I don’t know what I want to do next. I just know that I don’t want to do what I'm doing now.
...
"What do you want to do?" seems to be the toughest question. Most people I meet for career counseling are not clear where they are going, but they meet me to ask for advice on tactics.
A healthy review of our career strategy starts with reflection. The answer to "What do you want to do?" lies in you.
It’s easy to jump into action, polishing the CV, updating the LinkedIn profile etc. But rushing to action is not a good investment of your time, if you are not clear where you are heading. Clarify your strategy before you plan your tactics and go to market.
I meet a few people who are very clear about what they are aiming for. Even then, I encourage a phase of broader reflection before execution. Let’s try to uncover more options or ideas to take you in better directions or quicker to your goal, now, before you lose time in a misstep or send unhelpful signals to the market.
Reflecting is a powerful skill for all aspects of a successful career, not just for the job search process. We should reflect regularly on where we are and where we are heading immediately and in the long-term. We should reflect on how we and the job market have developed and will develop in the future.
When I meet a client who is looking to make a job or career change, I provoke the reflection process with some pre-work. I give them the thirty statements below to complete. Some find them all helpful, but most pick a handful to start their exploration. As a result they come to our first meeting with specific questions and some rich material about their intentions and their capabilities: the seeds of their answer to "What do you want to do?".
...
Try completing these statements then Schedule a call with Andrew to talk about what you have learnt about yourself.
I feel satisfied with my working week when…
I am praised for…
I feel ‘in the zone’ when…
My greatest achievement is…
My purpose is…
The last task I volunteered for was…
In ten years time I want to be…
My style is…
I feel most rewarded when…
I am recommended for projects/tasks that need…
The last time I felt fascinated/thrilled/inspired was…
My dream job is…
I chose my current/last employer because…
I am at my best when…
I get things done by…
I enjoy working with people who…
I am bored/demotivated/frustrated by…
My boss/clients/team miss me most because…
I work best in a culture/environment, which…
My passion is…
For me, healthy work/life balance means…
I feel truly myself when…
If money were no issue, I would spend my time…
The highlight of my career to date is…
I felt I was learning when…
I know I am in the right job when…
I want to learn to…
When not working, I love to…
Following my current career path, I may miss out on…
I started this reflection in order to…
We can never know what to want, because, living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come… We live everything as it comes, without warning.” Milan Kundera
Andrew Jones is an Executive Coach and Career Counselor. Please contact Andrew directly if you want to learn more about this topic or click 'Follow' if you would like to hear more from Andrew in the future.