Do you have a summer vacation planned? Would you believe us if we told you that you could find your career path while you’re on vacation? In three straightforward steps, you could be on your way to finding your dream job. Now, this does mean you will have to devote some vacation time and mental focus to the task at hand, but we think it will pay off!
1. Determine your strengths
You might think you already know what things you excel at, but oftentimes those are actually the things you enjoy doing. There might be certain jobs you’ve held in your career that you haven’t enjoyed, but you excelled in the position. To determine your strengths, sift back through emails, cards, and letters that colleagues or supervisors wrote to you praising your successes or not-so-successful endeavors. Be honest with yourself, and assess which of your skill sets stand out in these comments; the good, the bad and the ugly. Not only will this give you an understanding of your most appreciated talents and insight into what you need to work on, it prepares you to answer the age-old interview question, “What do you consider your top three strengths?”
If you could use some outside help determining your strengths, and it’s been awhile since you’ve taken a Myers-Briggs test, you can take a “StrengthsQuest” talent assessment. You can purchase an access code for $9.99 here and use the tool that higher education institutions across the nation are using to help their students assess which of the 34 talents they most closely align with.
2. Define your idea of success
If you’re going through this exercise, there’s likely something about your current role or career path that is unfulfilling to you. No one’s idea of success is identical. What is your idea of success and fulfillment? Did you enter your industry or role because it would give you financial freedom? Is it all it’s cracked up to be, or are you finding that less compensation might offer you other things in your life that are currently missing? Is your role focused on the greater good, and you’re making a difference in the world? Is the impact you feel like you’re making fulfilling, or would you like your career to focus on finding some financial freedom? Is the amount of vacation time you have each year the most important piece of achieving your ideal work/ life balance? Whatever your ideas of success look like, choose a career/industry/role/company that will support your ideals and give you a chance to reach your version of feeling successful.
3. Choose a goal
In step one, you figured out what you’re strengths are. In step two, you figured out what your idea of success looks like. Step three involves choosing a goal that will lead you to your new career path. Schedule an appointment with a career counselor or coach to figure out how you can link your strengths toward achieving your version of success. With their advice, start determining which career will best match your goals. Once you’ve chosen a career/industry/role/company to pursue, start talking to your network. Line up informational interviews to learn about your selected career, and start working toward your goal of changing your career path.
If you’re feeling like your summer vacation is not the time or the place to think about such a serious topic, imagine how great you’ll feel if you return from vacation with a game plan in place that starts you down the path to finding your version of success. Now go on vacation and find your career!