessment to discover the truth that they want more and there are ways and means to explore those options that provide the elusive “more”. Conducting research into the changing labor market isn’t that difficult, if you know what you’re looking for.
- Your skills, talents and capacities can be applied in different areas or career fields. Check out the Career fields that interest you and find 1 or 2 to explore further.
- Explore the industries where those career fields lie. Is it hospitality, health care, education, finance or others? What’s the salary range and opportunities for advancement and see if these exist in your geographic area.
- Start talking to people in your newly identified areas and reading up on it. Identify key players, professional associations and companies that might have these positions.
- Now you can start hunting for actual jobs. You’ll need to adapt your resume to the new field and create a generic resume that highlights your tangible accomplishments with your transferable skill sets. (de-emphasizing your previous area of special expertise)
You’ll find this mini assessment will get the juices flowing and you can be one of those who does not regret her career choice. Good luck.
PS. The 29% of those over 65 don’t necessarily regret their career choices. The reason, I think, is that they are realizing from their current stage of life, that acceptance and gratitude are more the norm. As we grow and develop, our priorities keep shifting, so this kind of assessment is good at any stage, whether you’re still working or looking towards “retirement.”
If you haven’t already, please take my Career and Life Work Satisfaction Survey and let me know your results.
