Dear Leader,
I trust this meets you in pursuit of wisdom.
I know you want to make progress in your career and leadership. I have spent a lot of time advising organisations on talent matters and I have also served as an intermediary between people looking for jobs and organisations looking for talents.
Informally too, I spend a lot of time helping future leaders create strategy for their career, and today I want to share 3 most important questions you should consider when thinking about your next career move.
- What is my Skill/Will Focus? This speaks of CLARITY
Organisations are not looking for job seekers. I have written about that a lot. I wrote an ebook some years ago to fresh graduates about their first jobs. Organisations don’t want job seekers, they are always hiring people who can solve their problems, and these are people with Skill & Will.
Skill means – What you can do
Will means – What you want to do
When you are looking for your next career move, it’s not just about changing jobs, it is about ensuring that your skills match your interest. What you can do is good, but also look at what you really want to do. There is strength where Skill meets Will.
If you have skill in speaking, what you really want to do may not be to become a public speaker.
- What are the 3 Career Paths I can leverage my Skill/Will on? This helps you design a STRATEGY
This is like an intersection. Do you want to find a new employer/organisation, a new role within your current organisation, or do you want to pivot and start your own venture?
There are pros and cons to each path. It is your responsibility to answer. - Who are the 10 people who can help me get my dream Job? You need a COMMUNITY
I like to call this “Your Power 10”. People often struggle with coming up with a list and it shows they’ve not been intentional. I know you know over 100 people and have thousands of contacts but can you make a list of the top 10 who are most likely to be able to help you get your dream job.
When you make that list, don’t send anyone a message or call them about getting a job. Your first task is to invest real time in exploring your career plan in some depth with the people on this list.
Create what works for you. You can schedule a coffee chat but create a half-page message that summarizes the career path you are looking for, why you are a great match for that (Skill/Will), and ask for a few minutes of their time to discuss possibilities about how you might find your dream job. Those conversations may turn into referrals, which will turn into getting your dream job.
I think your goal for this list should be referrals. Referrals are powerful. As a matter of fact, I conducted research for two years and found out that Referrals ranks top in the top 3 channels organisations use to hire great talents.
Answer these 3 questions and be sure to be ready for your next career move.
I’ll be opening up a One on One ‘Career Strategy Chat” soon. Limited slot available for a small fee. Let me know if you would be interested.
I’m rooting for you,
The Great Owete
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