8 Steps To Realize Your Ideal Career

Want to find a career you love? Here are eight steps you should follow:

1. Identify The Type Of Career You Want

Remember this can be anything you want to be, irrespective of all the judgements surrounding us in form of people, news, economy, job market, and so on.

Edgar Schein has categorized competence, motives, and values of one’s career into eight categories known as “Career Anchors.”

This would be an interesting place to start to gain awareness on various elements of your career.

2. Determine If Your Choice Syncs With Your Life Purpose

That’s pretty simple, just ask yourself three questions:

• What does my ideal career look like?
• What would support my ideal career in the current scenario?
• What wouldn’t support my ideal career in the current scenario?

3. Identify The Mindset And Skill-Set Required For That Particular Career

Well, mindset here is the outlook or attitude the job demands and we need to know if we are ready for it.

Most employers look for prospective hires who are adaptable and flexible. You either make or save money for the company. Every business, at the end of the day, wants returns and also reduce cost.

Skill-set is something we can easily acquire but not mindset. So, identify your mindset before listing out the training/certifications/degree you would need to realize your ideal career.

4. Set A Target To Experience Your Ideal Career

Have you ever gotten out of your bed and wondered why you need to go to work or punch the clock? The song that comes to my mind is “Manic Monday” by Bangles. As the song says, you wished it were a Sunday (smile).

Now is the time to put down a date you want to start living your ideal career. Remember to set goals that are SMART (i.e. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound).

5. Actionize The Career Goal

How important is experiencing an ideal career for you? If there is a strong “YES” burning inside of you, act now! Put down a weekly plan for all that you need to do and ensure that you accomplish them.

If you are having trouble keeping up with the pace or not convinced about the career choice you have made, its time you speak to a coach.

All you have to do is contact the people you feel resonate with you, and we will work together and take you closer to the finishing line.

6. Do Your Research

Identify the companies that are hiring and even if you don’t see anything suitable don’t be disheartened. Most of you must have heard about the famous words “hidden job market.”

We live in a fast paced world, but companies don’t necessarily hire by advertising. References works beautifully for companies as time, energy, and money are saved.

Remember, they are looking at making or saving money! Ensuring the hire made is suitable for the organization and the role is the biggest priority and they won’t compromise on that.

Most importantly, do you relate to the values of the organization. It is vital you can relate to information present online as well as from offline sources.

Pull out your address book and identify all the people who can give you the required information or put you across to the relevant person.

7. Prepare For Informational Interviews

Informational interviews are a great source to get all the details you want about a particular organization or career. It helps you learn more about your career choice and this would be the best opportunity to discover newer concepts or info about a particular industry.

From my own personal experience, informational interviews have gotten me business offers that I never even expected. That is the power of informational interviews. So, get moving!

8. Get Yourself A Partner

Is all of this overwhelming for you? If so, I will ask you a question: Are  you familiar with the word “Coach” or “Coaching”?

If not, you could give it a try, then decide if you wish to take it forward. Being coached helps you build awareness, gain clarity, and take responsibility for your career.

Being a personal leader before leading others is very vital to have a successful and fulfilling career and life.