March 2022
equal opportunity employment journal
Page 11
It's Not About The Job; It's About Your Life!
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In my opinion, there are more profound issues to consider hen it comes to job search and career development, I think 99% of the population has it wrong than “the job.” So, I ask my clients such questions as, “What and “does it backwards.” This realization comes sort of life do you want to lead; What kind of lifestyle appeals from my more than 25 years of experience as a Career to you most; What are your biggest priorities; What are your core values; What do you love doing most; What kind of work Coach, and after working with do you do best; How do you literally thousands of clients. want to spend your time; What Looking back, I believe that “What sort of life do you want to lead; would be your ideal quality of this opinion has been developWhat kind of lifestyle appeals to you most; life; How important is salary to ing in my mind for many years. you? What would your perfect What are your biggest priorities; But it was only recently that work-day look like?” and so on. my thoughts crystallized into a What are your core values?" Simply stated, it’s not about form that I could express in a what kind of JOB you want; it’s succinct message. New clients often feel anxious about their career situations, about what kind of LIFE you want! When clients are faced with questions like these, they often and express a great sense of urgency or even panic about finding a new job quickly. Their focus is almost always on the JOB – stare at me, perplexed, wondering “what language I’m speak“I need a new job; I have to get a job fast; Please help me land ing.” They frequently respond by saying, “Those questions are a better job now,” etc. While I understand this experience, I all good and fine, but I have to find a job!” To which I reply, always try to shift the focus of the conversation to other, more “Why do you need a new job? What kind of job? How will this important questions. You might ask, “For a person in career new job align with your career goals? What makes you think transition or out of work, what could be more important than that your next job will be any better than the other jobs you’ve had (and often disliked)? How does your career fit into your quickly finding a new job?”
