Focus on Your Career Destination

by Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter | Mar 5, 2016

Career destination

What is your career destination?

Job search may seem like boot camp at times, where you follow the drill sergeant’s orders without question, doing what they tell you to do. Yet, you trust that they will guide you to your career destination, the place that is right for you.

You work hard but at times you are fearful. You go along fine for a while, blindly letting others navigate your way from mile marker to mile marker, and from career city to career city. In fact, outsourcing the job of job search may feel calm, as you are head-down, performing the assigned tasks and feeling the glorious momentum propel you in new directions.

[Tweet "However this method of career management can derail you"]—and your career—if not kept in check. Read: Lack of career planning hurts professional women. For the most part, you must take control of your own job search. You can do that by strategically enlisting people, tools and processes to help arrive at your personally prescribed destination, versus following someone else’s orders which may blur your focus.

To get there requires complete confidence in your destination choice. To get to that place you need to complete a process of career and self-evaluation every year or so, to determine what adjustments are needed. Maybe you have acquired new skills or your goals have changed. These should be incorporated into your new strategy. Read: Disengaging from Job-Search Crisis Mode

Here are four ways to determine, and keep your eye on your career destination:

1. Be authentic.

[Tweet "What is it that you wish for, going forward in your career?"] Ask yourself hard questions and respond with honesty.

2. Identify your goals and create a plan

While long-term goals create vision for which to aspire, short-term goals create traction Read: Why a Simple Plan Helps To Reach Your Goals. You will also need an achievable plan to help you reach your longer term objectives.

3. Accept the flexibility of the process

Allow for a change of course during this journey. The best way to do this is to think about your career often, and go deep every year or two to re-evaluate and adjust your career sails.

4. Work-life balance, blend or linear career

While some people merge their careers and personal lives well, others have realized that, for them, there is no such thing. Some prefer complete separation with a traditional linear career. What is best for you? Read: Work-life balance or blur?

Adapted from a post dated August, 2015 at CareerTrend.net

A Career Audit will give you vital insights to plan your career.

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Contributor

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, owner + Chief Career Writer at CareerTrend.net, is 1 of only 50 master resume writers + has crafted >1,500 interview-compelling career stories. Her BA in writing/journalism allows her to apply a journalist's eye to your career.

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