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Taking Ownership of Your Career Path
I had an experience today that became the catalyst for the topic of this week’s column. I had lunch with a career coach who commented that one of his clients expected him to do the work for him. When I asked him what he meant, he said that the candidate seemed somewhat entitled and really hadn’t done his homework in preparation for their meeting. The candidate had the expectation that the career coach would be able to get him his next job. Hearing my business friend describe this scenario really struck a chord with me.
During the course of my work week, I generally interview several candidates who are referred to me through my business contacts, my clients, or oftentimes who are referred to me through friends. I always try to be helpful within my own time constraints, but do like to set aside time to give back to those who want to come in to talk to me & who have asked for advice. What I’ve noticed over the years, is that many people have not done their homework or research with regard to the topic they wish to discuss. This is a major mistake, whether you are talking to an executive search consultant, or you are going to a job interview… you must do your research before you take a meeting. Even today, I spoke to a woman executive who formerly worked as a production executive & is now the head of a non-profit media company. Her experience in interviewing people has been quite similar. People approach her for help with potential job openings & yet don’t know what types of jobs are out there or where their skill sets fit. It seems as though when it comes to looking for a job, or embarking on a new endeavor many people are rendered helpless!
With the internet access we have today, doing the appropriate research is so easy. There is no excuse for not taking the time to google a company, or even an industry. Find out who the leaders are in that industry & what constitutes their backgrounds. If you are interested in the television business or the film industry, or the gaming business… whatever it is, find out which associations or organizations represent them - Get the meeting schedules & attend the networking events that most of them do provide. Conferences are a great way to get to know a business & will give you a great overview. Also, you can google any business & you will come up with most of the information you need to inform you of a next step. The truth is that an executive with whom you are meeting, or a search consultant or even a career coach, cannot tell you what to do or in what field or particular job in which you are interested. This you must find out for yourself, for your own happiness & success. Granted, someone can give you feedback, & offer you an objective opinion about certain things, but you must find out what types of jobs are available (most companies have a job bank on their website), the responsibilities that comprise a daily work day, & then decide if that’s what you want to do. And, if you don’t have the background, what would be the chances of breaking into that particular area? Is it returning to school, or is it starting in a specific job that tracks to the place in which you want to be? Try to speak to someone working in a company or in a particular position in which you have interest. Writing letters to a particular executive, emails, & referrals through friends oftentimes is enough to get an exploratory meeting.
This is not to say that one doesn’t need guidance and advice from the experts. What I do want to emphasize is that you can come to the table prepared, having done the appropriate investigation & research needed to give you a base from which to proceed. Making yourself knowledgeable gives you such an advantage in making the right decisions for yourself.
So the operative advice is: do the homework. Investigate and research as much as possible, and try to come up with your own gameplan. It will make for a stronger person & certainly give you a stronger sense of self.