You’ve made the choice to come to Carrington College, so you’re already working towards your dream career. Can you say the same for your friends and family? These tips may help them… Matthew Becker, owner of Authentic Excellence LLC a career & life coaching business, uses his coaching skills to help clients find their natural passions and strengths so they can achieve their career and leadership goals. Read our full Q&A here, or if you’re short on time, here’s a snap-shot.
1. How can I avoid being unsatisfied with my career?
- Choose your career path for the right reasons. Look for work that you find engaging, challenging, and fun. Don’t just choose the most lucrative, or your parents’ choice.
- The stress of finding a job can lead you to lose sight of what you really want to do. Discover what you love and apply that awareness to finding a fulfilling career.
- If you’re excited to get up and go to work every morning, then you’ll be willing to put in the hard work it takes to be successful.
- If you find yourself unhappy in a job, keep your connections to coworkers strong even as you look for another; you don’t know if/when your paths may cross again.
2. How can I identify my natural strengths?
- Complete the StrengthsFinder assessment to find your strengths.
- Track when you feel excited, energized, and strong. When those moments come, note what you were doing, with who, and how it made you feel.*
- Look for common themes and see how it compliments your StrengthsFinder results.
3. How do I find a career that matches my natural strengths?
- Job postings may not use the same language you do to describe your strengths.
- Complete the exercises above, then analyze why these activities energize you. Then consider how those skills and abilities might translate to other roles/industries.
- Network with people working in these roles. Use informal interviews to assess whether your strengths are truly a good fit.
4. How can I work on building my leadership skills?
- It’s never too early to learn to lead. Take a leadership position in school, start to build relationships while you’re in school and at your extern.
- Leadership is about what you do, not your position; it’s always about relationships first and foremost. Every individual can and does exercise leadership.
- The best way to build leadership skills is to volunteer to lead. Experiment with what it means to be a leader, and discover what works and what doesn’t.
5. What resources do you recommend during my career planning process?
- Use assessments like the StrengthsFinder or the Strong Interest Inventory, but it’s more important to get clear about what you enjoy. Self-reflection and patience are important internal resources.
- Write down your most significant accomplishments in life, from work, school, or community service. As you look back, identify what you did, why it was meaningful, what skills you used, and who you did it with.
- Look for common themes that provide insight into the type of roles that might be most fulfilling for you.
6. What’s the most common misconception people have before starting their first career?
- That this role or industry is where you are going to be in 30 years. You still have a long life ahead of you full of many different experiences.
- Always stay open to new passions, interests, and opportunities, otherwise you might find yourself unsatisfied and unfulfilled 20 years later. Continuing your education could help you take your career to the next level.
*Technique first identified by Marcus Buckingham in his book Go Put Your Strengths to Work.
