I hope as I check in with you that you are doing well, being safe, and staying sane! I think my home is the cleanest and most organized that it’s been since I moved in! Luckily I have my Mom with me here, and I don’t have to worry about her being in another state.

Since I’m not able to travel and speak, I’ve been spending a good deal of time online in my business and trying to be of good service. What I see a lot of is this phrase, “Seeking Other Opportunities,” on business social media sites in place of a job title. Today, many people are working from home, and their career development has taken a back seat to paying the bills and meeting basic human necessities. In this time, seeking other opportunities for your next level or next chapter may be on hold.

But, sooner or later, and believe me, I hope it is sooner; the focus on finding other opportunities, or even considering other possibilities, will return if it hasn’t already for you.

There will be those of you who need to find the next opportunity because you weren’t currently employed. Maybe your job was or will be eliminated. There will also be those of you who know where you are currently, isn’t where you want to be anymore. That what was important a month ago, just isn’t important now.

What I’m hoping that people don’t do is to take just anything; to settle. To let “career confusion” or lack of career clarity get the best of you. Believe me. I get it because I have been there too, at one point. It may be what you have to do to take care of yourself and your family. But what I’d like to happen when the time comes, is that you make choices and decisions aligned with who you are to the best of your ability. But first, you have to understand what is important to you when seeking the next opportunity, whether that is the next level or next chapter.

Why is this the first step?

The reason is that your mind when given clear instructions, will go out of its way to seek, and yes find, opportunities that align with what you want. But if you don’t know what that is, then it’s a bit like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. You’re trying a whole lot of everything to see what might work. This is where career confusion becomes a problem, and your own career clarity becomes your solution. It’s already inside of you! You just have to uncover what it is.

That would be a gamechanger for YOU.

So how do you get this sort of clarity? I’m glad you asked.

Here are five steps to do just that.

Step One. Get introspective and curious. Make a list of the things you love to do, the things that you enjoy doing related to your career, and previous professional experiences. Add to this list the things you are curious about doing, something you’ve wanted to explore or try. When you’re finished, prioritize the list according to what would be the most interesting down to the least interesting, so you know what to focus on first.

Step Two. Seek to understand how you want to experience your career. What are your career values, those core beliefs about what must be present for you to feel happy, satisfied, or fulfilled? What is the most important? It might be working with a great team, having flexibility, being challenged (in a positive way), or doing something meaningful. Make a list, not of the duties or responsibilities of a career, but of the way you want to experience performing them. Just Google how to find your career values, and you’ll be on your way.

Step Three. Research and Refine. Once you are more clear on what you’d like to do and why you need to experience your career in a certain way, you’ll want to do your research. What careers have the responsibilities that you enjoy, the things you like to do? Talk to people who are in these roles already and get their input. If you see an opportunity, do you know someone who works there that might be able to give you some useful information on the company culture to see if it aligns with your career values? LinkedIn is a great place to connect with others as well as people already in your network. They may not know, but who do they know who might know more?

Step Four. Invite people whom you trust and admire, to help you along the way. You don’t have to figure all this out alone. Who are people you trust and respect that can give you good advice? It may be the people who are closest to you but could also be those with a bit of distance that can provide you unbiased input. It would sound something like this, “I’m interested in exploring (insert role, job, career) as my next opportunity, and I wanted to get your input to understand better if it might be a good fit for me.” You’re not asking for a job, you’re asking for guidance.

And, finally, Step Five. Deal with the head trash and other obstacles that usually come up when you’re making a change. Today is pretty much all about change, right? Don’t let self-doubt and limiting beliefs stop you from pursuing something new. Tell the inner critic in your head, thanks, but no thanks. You may not have the know-how, skills, or experience now, but you can get it. Don’t count yourself out of the race before it’s even begun.

Until next time, here’s wishing you the career clarity you deserve!

Be good to yourself,

Debbie

P.S. If you’d like a little help in figuring out how to get to your next level or next chapter, join my group course.  Let’s hop on a strategy call to see if it’s a fit for you. Just schedule your best time at www.ClarityWithDebbie.com.