Can you describe what you expect from your current job/career?
Being able to explain what you expect (or expected when you took the job) from your current job or career gives you the information you need to move forward in your current job/career or to a new one.
Suppose you’re a recent graduate and you took the first job that you were offered. Or, suppose you’ve been in your job for several years. Why did you take the job? Was it just so you would have a job? Was it because you wanted to work for that company or in that industry? Or, was it because you wanted that particular job?
Are you happy where you are?
Yes?
Write down:
- Why you like it.
- What has surprised you about the job and the company (both good and bad).
- What you like to do in your job (see if you can name at least 5 things).
- What you’re learning or have learned (again, at least 5 things).
- Your current skills inventory.
- Why you like the company.
- How you picture yourself going forward (including additional job responsibilities and new skills).
When you take the time to go through this process, you generate the information you need to make your next move (which can include staying in place). You develop a language to describe both you and your work in more powerful ways, and, you begin to understand what you’re looking for in your next job. You can use that information to talk to your co-workers and manager to figure out how to move forward. You can also use it to find a new job at a different company.
And, hey! Make sure you put that info to use by updating your LinkedIn profile – especially your headline and summary. (Click here to go to my LinkedIn Tips & Tricks V. 5.1).
No?
Write down:
- Why you don’t like it. Be specific – too many meetings, you’re pigeon-holed, not enough one-on-one interactions, too much one-on-one interactions, long workdays, no recognition or praise for a job done well, no opportunity to learn new skills, whatever.
- What surprised you about the job (both bad and good things).
- What, if anything, you like about your job.
- What you have learned and what you would have liked to learn.
- Your current skills inventory and which of those skills you acquired at this job.
- How you picture yourself going forward. Are you going to leave this job for another one? How will you decide? What are you looking for in the next company you work for? Do you need to take some classes to get where you want to go?
- The first two steps you can take to change your current situation.
If you are in a job you don’t like, or working for a company that you don’t like, it is particularly important to spend time debriefing yourself on 2 things: (1) how you feel about what you’re doing and (2) what it would take to change your current situation.
Do you see any patterns?
When you force yourself to take the time to go through these 7 points, you will develop a fuller picture of your current situation. You will see patterns and think of aspects of your work differently. The process will also help you develop the language to use to describe why you don’t like your current circumstances. You will also be able to understand and describe what you’re looking for in your next job. You have to understand and be able to explain all of this to both yourself and others in order to move forward successfully.
You might be surprised at what you’ve learned in your job. So, make sure you put what you figured out about your new skills in your LinkedIn profile – especially your headline and summary. (Click here to go to my LinkedIn Tips & Tricks V. 5.1).