For so many people their careers have stalled or are non-existent because they’re stuck. Stuck in a not so great job.
What about you? Do you want a better job?
Ok. Great. But what in the world do you mean by better job?
For the quiet copywriter in the corner, it might mean an agency that has free Lucky Charms in the kitchen. For the new-grad in media, it might mean a great job that offers a clear promotion path for an experienced sales professional it might mean a partnership opportunity.
What I’m saying is you need to define “better” for yourself. To do that, you need to do a little math (I know, I know… uuuggghhhhh). It is truly a simple formula though: X + Y + Z = YOUR Better Job
To Find X: You have to start by examining your core values. What are truly the most import things to you?
If it’s money and success - that’s fine! Don’t censor yourself or list things you feel you ‘should’ be listing. Be honest and non-judgmental with yourself. Some questions you might want to ask yourself are:
What are your top 5 priorities/values in life as you now understand them?
Imagine you've just had an ideal week. What 3 things happened?
What values drive your decision making?
To Find Y: Examine your current situation. There are most likely concrete reasons you’re unhappy and longing for a better job. But what are they exactly? What specific career challenges are causing the desire to look elsewhere? Try asking yourself:
▪ What job functions make you feel inspired/powerful/purposeful?
▪ What expertise do you want to exercise that you’re not getting a chance to?
▪ List up to five things that you feel are preventing you from moving forward / achieving your goals at your current job?
Speaking of goals…
To Find Z: You need to define your ultimate career goal. Not your “I don’t care, I just need out of here and into a better job” goal - but your, “In 3 years I want to be leading my own research department” goal.
Once you have a clear picture of your future self you can work backward. You can reverse engineer what steps you will need to take, what better jobs you will need to position yourself for, in order to make it happen.
If you already know what your goal is, and that’s why you’re frustrated - fantastic! If you have a less than vague idea of your ultimate goal you need to take some time to get a vision of what this might look like.
Try thinking of your future self, 2 years from today. What does your workday look like? What tasks and challenges are you taking on? What fulfills you and keeps you engaged? What are you recognized for?
Got it? Great. Now do the math: core values + current state + defined goals = your better job
All these pieces need to work together or you’ll find yourself in the same place you are now in short order. If your next gig gives you the promotion you want but you’re hawking a product you find morally repulsive - you’re not going to be happy for long.
But if you go somewhere where the mission of the company lines up with your personal values, you get to do tasks you enjoy AND it’s leading to your long-term goals? Bingo!
Yours in better career goodness,
EBS
P.S. Don't stop here! Download my free 5 Questions to Find A Career That Makes You Happy workbook. It includes the 5 BIG questions I ask my private clients to get them on the track to their perfect career. It’s guaranteed to get you closer to figuring out what exactly it is you want to do.
