If you're unemployed the next career step is obvious -- get a job. There may be questions about exactly what job, do you go for a career change, or how much time can you take off. But directionally, you know where you're headed.
If you're unemployed the next career step is obvious -- get a job. There may be questions about exactly what job, do you go for a career change, or how much time can you take off. But directionally, you know where you're headed.
If you're employed, much is written (by myself included) about working on your long-term career plan, preparing for promotion or raise requests, and maintaining a strong network. These are all great career-related items to keep in mind. But sometimes, the best near-term step is to take the focus OFF your career and onto something else entirely -- relationships, health, personal finances, community, hobbies and interests, travel, there is no shortage of other potential pursuits.
The personal benefit is clear, of course, as you get to frolic in a pursuit that may have taken a backseat. But the professional benefit, while indirect, is equally valuable -- your personal renewal will contribute to your effectiveness on the job. Energy, ability to focus, creativity, likeability -- all of these intangible but critical qualities will improve.
We have all experienced the Eureka moment of a breakthrough idea in the shower or of remembering a forgotten detail at the very moment you start thinking of something else. There is something magical about relaxing our grip on one area and turning our focus elsewhere. Similarly, for the benefit of our careers, we sometimes need to take our focus off our careers and onto something else where we can stretch and be challenged in a different way. So join a sports league, sign up for a volunteer committee, and take a few books off your reading wish list. Take the focus off your career -- your personal and professional self will both benefit.
Is Your Job Search Flexible or Just Unfocused?
As a recruiter, I’ve seen lack of flexibility on the recruiting side with employers clinging to every last detail in their ideal spec while perfectly good candidates get overlooked. As a career coach, I see jobseekers prematurely dismissing possible targets waiting for that perfect job. It’s true that you want to be focused in your job search (otherwise you dilute your efforts and come across as scattered and possibly desperate).
5 Questions to Test If Your Resume Is Recruiter-Proof
After recruiting in search and in-house for over ten years, I have read thousands of resumes. Due to sheer volume of resumes received and all the other things that vie for the recruiter’s attention in the hiring process – scheduling, interviewing, networking, reference checks, client debriefs, and more – the resume review process is ruthlessly quick.
How Do You Score On Employers’ Top Five Desired Skills?
Even if you are happily employed, work environments and priorities change. You want to make sure that you are not getting complacent and allowing your skills to rust. The above five skills are always valued, but the standards by which they are measured change over your career. Maybe you got to where you are now because of superior analytical skills and despite below average communication skills, but now you are a manager.
