New Year, New Job New Direction - Passions, Personality and Profession

In this time of economic downturn where we are experiencing record unemployment, many people are being forced to look for new jobs.  And due to the “living-on-the-edge” lifestyle that most Americans have, many are taking a knee-jerk approach to finding a new one.  Bills have to be paid.  So, the first job available is the one that they will take.  From a life coaching standpoint, this is extremely unfortunate.

Why, you ask.  Because workers are more dissatisfied then ever with their current jobs.  And when you take a knee-jerk approach what do you do?  You tend to go back to the same type of job.  Check out these 2008 statistics from General Social Survey (GSS) at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

• Across America, 45 percent of workers say they are either satisfied or extremely satisfied with their jobs (which means 55% aren’t)


• Only 20 percent feel very passionate about their jobs 


• 33 percent believe they have reached a dead end in their career 


• 21 percent are eager to change careers 


• Older workers are the most satisfied and the most engaged in their work 


• Younger workers are the most distressed and they feel the least amount of loyalty to their employers

These statistics demonstrate that workers were overall not happy in their current work.  So, why go back to the same?  Bills.  I know.  But, if you have some time.  Take the time now to find out what you really would like to be doing.  You may have to take something to pay the bills, but if you take the time now to investigate your career options, you can position yourself to get the job/career you really want once we get out of this economic climate.

Here are some tips for preparing for the new career.

Find Your Passion

Sit down a list all the things you want to be, have or do.  Really look at what makes you happy.  Think of the areas of work, relationships, fun, spirituality, etc.  You want to do this so when you are looking for that new calling in life it is aligned with all the things that make up your life.  You want to find balance.  Once you have listed them all, then compare them a come up with your top five.  Now, you will need to review these on a daily basis.  You will need to visualize your life as if all of these were present.  I’m going to ask you to trust me here because it really works.  This is part of the process that I take people through as a Passion Test Certified Facilitator. (Based on the work of the founders, Janet and Chris Attwood, the #1 NY Times Bestselling Authors of The Passion Test by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood)  

Take a Career Assessment

A career assessment is important to identify those careers that “fit” you best.  I use the Strong Interest Inventory Profile in my practice.  Used by career coaches and college counselors everywhere, this is the gold standard of career tests. Based on decades of research with people who are satisfied in their careers, this test will measure your unique interest profile and compare it to people already in the workforce to provide you with a detailed report of the careers that are a good fit for you. You'll receive a 9-page report that includes specific career suggestions and an analysis of your ideal work environment. 

The Strong presents results on a variety of complementary themes and scales:

• General Occupational Themes map out broad interest patterns to describe personalities and preferred work environments 


• Basic Interest Scales provide more specific information about your areas of interest


• Occupational Scales relate your interest patterns to those of satisfied workers within the occupation.


• Personal Style Scales describe your preferred style of working, learning, leading, risk-taking, and team participation.

Update Your Resume

Now that you have a better understanding of the career you were meant to have, update your resume so that it reflects this new direction.  When you review you past jobs, you will probably find duties and tasks that you performed that reflect these interest.  Emphasize these.

These are three things you can do now to prepare yourself for a new year, new direction and new career.  The most important thing is that you take the time to plan your life now.  If not now when.  Remember, people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.