Part One: Self Evaluate and Then Take Charge of Your Career

Taking Charge of Your Career
If you’re like many 20-Somethings out there, you may find yourself working a job you don’t exactly love. There are many reasons why you might be disenchanted with your current position, but this dissatisfaction can actually provide you with useful information. In today’s post, we’ll go through a career inventory and explore the options that are available if you find yourself in a position that’s simply not the right fit.

Part 1: Career Inventory
The Career Inventory is key to gathering the information you’ll need to determine what specifically is the problem with your current job. Are you not challenged enough? Overwhelmed by the work? In an uncomfortable environment or difficult social setting? Maybe it’s a management or leadership issue. And sometimes, it’s a matter of your own attitude.

The following exercises will help you generate a simple but insightful Career Inventory that provides a clear picture of your current situation.

1.Quiz: Is It You or Is It Them?  This quiz will help you gain much-needed perspective about whether your unhappiness with your job is because of “them” (the role, colleagues, company culture) or because of “you” (unmet expectations, perspective or attitude)

Rate your answers on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is disagree strongly, 5 is agree strongly.

I enjoy collaborating and spending time with my co-workers.
I have the necessary resources (technical and team members) to do my job well.
My skills are well-matched to the responsibilities of the position I currently hold.
My management is supportive and I can ask for help if I need it.
I am routinely challenged with growth opportunities at work.
I see a career trajectory at this company and am being supported to pursue it.

Count up your total number of points (lowest is 6, highest is 30)

6 – 14: It might be them. Environment, management, co-workers, and job description might be ill-suited to your preferences.
15 – 19: Probably a hybrid of you and them. Some things could be improved at work, but your attitude likely plays a role in your dissatisfaction.
20 – 30: It might be you. No job is perfect, but in general you have the makings of a pretty good position. If you’re still dissatisfied, it might be time to examine your approach to work.

2. Reflection Questions. These questions will help you articulate and elaborate on your current relationship with your career. Grab a journal and a pen and spend some time digging into them:

Which parts of your job do you love and why?
Which parts of your job do you dislike and why?
Which people do you enjoy working with and why?
Which people do you not enjoy working with and why?
What do you like and dislike about your work environment and why?
What expectations do you have for the kind of lifestyle you want?
What level you want to attain/reach in your field?
Do you see yourself at your current organization 5 years from now?
Does anyone in your current organization have a job you would want someday?

At the end of these two exercises, you should have a great sense of self awareness about your current job and career, and have great content to start figuring out the next step:  “Making a Change”.  

We’ll post “Making a Change” next week to give you some time to do the homework!

Call us with questions!
Chief Career Coach
Jo Leonard