In working with you guys the one that was the most successful was the visualization exercise.
And this one is really important but it is prefaced with:
just before I administer an assessment I give you these little instructions and I say
“This is a really important exercise and it’s shoes off”.
And everybody says “Shoes off? What is shoes off?”
It means that you are not sitting at your desk at work and the phone is ringing and somebody is coming in and you are trying to figure out what your dream job is.
You’re still immersed in it.
You’re still in that military world where you’re not really thinking “What do I really want to be when I grow up?”
So do that shoes off.
I say do it at home on your couch, cold beer, glass of wine, no noises and just think:
What would a dream day look like for me what would a great day at work look like.
Start with what time are you getting up?
What are you wearing? How are you getting to work?
“I’ve done the 1.5 hour trek from Kanata to STARTOP….I’m done with that.
I want to be able to work from home. I want to start my own business”.
These ideas start formulating in your head and then that starts to narrow the focus because that’s what it comes back to is focus.
It’s going to be narrowing it down to: this is the job I want, job title based on the NOC.
This is the industry I want to work in.
These are the companies I want to follow.
That’s when you start marketing the product.
You are the product you can’t write a resume until you have a job, a career a title in mind.
Once you know the industry, the job, the company then you can start marketing and creating that amazing brochure.
So that visualization exercise is really important: shoes off, sitting at home and start with what time do you get up?
What is the day going to look like?
Are you working by yourself? Are you working in a pod?
Are you working outside with your hands?
Some people want to be in finance, some people want to start homeless shelters.
It’s what do you want.
So that is where we start talking again about getting to know the product.
What are your values?
Have you ever really thought about your work values?
So that is the kind of stuff you want to start thinking about.
I want to be in a fast paced high pressure, “go-go-go” or I’m done.
I’m done with that. I only want part-time. I want to work volunteer.
So use that visualization exercise and just jot everything down.
What do you hope to make? What are your salary expectations?
Because that is the career counsellor’s job to manage your expectations, but also if you are a full-time, well-versed job seeker
you can do your own salary research and get some ideas of what to expect.
Picture yourself: what does the day look like?
What does your dream job look like?
Who are the people you are working with?
What differences are you making in the world or in the day?
Are you leading team?
Are they big teams, small teams?
Start to get that focus.
Know that it’s the financial sector, the health sector, manufacturing sector, trades, the nine different sectors.
Start to narrow that down.
And that is usually one of the biggest detriments when you transition is that lack of focus
but once you have it then you are good to go,
because now you know who the enemy is and you will approach it with that same mindset.
Oh, I always get you to write a little line at the bottom:
“I know this will sound crazy but I’ve always wanted to …”
and then finish that sentence and if it’s open a bar in Bora Bora or if it’s start my own bed and breakfast,
whatever it is even it it’s just not doable that is important because it starts talking about who you are and your personality
and where your interests lie and maybe we can’t get you a bar in Bora Bora or you can make that your long term goal!