Six Questions to Launch Your Dream Career
You’re ready for the career of your dreams. But how do you get there from your current position? The best thing you can do when beginning to plan your next career move is to do an assessment of your current career. It might seem as if you are looking backwards instead of forward, but knowing where you’ve been will help you to figure out where you want to go.
Here are six questions you can ask yourself to assess your current position. The answers to these questions will help you in deciding what assets you can bring to your next career.
1) What is working in your current career? Often when we are ready to move away from our current career it’s hard to see anything good about it. We are just ready to move on. But without answering this question honestly, you might be unaware of the gifts of your current career. Write down everything you can think of, both large and small.
2) What’s not working in your current career? Sometimes there is one element of your current career that is the real problem. It might be a boss, the long commute, or it might be that this career is not in alignment with your values and desires. Write everything down that comes to mind. You want to get the big picture.
3) What skills have you acquired that could be helpful in your next career? Note the obvious skills but then look for the skills that are not as obvious. Have you developed people skills in your current career? How about that side project that you took on and the skills you developed to finish that? Dig deep and go back to the very beginning. Some skills have become so natural that you may have forgotten you have that skill. List as many as you can. This will be helpful in planning your next career.
4) What have been some of the gifts of your current career? We often think of the negative when leaving a career, but every experience in our life can also have gifts. Think of what gifts your current career has given you. Is it that friend that you value deeply? Is it the connections that will last beyond this job? Is it a new perspective and knowledge acquired while learning your current career? Did you learn a new language? List as many as you can.
5) What are some of the things you would like to have in a future career that are missing from my current career? Here’s where you get to dive into what you are desiring in your new career. Is it more creativity?.... more freedom?... more flexibility?... Maybe you went into a career that was expected of you and now you find it intolerable. Have you always dreamed of a different career? What characteristics does your dream career have that your current career does not?
6) What have I accomplished in this career and in life that I am proud of? Seek to remember what you have accomplished in your current career. This is not the time to be modest. Dig deep and list everything. If you are in a career that you do not love it might be hard to find accomplishments that inspire you. But you have accomplished things in your life outside your job/jobs. You can gain a broader and more expansive perspective on your life by naming your successes. It can also boost your confidence and give you a sense of self-appreciation.
Has answering these questions gotten you fired up to make some changes in your career? If so, I can help you stoke that fire. I guide my clients from an unsatisfactory career to the career of their dreams. They end up inspired, empowered and doing what they love. I offer a free 60-minute consultation call. On this call we assess where you are, where you want to be, and how coaching can assist you in your journey. Click here to schedule your free consultation call.
