[ EPISODE 2: How to Discover and Define Your Ideal Career Path | YOUR IDEAL JOB ]

ANNOUNCER:

Welcome to How To Land Your Ideal Job, with Alicia and Harinder.

ALICIA:

Are you looking for a job? If so, then welcome to, How To Land Your Ideal Job, the podcast that offers a step by step blueprint to finding and getting the job you want. Hello, my name is Alicia.

HARINDER:

And hello, my name is Harinder.

ALICIA:

Our goal in this short series is to help you land a job that makes you happy.

HARINDER:

So how did we get here? We both found, Alicia and I, that we were being contacted by colleagues, friends and family for advice on how to apply for jobs, including what should be said on CV's or resumes. Whether they wanted to get clarity on where their life was headed or they wanted to have conversations on career paths, so we decided to create a podcast to cover this topic.

ALICIA:

We're going to share tips for working on your CVs, your resumes, the job search, interviews, and a lot more. But first, we want to ensure you have a strong foundation before you start your journey by addressing one vital question today… What do you want to do? In this episode, we hope to help you discover the answer. 

Harinder and I are so glad you're here listening to this episode, because this we believe is the most important episode of our series.

Today, we're going to start gathering information that will not only help you build your resume, it'll become the compass that guides you to your ideal job. And we'll collect that information in three steps.

In step one, we're going to envision your ideal job, the place where you really want to be. And in Step 2 we'll look at where you are now. And in step three, we're going to build a bridge that connects you from where you are now to that ideal job you envisioned. 

Okay. Pen and paper ready? Then let's begin with step one: To envision your ideal job… by knowing who you want to be.

HARINDER:

So, step one. The first thing is... Who do you want to be? We want to focus more on what's going on internally for you and what proactive awareness you can bring to that. So rather than rushing into something out of fear, you're taking the time to get clarity on who you are and who you want to be. 

Personally, for me, I've always wanted to be an artist. It's something that I felt was a gift and something that I was born with. However, I remember having a conversation when I had to start to specialize in subjects in school. My parents directed me more towards business and finance. So, for a long time I was focused on finance, and I still am, but I never lost sight of my artistic side, even though that remained dormant for a long while. So, the first thing I would suggest is to start off by acknowledging what is it that you want. 

Understanding your desires, regardless of whatever time frame may exist for that to happen. We can use the principles of IKIGAI, which is where you look at what you love, what you're good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. And it's an intersection of all of those elements. 

What is it like for you if you were that person? What do you want to experience? Do you want to have a career or do you want to create something? Do you want to do something more social or ethical or environmental? What kind of people would you like to meet and work with and how much commitment would you like to give in terms of hours of your day? And write down your answers on paper for yourself to acknowledge and appreciate who you want to be in life and what is the kind of life you want to live.

ALICIA:

Thank you for completing step one and envisioning your future. Oh, and I want to make sure that we share the spelling of the IKIGAI principle that you mentioned, Harinder. It's I-K-I-G-A-I, IKIGAI. And you know what? Check out the resource page for this episode because we'll include a link to a fabulous video that shows you how to Ikigai. 

OK, now that you have a mental picture of how you want to spend your days and who you want to be, we can move on to Step 2, which is to take stock of where you are now, and we'll do that by looking at our skills, our gaps, and our life experiences. 

Skills. 

What are your skills? What are you good at? To make it easier, let's break them down into two categories. Hard skills and soft skills. 

And now look at the hard skills as the skills that you learn for a specific job. You know, things like computer programming or graphic design accounting, stuff like that. 

And then look at soft skills that skills that reflect more of your personality and how you work with others, like the soft skill of communication or teamwork, adaptability or the skill of resolving conflicts, which we all know is really helpful for anyone in customer service.

HARINDER:

Another one might be you might be a really good connector to other people from a social perspective, or you may have helped them out or in some other way you've brought people together.

ALICIA:

Absolutely. Networking is such a valuable soft skill. And while hard skills are for a specific job, soft skills like networking can be used in any job. 

Another way to discover your skills is to think about times when people have asked you for help. What kind of help did they need? What is that something that they knew you were good at? You know what's great about taking a moment and doing this exercise is that it helps build your confidence because you begin to see how much you really do have to offer. Harinder, you are good at so many things. Can you share an example of something you're good at?

HARINDER:

Well, you're really kind. So, what am I good at? I would say I'm good at developing teams. I'm really good at focusing on individuals, focusing on their development and helping them work out where they want to go next in their career and creating a plan to do that over a period of time.

ALICIA:

I can attest to that. Harinder is also an excellent communicator and I'm sharing that because sometimes you yourself might not realize what you're especially good at. And so it's really great when someone else can help reveal that for you. 

So ask a friend or a coworker, or maybe your boss, or a teacher, or even your family members, if you're going back into the workforce. Ask them to share something that you're good at. 

And if for some reason you're having a hard time discovering what you're really good at look at, ask yourself what you enjoy doing. So, for example, my son loved being a part of the track team in college. And you know what I realized? You have to have some serious time management skills to keep your grades up while you're playing sports. 

So the things you like to do, like sports, volunteer work, or meeting people, they could all in some way be tied to a valuable skill. Like my own, like to do list includes things like reading, organizing, building things, designing… anything creative. How about you, Harinder? I bet you have a long list as well.

HARINDER:

So, I'll try and keep it short. I think it's quite similar to yourself. It's definitely around art, and the design element, writing, illustrating. I love theatre, art exhibitions, things that are happening, current events, collaborating with others on projects, love, travel, mentoring, coaching, teaching people is something that I feel very passionate about. So that has always come from wanting to be a teacher and then training as a coach and then finding myself being naturally labeled as someone people went to for career guidance in the workplace. 

We don't always see the gifts and talents that we have. So speak to other people you know who can reflect this back to you and provide you this insight.

ALICIA:

Very sound advice. Now, how about you? How do you enjoy spending your time? What kinds of things or activities get you so involved that you lose track of time? And we ask you this to help you uncover what you're naturally drawn to. For example, if you spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos, notice the topics that grab your attention. And if you don't remember what those are, just check your browser history. That, in it of itself, should be pretty illuminating. Then pause this recording and capture your thoughts and discoveries on paper. 

OK, you've looked at your skills, and the things you enjoy doing, and have hopefully seen the truth. That you have more skills than you give yourself credit for. Now with that strong foundation in place, we can now look at our gaps, the areas where we want to grow and improve.

Gaps.

HARINDER:

Where are you right now? Are you still in school or are you working part-time or full-time? Are you coming back to work? Have you changed your vocation, or are you thinking about changing your vocation? Or is it that you don't have a role or a job right now? 

What’s preventing you from moving forwards?

ALICIA:

Like, is there anything you wish you were really better at? Like, something you see as a gap?

HARINDER:

It's always useful to have this list of gaps if you're going into an interview because you know what they are and they're not really weaknesses. They are opportunities in areas for development, and there's a real power to knowing where you personally need to grow. So how do you go about understanding what these are or maybe start from a position of what you would like to learn more about? So it's actually something that you are genuinely interested in. It doesn't have to be something that someone else has critiqued you on. It could be something that you feel you might need more training or certification on and that would help you become more marketable. And, also think about what sorts of behaviours you might need to exhibit, and even consider those people that inspire you or that you look up to as a role model.

ALICIA:

And remember to pause and write down your thoughts, okay. 

Now that we've gathered our skills and noted our gaps. Harinder and I would like to encourage you to also consider your life experiences.

HARINDER:

So, use these experiences that you have and see how they've shaped you as well and list those. And what are your most memorable moments or memories?

ALICIA:

If I may, Harinder, I'd like to share one experience that had a big impact on me. 

You know how a guidance counselor's job is to support and encourage their students’ aspirations? Well, I remember being in high school. You know, a shy, quiet kid, and finally mustering up the courage to speak with my guidance counselor. And I also remembered how vulnerable I felt at that moment as I told her my deep desire to go to a specific Ivy League school. And without knowing me or even looking at my grades or anything, she said, I was reaching too high and she didn't think I should even apply because I wouldn't get in. 

I couldn't say anything at the time because I literally couldn't get a sound out. It was like she had just punched me in the gut. What she said absolutely crushed me. Yet it was a pivotal moment in my life. I could have let this one person determine my fate, but I didn't. During that surreal train ride home, I remember deciding that I'd get into that school I wanted, so I did a lot of research, got help elsewhere, and applied to the school and got in. That experience showed me that things can go your way if you step up and take control of your decisions. And you know what? Right now, I'm just realizing that you, listening to this podcast and taking these three steps, that's you taking control of your life. So good for you.

HARINDER:

So I think it's very useful to think about this from different perspectives. And maybe your proudest moments and list those in here so you know you have a wide range of acknowledgements of what you've achieved so far. And I know it can be challenging to write some of this stuff down, particularly around difficult situations you've gone through because there may not have been a success at the end of it. However, there would have been important learnings that you can glean from this exercise by just noting what you did, what happened, what behaviours you were exhibiting, because this is really for you to create self-awareness of what you were going through at the time. And also think about the challenges that you have overcome and how all of these experiences have taught you something valuable. What have you taken in from a previous experience and rolled forward to the next time something similar came up in your life, so that you could improve the outcome or try to improve the outcome versus what you did previously in the past? You may have already had that life experience in the workplace that you could potentially use.

ALICIA:

You might also have some general life experience that you can apply to the workplace. I remember a woman I worked with years ago and her name was Kathy. She was the administrative assistant for our entire department. She said that raising three girls to adulthood gave her all the vital skills she needed to manage our busy department. And let me tell you, she was a rock star.

HARINDER:

So think about the jobs that you've done in the past. There may have been projects, there may have been events that you had supported, the people that you worked with or interacted with, places you've travelled to, who you've helped. And know your familiarity or lack of familiarity with different cultures. And think about languages that you've spoken or you speak. The tasks that you've performed, things that you've accomplished. MileAre stones you've achieved any awards or recognition that you may have won along the way?

ALICIA:

It sounds like a great time to hit pause, grab some tea, and record your thoughts. 

The bridge. 

All right, now that we've taken stock of our skills and gaps and life experiences, we can make a plan that takes us from where we are now to where we want to be.

HARINDER:

So essentially this is our third step. 

This is the doing element of closing the gap. And if you have a look at the gaps that you've noted down, how could you potentially look to close those? Are there ways that you might be able to volunteer? Are there apprenticeships or internships that you might be able to sign up for? Are there online courses you might be able to attend? Is your gap really a gap? And rather than trying to work out everything for yourself, think about some of the resources around you. 

Is there someone who can help you clarify your choices about who you want to be? Not to judge you, but to genuinely bounce ideas off of who would be open to listening? Who would be able to offer you guidance. This could be a career counselor, a coach, a teacher, people within school, families, friends who can give you objective, non-judgmental feedback in terms of where you're at and from a choice perspective, what you may not have even considered right now. And by speaking to somebody else, they might be able to put some perspective on that too. 

And think about the way we perceive negatives right. There may be a potential positive here. If you don't have enough experience, it's OK you may be able to open and learn to close that gap or understanding. You might be the ideal candidate for an internship or an apprenticeship, or a job. It’s having the willingness to say to yourself, I need to learn by trying things out. And being in a place of curiosity to take what you do well along the way and the experience you need to build on so that overtime you can close these gaps. 

And there's no such thing as having too much experience in a specific thing. I would call that a specialism. And, Alicia, I was just going to ask you whether you might have an example you might want to share.

ALICIA:

Yes, I do. 

When I was an architect, I designed spaces and experiences. And after nine years, I moved on to web design and went from designing physical experiences to online experiences. And nine years later, I switched careers again and became a content strategist. And there too, I applied what I knew to the creation of content. I went from being an architect to being a web designer to being a writer by applying the same principles in all three roles: I focused on walking the visitor through an experience that I designed. So, essentially, I turned what I knew into a specialty. So try to be creative with what it is that you're doing and figure out a new way to apply what you already know.

HARINDER:

Exactly. Essentially, it's a way of rebranding what you've done before and here you are across different industries, geography. So for example, though my background is in finance, there are things that I've done in one organization, in one industry, that have been translatable into others. Does that mean I know everything? No, not at all. So, you know, look at those areas where you feel that there are potentials for learning, but also look at what you've done that's translatable across different focus areas of your life.

ALICIA:

And please do not let fear hold you back, OK? There is no right way or wrong way here. Learn from each experience. And take in as much new knowledge as you can, to use somewhere else.

HARINDER:

Absolutely. There is only learning and you've just got to start. And although we talk about being able to turn negatives into positives, it's not always easy to do. So what I find is that when I'm in a situation like that, if I'm looking for a new role to focus on, I use consistency and building momentum, which moves me forward. 

You just have to start the journey and appreciate the fact that it might not be linear. Sometimes you end up taking the scenic route in life and I remember as an example, I'd always wanted to live in the US and my family and I had emigrated there, but we had to return back to the UK. And my dream was to be able to live in the States. And it all came up in the company that I was working for at the time to be a financial controller in the Midwest and I applied. I had an interview, but I wasn't successful at that point. I then applied for another role in a different part of the US, was offered the job, but I felt it wasn't what I wanted, so I turned that down. Then, a few months later, I got a call that the first role I had applied for and interviewed for was still open. So I expressed my interest. I got interviewed again. I got the role and I moved and I shifted. And it was a realization over a very, very long period of time for my dream to come true. I was there for 18 months, and after that I moved to the East Coast, which took my career to a dimension that I would never thought was possible in terms of fulfilling my passion to see the world. It enabled me to do global travel on a scale that was unknown to me. So I guess we never really know when we're creating stepping stones, but that is essentially what we're doing. 

So with each step that we take, we take our learnings and we apply them in the next thing that we do and immerse yourself in what you're doing and that will help to drive you forward to the life that you really want. 

And life is about taking the scenic route. It would be boring if it was straightforward. I would say be curious and be adventurous adventurers. 

………….

I know I've done this a number of times, as has Alicia, and looking for a job can be daunting and it's always the same questions that bubble up. Where do I start? Where do I look? How do I make myself to be the best candidate? So we're going to cover these aspects and topics in the coming episodes and again, just start by taking note of all the skills and life experiences that you have and note where you are thinking there might be gaps for you so you can consciously see if there are any missing elements. And it's a self-acknowledgment exercise about your current starting position and whether you may need additional support to help close those gaps.

ALICIA:

So #1 envision your ideal job or life. 

#2 take stock of where you are now. 

And #3 make a plan that takes you from where you are now to where you want to be.

HARINDER:

So, if I hop back to an earlier story I was telling when my family and I moved to the US and I started college there. And I remember coming back on the plane. I promised myself that I was going to move back to the US at some point and it took 15 years for that to materialise. But when it turned up, I was ready to go for it because it's something I always wanted. And as I said before, it's one of the best jobs I've ever had. 

And so it's really getting clarity on what you want and being open to those opportunities because they will arise and they will materialise around you. 

And focus on what would give you the most joy so that you're doing this on a daily basis and write that down for yourself.

ALICIA:

And keep it somewhere you can see it so that it's always front of mind. 

And with that, thank you for your time. And Harinder, thank you for everything.

HARINDER:

Thank you very much, Alicia, and see you all on the next episode.

ALICIA:

See you.

HARINDER:

Do make sure to visit our resources page where we include links to all the articles and the tools that we've referenced to today and check out our other episodes. Because when you combine the information with what was discussed today, you do level up your chances of landing your ideal job.

ALICIA:

We hope this episode has been helpful, and if you know of anyone else who would appreciate this information, please share it with them. We look forward to sharing more on how to land your ideal job.