1 Take Stock
You cannot get there from here without knowing where here is.
Chapter Overview
In Chapter 1, you’ll take stock of yourself by gaining a better understanding of your values, beliefs, personality preferences, and goals. Taking stock is vital to helping you make better decisions about where to spend your effort and how to become better prepared when you target potential opportunities. Specifically, you will:
Take an inventory of your values and learn how they affect your decisions about potential opportunities.
Recognize how your personality type influences your success in a job.
Identify realistic goals and create a way to help you achieve them.
Learn the personal characteristics you should embrace to increase your success at finding what you want.
Understand how a support network can decrease the time it will take to find what you really want to do.
The main sections in this chapter include:
How you make decisions.
Personal characteristics you must exhibit.
Create a support network.
Milestones.
If you ask for directions on how to get somewhere, you first need to know the starting point of the journey. Suppose I asked you to sell a new product or service but couldn’t tell you very much about it. How could you possibly tell anyone about its features and benefits in any meaningful or convincing way?
The beginning is the most important part of the work.
—Plato
By the same token, when making a job or a career change, you need to take stock of yourself to fully understand your own beliefs, personal characteristics, and preferences. Being aware of these will give you clarity and a sharper focus. It will save you time, help you to make better decisions more quickly, and lead others to take you seriously. They’ll be willing to provide assistance when you need it most.
Attempting to start a job or a career search without knowing your starting point may result in you getting somewhere you don’t really want to be. Take stock at the beginning, and you’ll be able to talk about your strengths confidently and convince others of your passion and the resoluteness of your career path.
Illustration by Steven Lait.
If you can’t convince others of your passion and show that you’re in charge of your career, they’ll be hesitant about considering you. They might want to interview other candidates or, even worse, just eliminate you right away.
This chapter can bring clarity to your job or career search by helping you understand what’s important to you, what filters to use to assess whether a potential opportunity is right for you, and how to focus your efforts without wasting precious time exploring dead ends.
How You Make Decisions
You make choices every day—whether you’re deciding on movies, clothes, friends, or articles in the newspaper to read. You’re making these decisions based on an internal set of attitudes, both preconceived and learned.
When I ran my executive search business, I knew I always had to keep my fingers crossed as soon as a client offered a position to a candidate. Sound crazy? Not really. Even though we put candidates through extensive interviews before presenting them to our clients, and even though they survived multiple sets of interviews with those clients, I knew it could still all go awry.
Why? Because that’s when the realization hits the candidate that he has to make a decision whether to take the offer or not. This is often the time he begins to think seriously about the commute or whether he really wants to travel as much as the job requires. He also begins to think whether it would be preferable to make an industry change or whether this a good career move. Sometimes he even tries to renegotiate the salary or benefits or discuss his future career potential in more detail.
When you receive an offer, employers expect that you’ll want to think about it and talk it over with others before making a decision. But too often, candidates come back with more questions.
Many clients withdraw their offer when a candidate seems to vacillate or take too long before deciding. Employers believe candidates should be prepared and know the answers to many of their questions before starting their job search, or certainly before completing the interviewing process. They fear that, if a candidate has difficulty making a decision about his career when he has had plenty of time to think about it, he won’t be able to make business decisions when he only has limited information and time in a business environment.
Employers also feel executive-level candidates should be clear on the basics about their career. They feel an executive who isn’t clear probably wouldn’t be effective at anticipating problems at the corporate level.
Let’s start with the basics you need to bring into focus before you even begin to consider making a job or a career change: values, preferences, and goals.
Values
When you make a choice about anything, you do it by evaluating each option against your values. Sometimes this process is very conscious and takes time. More often, however, you probably do it instinctively and without much thought.
The example I just used is based on an actual situation: A candidate hadn’t thought about his options in advance and suddenly needed time to evaluate them. It was time he really didn’t have, because, when you’re under pressure to make a life-changing decision, you tend not to do it rationally.
Think of an instance when you were in a checkout line at the grocery store and bought something that was conveniently located to you—an impulse item. If you had more time to think about it, you probably wouldn’t have bought it.
People sometimes have difficulty thinking about their values, dismissing them as intangible feelings that are hard to describe or to put in writing.
Your values evolve as you grow older. Your life changes and you take on more responsibilities, such as a spouse and children. For example, pursuing a healthy lifestyle doesn’t usually rank very high when you’re a teenager interested only in lying on the beach to get a sexy tan. It often becomes more important when your chest begins to fall, your waistline starts to bulge, and—oh, by the way—all that tanning you did as a teenager has led to melanoma.
You should reassess your values any time you’re considering or facing a life-changing event, and a job or a career change certainly fits that description.
The table in Worksheet 1.1 lists some keywords that indicate values you can use to start thinking about your own. Add additional keywords at the end if you don’t see one of your values listed.
Worksheet 1.1 Identifying Your Values
Review the following list and check a box to the right of the value to indicate how strong that value is to you. Add values you feel strongly about even if you don’t think they’re important to a job search or a career change.
Next, highlight or put a mark by each of the values that you consider Very Important. On a separate sheet of paper, list each of the Very Important values and then describe what that value means to you. For example:
Belonging to a team—I want to work in a collaborative
environment where there’s a positive team spirit and people
are willing to share their knowledge and expertise and offer
help to others for the benefit of the team and the
organization.
List your remaining values, using as few words as possible, and then describe what each means to you. When you complete your list of values, number them in order, starting with the one you feel strongest about, down to the one you feel least strong about. Prepare a new list with your values in the order of your preference.
You now have a list of the values most important to you, against which you can now compare any opportunity. More importantly, you now have a list you can use when searching for opportunities and when discussing with others the types of opportunities you want. You’re already on your way to being prepared to convince others that you’re the one in charge of your career.
When you’re exploring potential career opportunities and sitting in interviews, you’ll know what to look for and what questions to ask to determine if your top values would be met.
Even if an opportunity doesn’t match your prioritized list of values, don’t completely discard it without further consideration. Reassess your values against the opportunity. Is the opportunity worth considering as a stepping-stone to another job? Or will it facilitate your making a career change to something that matches your values more closely?
Knowing your values isn’t all you need to know in order to accept or decline an opportunity, but it does enable you to compare each of your strongly held values with each opportunity. If you choose to accept an opportunity that doesn’t match your values, at least you’ll have had the criteria to know which value(s) you would have to compromise and the basis on which you’re willing to make that compromise.
Your values will change as circumstances change, and you’ll need to reprioritize them periodically. As you find out more about yourself during your job or career search and as you consider other opportunities, modify, add, and delete values. When you finish this book and complete the worksheets, review your list of values to see if there have been any changes.
Known Likes and Dislikes
You’ve already built up a history of what you like doing versus what you don’t like doing. You probably also have some personal characteristics others know about and take for granted.
Understanding these will help you know yourself better and make more informed decisions about where you need to target your efforts and where you need to rely on others for support or assistance.
You can’t be all things to all people, and you can’t be skilled in everything, no matter how successful you’ve been in your career so far. A simple exercise will help you see what you like to do versus what you don’t like to do.
Exercise 1.1: Known Likes and Dislikes
Using two sheets of paper, label one “Tasks, Responsibilities, Situations, or Activities I Like Doing” and label the other one “Tasks, Responsibilities, Situations, or Activities I Dislike Doing.” Drawing on your experience (include work and non-work situations), list those things you either liked or disliked doing. Start with your current job and work backward. You should have at least 10 on each list.
Be objective when you prepare your two lists. Don’t list something you really don’t like doing on the “like doing” list just because you think it’s a natural part of the job or you think the job requires it.
Personality Type
Whereas your values and work preferences change often, you have some fundamental preferences that make up your personality type. Your personality type probably hasn’t changed significantly since you were a child, even though you may have adapted your style to fit certain situations.
Personality type evaluations began in the early forties under a U.S. government contract for the military during World War II by Isabel Myers and Kathleen Briggs as a measure of Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types. The result was a questionnaire called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which measures four dimensions of your personality by looking at the opposites for each dimension. These are illustrated on page 20 with a brief description of the characteristics of people for that dimension.
The MBTI is the gold standard of personality type questionnaires. It has been validated by millions for more than 65 years and is the most widely used measurement of this kind throughout the world.
As a tool for considering career options, the MBTI can often help you make better career decisions, and it is a common tool used by companies when they need to assemble teams that work together. Unfortunately, people often try to use the MBTI in situations where it’s not appropriate, such as to help decide whether to employ someone.
Some personality types might be more suitable to some occupations and not others. Knowing yours will help you understand why you like doing some things that others don’t, why you tire easily from some activities and others seem to gain energy from the same activities, and why you see things so easily while others don’t.
As an illustration, let’s assume that you took the MBTI questionnaire and your results showed you were an ISTJ, a very common type. You shouldn’t be too surprised if you’re in accounting, IT, law enforcement, banking, or other occupations requiring someone who prefers to work alone; you see what’s there (just the facts), you make decisions more with your head (not your heart), and you like to plan and organize your activities.
On the other hand, if you were in one of those occupations and your type is the opposite, ENFP, you’d be very uncomfortable and frustrated because you prefer to work in groups, you look at possibilities rather than what’s there, you make decisions more with your heart rather than your head, and you like to do things on whim and not in a structured environment. An ENFP, you might now see, would be more comfortable in roles needing creativity and the imagination of possibilities.
Being a particular type doesn’t necessarily force you into a particular field. Many people work in a field that’s different from their natural type by consciously adapting themselves to work in a different way. You’ve probably seen this in people you work with, because it can sometimes cause stress, frustration, and misunderstanding of others.
Knowing your type can be very useful if you’re unhappy in a job and aren’t sure why, or you want to make a career change and aren’t sure what you want to do. (“Reference 1.1: Myers-Briggs Type Characteristics,” available at www.ExecGlobalNet.com in the Career Center, includes a brief description of the 16 various types.) If you want to read more on your own about the different types, including examples of typical careers for each, I suggest Do What You Are by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger (Little, Brown & Company, 2001).
If you’re considering a career change or are unhappy in your job, start with Do What You Are or seek out a certified MBTI professional who can give you appropriate feedback. They’ll help to open your thinking to other possibilities you may not be considering. People sometimes see themselves as slightly different from what the questionnaire seems to indicate, and the results often do border between different dimensions. You’ll need someone skilled with the MBTI to help interpret your results if you fall into either of these situations.
Others have taken a different approach to interpreting our personalities. Please Understand Me II by Dr. David Keirsey (Prometheus Nemesis Book Company, 1998) developed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter to identify one’s basic temperament. You can take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter test online at www.keirsey.com and print an instant report. (You can find reviews of the books mentioned here and others at www.ExecGlobalNet.com in the Career Center. Select “Reference 1.2: Career-Related Reading List.”)
Goals
When I start talking about setting goals with my clients, I often see their eyes begin to roll back as they think in the context of preparing a budget or a business plan. They picture success being measured in terms of plan (the goal) versus accomplishments. Some people also think setting goals is a waste of time because they say they never achieve them anyway.
This often occurs when we attempt to define dreams or desires as goals or use generalized statements that are difficult to monitor. You will be far more effective at achieving goals if you use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. when setting your goals. Although the origin of S.M.A.R.T. has been lost to history and different versions of S.M.A.R.T. exist, the following is a framework that is consistent with how many others have used the concept:
Specific—What you want to achieve must be clear, focused, and easily understood. If it is too general and you can’t meet all the criteria listed here, you’ll need to re-define the goal.
Measurable—You must be able to benchmark progress and recognize the ultimate achievement of the goal. If progress toward an achievement can’t be measured, you’ll need to re-define the goal.
Things won are done;
The joy’s soul lies in the doing.
—William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida
Attainable—You need to have a reasonable expectation of achieving the goal. If it is too short-term and simple, it’s probably a task (tactical) and not a goal (strategic). What you need to do to achieve your goal must be measurable so you can assess progress or completion.
Realistic or Relevant—The goal must be relevant to your overall career objectives and it must be realistic to believe that you will be able to achieve the goal.
Time-Sensitive—Your goal must have starting and ending points, and you need to be able to measure progress toward its completion within a reasonable timeline.
Setting personal goals is a fluid and flexible exercise because your goals change as events affect your life. Setting goals is important whether you’re considering a career change or preparing for interviews.
In interviews, you’ll inevitably be asked a question such as, “What goals have you set for yourself in the next 12 months (or three years or five years)?” You’ll need to respond with a well-thought-out and reasoned response. If you don’t, the interviewer will make assumptions about your lack of focus and may probe your response to find out why you haven’t given it careful thought.
Using a notepad and referring to the S.M.A.R.T. characteristics, list your goals in six different time frames on separate sheets of paper:
Within one month.
Within two to three months.
Within four to six months.
Within one year.
Within five years.
Before you die.
When you finish your lists, review them with your spouse or a close friend who knows you well to get his perspective on the appropriateness, importance, and priority of your list. When you’ve completed your review, re-number your list if you’ve made any changes, and put each short-term goal (using your own definition of short-term) on a separate sheet of paper.
On each sheet, list and then prioritize what actions you must take to achieve that goal. Next, add the date that you expect to complete each action step and the ultimate goal.
You may not meet every goal. If you don’t, analyze what you did or didn’t do that prevented you from achieving that particular goal. Was the goal overly ambitious? Did you fail to define it clearly? Did the goal become less important as others became more important? If necessary, redefine or reprioritize your goals or set a new goal, addressing whatever prevented you from achieving the original goal.
Personal Characteristics You Must Exhibit
I’ve noted that executives who are most successful in their job search display eight personal characteristics. If you lack ANY of them, there’s a good chance your search will take longer than it should, you will face more obstacles than you would otherwise, and you may even fail to find what you want. These eight personal characteristics are:
1. Complete honesty with yourself.
2. Enthusiasm.
3. Personal organization.
4. Attention to detail.
5. High activity level.
6. Personal standards.
7. Perseverance.
8. Positive attitude.
Complete Honesty With Yourself
You must look at yourself honestly and accept who you are. Be open and receptive to criticism and accept that you’re not strong in all areas. Focus on your strengths, not weaknesses. Your strengths are what others need to see.
Enthusiasm
Skills and brilliant qualifications are not enough. You must exhibit that magical ingredient: enthusiasm. It makes a huge difference in how you approach your search, whether others decide to help you, and whether you get the job.
Personal Organization
If you take the time to be well organized, your effectiveness will increase, your network will support and help you, and interviewers will view you as an effective leader.
Attention to Detail
Details make an impression. Confirm appointments in writing, send thank-you notes to those who help you, and show respect to administrative people. These actions are more important than you might think.
High Activity Level
People who are out of work often act like it. If you’re in transition toward another chapter in your life, you need to maintain a working lifestyle. Exercise regularly. Get involved in activities where you interact with others. Keep your schedule full with job searching, volunteer activities, and personal health.
Personal Standards
You never know whom you will meet and when. Dress professionally even if you’re involved in non-work activities. Others need to see you as an executive looking for the next opportunity, not as unemployed and casually enjoying it.
Perseverance
The more effort you put into your search, the more you’ll make your own luck. The more people you meet, the greater your chances of making a valuable connection. But be observant. Persevering is not the same as pestering. If you don’t succeed with one approach, try another. You will hear an overabundance of no’s before you will hear a yes. Get through the no’s as quickly as possible.
Positive Attitude
Do you quickly recognize when someone else doesn’t have a positive attitude? What judgments do you make about that person? You’ll encounter setbacks yourself, and you’ll hear a lot of rejection. You’re far less likely to let these bother you if you maintain a positive attitude.
Create a Support Network
In your last job, you didn’t achieve things without the participation of others. Your employers most likely encouraged a team spirit because they knew the benefits of people working together. A mistake many executives make is not taking advantage of their own positive experiences with group support. Instead, they try to change jobs or careers without involving others.
Now is not the time to work independently or in isolation. You’ll need the support and assistance of others if you want to make your job or career change as quickly as possible. Developing multiple contacts enables you to connect with others and build relationships in which the support goes both ways: You help them; they help you.
Working with others also motivates you by making you accountable to someone else for completing your weekly objectives. By putting several minds together, you’ll also be more energized and not feel so alone. Create a two-tier arrangement for your support network similar to the following:
1. Mentor
Having a mentor is a well-documented and effective way to guarantee success during your job search, as well as on the job. When choosing a mentor, consider the people closest to you—those you know well. Concentrate on the ones who will tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear.
When you ask a person to be your mentor, explain that you need an objective viewpoint on what you’re thinking and planning from someone whose opinion and judgment you value.
Use your mentor to review your background, comment on your resume, evaluate the reasonableness of your plan in relation to your goals, and act as a sounding board to confirm or question your own thoughts.
2. Mastermind Group
Working with a group is another effective way to get objective feedback, brainstorm new ideas, and stay motivated. Try to identify two or more executives who are also looking for new opportunities.
Become familiar with each person’s background and the position each is seeking. Get together on a regular basis, perhaps once a week, to discuss what you achieved the previous week and what you plan to achieve the following week. She might have a different viewpoint on some of your plans or might suggest different options.
Ask someone from your mastermind group or your mentor to serve as your accountability partner while you’re pursuing your job search or exploring new career options. Use him to review your periodic activities and to be the person to whom you report your progress on a regular basis. You’ll find that you stick to your plan much better if you have someone else involved in monitoring your progression.
In Chapter 8, we’ll cover how your network will support your objective of making contact with others who can facilitate your search and connect you with potential employers.
Milestones
Before moving to the next chapter, review the following milestones, which recap what you need to do to complete this chapter. If you aren’t able to complete all the items in this chapter, start an “open items list” and set a target date to complete each open item.
1. Complete Worksheet 1.1: Identifying Your Values. Prioritize the most important ones so that you can quickly assess whether new opportunities meet your values.
2. Complete Exercise 1.1: Known Likes and Dislikes. If you have other strong feelings about previous jobs, use additional sheets for them and prepare a summary of your top five.
3. Review your type in Reference 1.1: Myers-Briggs Type Characteristics and compare and contrast your preferences to the list you prepared in Exercise 1.1.
4. Complete Exercise 1.2: Goals Summary so that you will have a good understanding of what you need to accomplish in the future. Bear in mind that your goals and values are not static, and you’ll need to reexamine them again when you complete this book.
5. Review and familiarize yourself with the personal characteristics that are common in executives who seem to be most successful in their search.
6. Identify possible mentors. Discuss your current situation and your plans with them, and ask if they would be willing to serve as your mentor while you go through this process.
7. Identify other executives in transition and put together a mastermind group where you can share ideas and exchange suggestions.