Most people assume that their career should be on one track. Ask a human resource professional whether he or she would like to try sales for a change, for instance. Out of 10 respondents, the odds are very high that almost all of them will return with a retort: “Selling? I have not done it before; I don’t think I am cut out for it.”
However, hoe does one know without having tried? Many of the highly successful people in Asia may not have succeeded if they had not given themselves a chance at attempting something new. To dispel the fears, it would help to ask yourself this question: “What is the worst-case scenario if I fail?” Many times, the answer will reveal that it is not a life and death issue. Nor does it border on disaster and bankruptcy.
Indeed, most people do not take time to reflect or do soul searching. Life is a journey, so it is good to stop, kook back and see whether we have made a wrong turning somewhere. If you have, and realize it soon enough, it may not be too late to find an alternative route to return to the desired path.
My advice to job candidates is to not rush into something they may regret later. They should review what they have done thus far in their career and take a good look at how balanced the various elements of their lives are presently. After that, they may consider exploring the various options available and then decide what they should be focusing their efforts on. This is called a personal audit, and it is a process that should be undertaken before making decisions for the future. In fact, you should make it a point to review your life and career progress regularly, regardless of whether you are seeking new endeavors.
Charting your life
One project that can help you take stock of your life is the career and lifeline exercise. This allows you to review how your work life fits in with the other aspects of your life. A lifeline is a graphic representation of your personal history, with its ups and downs. For an example, see the chart “Career lifeline”.
Career lifeline
To create a lifeline, draw two axes, with the horizontal axis representing your age. Then, draw crosses on the chart to represent the major events in your work life. The more northwards the crosses are, the more positive an event it was for you. What is the shape of your line? What does it suggest to you?
Now that you have your own career lifeline, draw another line to represent your personal lifeline. You may wish to start from the time of your graduation, courtship days or other personal event. More often than not, people will see some similarity in the shape of the two lines, which is not unusual as most of the time, our professional and personal lives are closely linked.
Focus on the peaks and valleys on the two graphs. Ask yourself questions like: “Why did I draw a peak for this event/stage of my life? Should it have influenced my life that much? Why?” This part is best done with a professional career counselor so that you can derive the greatest benefit out of the exercise.
Ask important questions
Next, examine the elements that have an impact on your life, and these could include:
· Community work involvement
· Social life
· Health
· Career
· Peace of mind
· Finance
· Family life
Look at each element and ask yourself questions such as: “Am I financially independent? Why not?” or “How do my family members view me? Have I consciously set aside quality time to spend with them, or have I been more of a visitor than an occupant of the house?”
Decide which areas need to be addressed or altered, and map out a plan for achieving these goals. For example, if you have been spending a substantial amount of time traveling, figure out whether this job is leading you where you want to go. Are your travel demands taking you away from your family for extended periods?
This exercise is like a stock check of your life and it could help you achieve balance in your life, so that you will become a happier and healthier person.
It is also important to review your career by focusing on each position or job that you have held.
Ask yourself questions like: “What did I like most about this job? Why?” and “What did I like least about this job? Why?” From your responses, a clear pattern should emerge, and this will enable you to then focus on activities that will make you happy.
Take charge
When making career decisions, most of us are influenced by others, such as friends, relatives or role models. Often, we do not even realize this unless someone points it out to us.
To determine which career path you truly want to pursue, take time to understand yourself by asking a few pertinent questions. Going back to each of your jobs, consider asking yourself who or what influenced you in accepting the job offer. Why did you leave? To what extent does your career path show you directing your own career? Or have you been acting on prompts from others? If you have not already done so, take a more active role in your career and take charge instead of being led.
Knowing yourself
Finally, find out what you are good at doing and establish a skills inventory. This inventory can help you focus on the skills, knowledge and personal attributes that you possesses, which can be used in your future challenges.
Achievements are a good indication of your future potential. With these listed, you can then identify specific factors that contributed to your success in each instance.
Programs 