How well can you navigate? If you are about to hit the job market for the first time, if you are about to make a career change and/or if you are re-creating your professional self, then you need to be a navigator. The most effective way to begin the process of career change is to map it out first. It’s serious business and it requires strength of mind, commitment, a point of view and a mindset that dictates a target and a connect.
The best navigators know where they are heading. They set a course and they begin to evaluate all the conditions surrounding the journey. Rain, wind, snow, sun, temperature, heat, cold – All the elements make a difference and will impact the trip.
It’s no different when you are plotting the course for job or career sequencing.
The elements to be considered for this process are the market, your brand, the competition, how you present yourself, how well you rely on your network, understanding the resources you have and how to manage them. Do you have the ability to leverage all that in some meaningful way that, at the end of it all, will land you someplace that will play an essential role in what you do for a career? The goal is to find something that makes you happy and find something that will scratch your itch.
The navigation driving your odyssey is essential to trying to land someplace worthwhile. The process is and should be considered relevant to the results. Result is the Destination. But you don’t arrive unless you take it seriously, think about where you are going and how you are getting there. Be cognizant of the course you take. Be deliberate in the road you choose. Make sure there is purpose driving you. Have a safe trip.