Getting The Career You Really Want

Imagine landing your ultimate dream job.  Maybe you'd rather settle for a dream interview instead?

NotchUp, a new startup company, is offering a service where employers pay hundreds of dollars to people they would like to interview.  One catch:  you have to be seriously looking for work not just a quick buck.

So do you need help in changing your career?  You're not alone.

According to What Color Is Your Parachute? by author Richard Bolles, many employees will go job hunting at least eight times in their careers.

Where do you start?  Your best resource is complete honesty with yourself.  From Poynteronline.org we are given several questions to ask in order to initiate an honest self-evaluation:

    •What are your top 10 priorities for your personal life and career?
    •What work would you be happy doing?
    •What are you good at that will give you a sense of satisfaction?
    •Where do you really want to live?
    •Are you willing to move?  How far?
    •How much money do you need to make this move work for you and your family?

If you can't figure out what career gets you excited, try the Triple "I" test from the Los Angeles Times:

Interview people who know you.  Friends, colleagues and relatives are your best resource.  They have insights into vocations that would fit your personality and can see the marketability of your skills

Investigate jobs you think would suit you. If you're thinking about working as a journalist, set up an information gathering appointment with a newspaper journalist and ask questions about working in the publishing field.

Intern to test your perceptions. Internships are not only for college grads. Many companies will take on unpaid workers for special projects. For those interested in journalism, ask a journalist if you can shadow him for a day. 

Other sources for career searching are your local bookstores.  Any bookstore will offer rows of self-help books for career planning.  What Color Is Your Parachute?, revised annually, is still a best seller.  Here are some other classic titles: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Changing Careers, The Vault Guide to Schmoozing, and Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be.

The subjects covered in these books run the gamut from careers in radio broadcasting, financial planning, fashion design and book editing.

Another endless resource is job search sites:  http://www.monster.com and careerbuilder.com and Poynter Career Center.  These sites offer free assessment tests, articles on how to compile a hot shot resume and job training tips.

These job search sites will send you emails listing job openings that fit your resume specifics and job profile.

A final resource not to be overlooked is career counselors.

If you're willing to do the homework and hit the pavement, a career counselor can be an inexpensive investment to get you moving in the right direction for a career change.

Some counselors are an awesome network for knowing people in an industry you're bent on entering.   

For those changing careers at an older age, career counselors can show you how marketable you are: technological skills, leadership abilities and accomplishments from your past employment.

Make a career change an adventure.  Use everything you've got and everyone you know.

John   

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Don't forget. My new hardcover book Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth is now on sale. You can purchase a copy on line by visiting Barnes & Noble.

Ge