Who wouldn’t want a career that is fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding? After all, we spend a long time at work and those enjoying what they do tend to be happier, more successful and have better mental and physical health.

 

So, it’s surprising that when it comes to looking at our career options, many of us either don’t bother, or we have a very limited approach to identifying roles that would be ideal for us.

 

Quite often, we’re too busy working in the job to find the energy and mental clarity to work on our career.  Or maybe you think a change to an enjoyable career that suits who you are isn’t possible? Or isn’t possible for you.

 

Change is possible for you and the way to see this is by first exploring your options. Your options are the attractive destinations that give you the energy, motivation and inspiration to make a leap in your career.

 

So, how do I come up with some career options for me? Roles that would be right for me and that I could get excited about?

 

Here are 5 steps you can take right now to explore your career options like a pro. 

1.    Start with your Mindset

 

The first place to start when looking at your options is your Mindset.

 

I like to think of your overall Mindset as comprising 3 parts:

 

-       The Responsibility Mindset

-       The Possibility Mindset

-       The Growth Mindset

 

The First Mindset shift is to take responsibility for your career.

 

It’s easy to buy into the idea that your career and how it turns out is somebody else’s responsibility - maybe the organisation you work for or even the government. 

 

It’s not. It’s your responsibility. 

 

And I think maybe you know this, but it’s good to be reminded of this and to make it a decision to adopt a Mindset of responsibility when it comes to your career.

 

The Second Mindset shift is to adopt a Possibility Mindset rather than feeling limited or stuck in your career. 

 

To see that a better, more enjoyable opportunity is possible for you is vital. And it goes a long way to pushing through the transitions in your career that often hold us back.

 

Think of it this way. If you are stuck in your career right now, one of the reasons is probably that you have an unconscious Mindset that change isn’t possible for you.

 

But it is! Trust me on this one.

 

Ask yourself - is what I am seeking possible for other people? Is it possible that other people could make the changes that I want?

 

So, for example, if I’m looking for a job that gives me more flexibility and at the same time more income, is that possible? Have other people done this?

 

Normally this is an easy answer. Yes

 

Next, can you see that if it’s possible for somebody else then it’s possible for you? You don’t need to know the ‘how’ yet, but just be open to the idea that if somebody else can do it, so can you.

 

Once you realise that it is possible for you, you can nurture this Possibility Mindset.

 

This will help move you towards what you are seeking in your career.

 

Ok, that’s the second Mindset, a Mindset of Possibility.

 

The Third Mindset shift is from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset.

 

Much of our understanding about Fixed and Growth Mindsets comes from Carol Dweck, and her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Dweck showed how changing to a Growth Mindset can have a profound impact on nearly every aspect of your life.

 

Here is a very helpful summary of the Growth Mindset which I recommend that you watch. 

 

 

Those with a growth Mindset recognise that challenges can be overcome with persistence, strategy and learning from mistakes. 

 

With a growth Mindset you embrace challenges and persist in the face of setbacks. Effort is seen as a path to excellence and to mastery.

 

For your career this results in higher levels of achievement, satisfaction and a greater sense of free will.

 

OK, so those are the three Mindsets you can adopt to help you have a great career.

 

-       Responsibility Mindset,

-       Possibility Mindset and 

-       Growth Mindset

 

The next thing to focus on, to help you to explore your career like a pro, is …

 

2.    What are you interested in?

 

When you can reconnect with the things that you once loved doing it helps you think about the future direction of your career and how you can get some more enjoyment back in there.

 

You see, we often lose track of who we are, what we are interested in and what we enjoy doing. And this can lead to a disconnect between your career path, the direction you are heading in and what you enjoy doing, or what you have a deep interest in.

 

When you lose track of these things, it’s easy to feel adrift and that your career lacks enjoyment and is somehow off-track.

 

 

Childhood is often when our deep interests and true passions emerge. So, think about what you loved doing long before you had to worry about your career. Did you love writing? Carrying out science experiments? Taking care of people? Drawing?

 

I loved to write when I was a child and now, with the marketing aspect of my job, I get to write about career issues most days. Sometimes this is only for 20 or 30 minutes. But I enjoy it.

 

A word of caution here. It’s only necessary for you to have enjoyed the activity. You don’t need to have been the best in your class or extremely proficient. For now, just look at things you enjoyed doing as a child.

 

Was there a subject you were particularly interested in? Or an activity that you loved doing. Try to separate the subjects you enjoyed because you liked the teacher from those that you liked because of the subject. 

 

Also, what were your early ambitions when you were 7, 11 and 14? What things did you want to do when you ‘grow up’?

 

 

What hobbies and interests did you have?

What things did you do with your time for the pure love of the activity?

My sister was always knitting and sewing, undertaking craft projects. She loved it!

She now has her own business selling haberdashery and fabric.

What did she call it? Yep, Always Knitting and Sewing!

 

 

Often some of our earlier work roles can be the most exciting. What did you enjoy about some of the earlier work roles you had?

What was good about those earlier days in your career?

 

And, next …

 

 

What books do you read, what magazines do you look at? How do you spend your time when you are surfing the internet?

These interests provide an outlet for escape and exploration. But they can also be a pointer towards things you might be interested in pursuing in your career.

 

 

 

Moving on, the third thing to focus on, to help you to explore your career like a pro, is …

 

3.    Understand and leverage your motivated skills

 

Skills can be one of, or a combination of, three different things.

 

-       Ability – This is about being able to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it

-       Strengths – A strength is something that is almost innate, a task you can do without thinking, something that comes easy to you.

-       Knowledge – what you know (about your industry or product or even about your clients)

 

Ability, Strengths and Knowledge and a good way of remembering these is to think of the acronym ASK.

 

And what I've found is that most people tend to underestimate their skills.

I'm sure there are lots of skills you have, and you don't think of them as a skill as such and probably don't see them as an asset to your career.

 

But you should.

 

Now skills get even more interesting when we begin to focus on those skills you enjoy using. 

 

These are called your Motivated skills. 

 

 

4.    Values, values, values

So, what are your career values?

 

Your career values are the beliefs you have about what’s important in your work and the things you find meaningful in your job or career.

 

Your values are the things that you find desirable, valuable or even essential in your work or life.

 

These are unique to you. You see, we all look for different things in our work. 

 

Some people are very focussed on salary and other benefits, while others seek to use creativity, and still, others want a role with flexible hours and that fits in with the rest of their life. 

 

You can typically break down your work values into three categories:

 

Extrinsic values tend to be easy to identify and relate to tangible career rewards. Some examples of extrinsic values are pay, your status or position within your company and working as part of a team.

 

Intrinsic values are those intangibles you have in your career. You might have to tune into your internal signals to recognise what these are. Examples of intrinsic values include helping others, freedom and working creativity.

 

Lifestyle values. These are values that relate to the lifestyle that your work gives you. For some people, lifestyle values are essential, whereas this type of value has a lower priority for others. Some examples of lifestyle values include living in the countryside or a city, having a role with exciting travel opportunities or finding a job that allows you to live simply.

 

We collect our values in our life starting at a young age, a bit like collecting shells on a beach. And, sometimes as we go along in our career, we pick up new shells (values) and put others down. 

 

Our values change over time and during our career.

 

Identifying your work values may come to you naturally, or the process can be a challenge. Maybe it’s something you haven’t thought about before.

The easiest ways to identify your career values is by looking at a list of values and doing an honest evaluation of how much each value matters to you. A simple scoring of one to ten will help you rate each one. Afterwards, you can focus on the highest-rated values and also note the lowest-rated values.

Another simpler way of ranking these values is to use the following:

-       Must have, 

-       Nice to have, 

-       Ok not to have, and 

-       Must not have.

Here are examples of Work Values. As you read this list, think about how important each value is to you.

-       Achievement: Doing work allows you to achieve things in your career 

-       Independence: Being able to work and make decisions on your own 

-       Recognition: Being recognised for the work you do

-       Relationships: Working in teams or alongside other co-workers

-       Support: Having supportive culture or manager 

-       Working Conditions: 

-       Autonomy: Having control over your work

-       Helping Others or Helping Society: 

-       Job Security: 

-       Collaboration: Working with others

-       Financial compensation: 

-       Leadership: Managing or supervising others 

-       Creativity: Using your creativity

-       Variety: Having variety in your work

-       Challenge: Having challenge in your work

-       Lifestyle: Having a job that suits your lifestyle

 

5.    Get creative with your options

 

So, when it comes down to exploring your career like a pro, creating options is where the rubber meets the road. This is where creativity and idea generation comes to the fore. 

 

But first, let’s reflect on the previous steps.

 

Firstly, it’s important to adopt a proactive Mindset (Responsibility, Possibility and Growth)

 

Next, you identify your Interests, Skills and Values.

 

And with all this information and utilising this positive Mindset, you have a created a crucible from which exciting options can be created.

 

And, when I work with clients to look at options, the way I do this is to look at:

 

-       Roles similar to those that you have already done

 

-       Roles that are different but complementary to the work you have done, this is where there is some kind of overlap

 

-       and 

 

-       Breakthrough job ideas which are completely different.

 

And when you combine this with your Interests, Motivated Skills and ‘must have’ career values, this is a very powerful exercise.

 

So, for example, If I’m working with a manager in a private sector organisation and they determine that their values are, say:

 

 

A similar option would be to work as a manager, perhaps in the same industry but in an organisation that can give me, say, flexibility about my working hours and working from home and in a role where I can help other people but at the same time freed too much management or organisational interference.

 

A Complementary option would be to look for management jobs in a different industry that can give you a role that meets your values. For example, a role where you are managing apprentices who need your help and support or managing a team that supports vulnerable people in our community. The role would also need to give you the lifestyle you require and independence so this would also be front of mind during your research.

 

And finally, breakthrough ideas would be to focus on your values, and using the power of google, read about roles, organisations and sectors that would meet your values. This could be say, Language and speech therapist, a Relationship Counsellor or even a midwife.

 

Using all the information in 2, 3 and 4 make a list of your career options in these 3 categories:

-       Options Similar to your existing role

-       Complementary Options

-       Breakthrough Options

 

Make a note of your ideas now and use these options to give you the energy, motivation and inspiration to consider making a leap in your career.

 

So, I hope you have found these points useful. 

 

If you are interested in finding out more about career coaching with me have a look at my website to see the many ways I can help you in your career.

If you are unsure about career coaching, let’s have an informal chat.

 

Bye for now!

 

Mark