There was a popular series in the USA called Beyond the Glory that chronicled the lives of legendary sports superstars. Many of these athletes made significant contributions to their respective sports. But at the same time, some stayed in the game well past their prime. Some of the best athletes in the world knew when to leave the game and adapt their skills and experiences to a new career. While others stayed in too long and suffered irreparable damage to their bodies...and personal brand.
How is this relevant for Job Seekers? Whether you are currently employed or not, you need to know when to leave the game. Always doing what made you successful is not a formula for continued success. The world changes too quickly to simply try to "copy and paste" your skills into a new job. You'll need much more flexibility than that my dear job seekers. It can be a humbling experience to know that the very skills you built your career on are no longer valued by the market. But don't despair! Adapt!! Who says you have to be a dinosaur? At a minimum, follow the three easy steps below to get yourself back on the road to success.
Step 1: Go back to the drawing board and realign your passions and know-how with the new realities of the job market. This may require some additional formal training but oftentimes it only requires that you "self-educate" by joining professional associations, reading industry/skill-specific materials, and spending some time discussing your career options with trusted friends/family. Notice, I said realign your "passions" and not "experiences". Sometimes you can't realign your work experiences to the market but passion have no such boundaries. Discover your true passion and find out how to channel that energy into your career choice. Understand the motivating factors behind your passion and the feelings they give you. And then look for ways that you can use the skills that motivate you and ignite your passion to meet job market demands."Know thyself" first and you'll have a much easier time in getting others to know how you can be an asset to them.
Step 2: Target the customers/clients (employers) who are most likely to value someone with your unique abilities. This will definitely require some work but it is worth it! Think about extending the personal brand you've built in your past experiences into other venues. Companies do this all the time. Apple didn't start out as a mobile phone company. But they sure are making a lot of money in that business! They were able to extend the brand they built over the years as an innovative company into multiple areas. How do you do this? Market research. You have to get out there and find people similar to you who have repositioned themselves into new careers. This can be done very easily via LinkedIn or any social networking website that allows you to do keyword searches on their members. Once you find people with backgrounds similar to yours who have repositioned their careers, reach out to them and learn from them. And then you can start building your own path.
Step 3: Give it away, give it away, give it away now! Like the popular song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers says. But in this third step, I mean for you to give away your passion for free. That's right, I said free! Think of it as the free product/service samples that companies give to prospective consumers. Sometimes people need a little taste of the goods before they commit to a purchase. Don't be afraid to offer your services for "free" BEFORE you can offer them for a "fee". Volunteering your time and services to an organization that will put you in front of prospective clients/employers would be very smart and will pay dividends down the road. Many professionals get their lucky break when doing something for free. Just make sure that your volunteer work is aligned with your passion so that it is truly a part of your core. People will quickly take notice and you'll find that many doors will be opened to your new career path!
So there you have it. Three steps to put you on your career path beyond the glory. So what are you waiting for? Get started today! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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