Employment, at its most basic level, represents a need for both people who are now employed and those who are looking for work. Many people's need is linked to a source of money, and for those who are unemployed, it becomes a necessity, reducing the degree of perceived selectivity when weighing available possibilities. To put it another way, the first (or any) job that comes along may be accepted regardless of whether it is the best option. If it was not the best choice, the search for a better employment begins or continues. That's why many of the resumes I've seen as a resume writer include a list of temporary jobs.
This is also related to a trend I've noticed, in which many of my resume customers focus more on the jobs they've held or are seeking for currently, rather than the progression of their entire career. When a job becomes a profession, there appears to be some ambiguity. I've helped my clients adopt a new perspective and consider positions in terms of how they fit into a long-term career goal. When someone can improve their attitude and self-belief in their career and the jobs they've held, they may transform their attitude and self-confidence, making them a lot stronger job prospect regardless of the amount of available chances.
What is the definition of a job?
Because employment is first and foremost a personal requirement, it is all too simple to concentrate just on that job and the conditions encountered. A job may be something a person takes out of necessity and expects will improve over time, but if the working conditions are terrible or the job requires a skill level far below what has previously been achieved, the individual may feel imprisoned. As a career counselor, I've seen some people develop a sense of helplessness and resignation as time passes at a position where there appears to be no way out. Some of my clients have been in the same job for a long time, and their self-esteem has deteriorated to the point that it shows in the tone of their communication and their demeanor.
The first step is to influence people's perceptions of who a person is as a potential applicant based on their current or prior work. That's also a problem with chronologically structured resumes: the focus is on what the person is doing right now rather than taking a long picture of his or her career. Even if they've only had one long-term employment, everyone is a summary of all the jobs they've had. A job, or a sequence of occupations, is part of a larger picture called a person's career plan.
What is the definition of a profession?
Every job a person has held has helped them grow their career, and they have gained information, skills, and talents as a result of those positions. This is why I take a different approach to resume writing and focus on the abilities that a person possesses and can transfer to the next job they seek. It shifts the focus away from the current employment, encouraging recruiters and hiring managers to take a deeper look at their résumé. A chronological resume demands someone to examine each position and try to determine or estimate what talents a person possesses, which may not be possible in a competitive employment market. I have to help them see their positions in connection to their total career, professional objectives, and career plan before I can improve the format of their resume.
A career is sometimes associated with and defined as an occupation, which a person can have one of throughout their life, multiple times, or change as their interests change. I've worked as an educator, writer, CV writer, career coach, and the list goes on. While I've had a variety of job titles, the work I've done is all tied to my professions in some way. A career entails cultivating a long-term perspective and approaching each job from the standpoint of what has been learnt and the abilities that have been developed or acquired. Even if the work offers nothing new or challenging, it demonstrates that a person is ready to search new employment or a new occupation.
For example, regardless of my job title, teaching and leading people has always been a part of my profession. I transitioned from a corporate training and development manager to an academic environment where I was responsible for leading and growing professors as well as teaching students rather than business personnel. Every job I've had has been evaluated in terms of how it adds to my career, regardless of whether it was ideal, imperfect, beneficial, or temporary. This means I don't have to dwell on a job that was unsatisfactory since I'm focused on the larger picture and what I can do to advance my career and occupation (s).
Choosing a Career Path
You will see instant benefits if you can shift your perspective on your career, even if you plan to change your occupation at some point. Even if you are currently working in the least desired circumstances, developing a long-term perspective will help you feel in charge of your career. You begin to focus on the talents and information you possess and are continuing to grow, rather than seeing a job or series of jobs as having no worth or as a failure of some sort. The stages below can assist you in establishing a professional focus.
Step 1: Identify your current position.
If you're constantly changing jobs and don't have a clear pattern for the positions you choose, it's a good idea to sketch out a wider picture of what you want to do with your career. It may be easier to define your occupation if you have been in the same work for a long time or have held multiple related positions. It's also feasible that certain jobs define a person's profession. Teaching, for example, is both a job and an occupation, despite the fact that there are other education-related jobs that a teacher can pursue.
Step two is to create a vision statement.
It's time to write a vision statement for your career now that you've written a description of the occupation you're currently working in. This does not imply that you must detail your plans for the next 20 years or that you must choose a specific vocation. However, think about what you want to achieve in the long run. Are there several sorts or tiers of jobs within your profession that you can progress to as you obtain more knowledge and/or skills?
Step #3: Create a short- and long-term career strategy.
After you've created a vision statement, you may design a career plan, which will help you transform your thinking and gain control over your career right away. As a career counselor, I've found that this helps many of my clients overcome feelings of helplessness in their jobs, even if they don't have any immediate options to consider. A career plan entails setting short- and long-term objectives that are aligned with your vision. While this does not imply that it must be a defined strategy that cannot be changed or updated, it does provide a beginning place from which to work, which fosters a proactive mindset.
Step 4: Establish Job-Related Milestones
After establishing a career plan, I urge my clients to create job-related milestones to help them stay on track with their goals and vision. If a short-term goal is to build new abilities in order to advance in a specific occupation, a milestone could be a 90-day check-in to see if those skills are being acquired. If those abilities aren't learned, the next steps can include requesting different tasks on the job, looking for other roles within the same organization, or looking for a new job if the current employment has reached the point where it no longer provides long-term value. These anniversaries serve as reminders and opportunities to reflect on your career goal to see if any changes need to be made.
Step #5: Conduct a Continuous Self-Assessment of Skills and Knowledge.
When I first ask my clients to define their current abilities and expertise, I frequently get a response that sounds very much like a job description for their current position. You'll have a pretty decent notion of the knowledge and skills required to advance in this occupation once you've formed a career goal and a long-term vision of it. You can use this as a way to assess your current abilities and knowledge. It also aids you in determining what you have acquired or may gain from your current position. Every job you've had during your career has contributed to what you have now, and you should keep that in mind when you assess what you have and what you still need.
Step #6: Make a plan for your professional development.
It's not uncommon for people to sign up for classes, workshops, or seminars without thinking about how they'll apply them to their careers. You will find that utilizing these types of developing chances as a means of furthering your career and being strategic in your time investment selections will be far more advantageous. You might have a position that demands professional development, which could entail attending workshops or seminars that don't seem relevant or required. It's still feasible, however, that you'll learn something or, at the very least, develop a professional connection with someone in your field. Establishing professional chances as part of your strategy and include it in your list of career or job-related milestones is beneficial for the development of your occupation and career.
When you can look at your career from the above perspective, you'll be able to transfer your focus from your current employment to your entire profession and the goals you've set for yourself. You will find that this gives your profession greater meaning, and as milestones and goals are achieved, you will build a sense of self-empowerment for your work and self-actualization. When you decide to shift professions or occupations, you will be able to speak to potential employers with confidence in your abilities and talents since you will be presenting your career as a set of capabilities and transferable skills rather than a requirement for a position. A person who has a clear sense of self and has a professional plan and goals is a far stronger applicant. A job does not become a career; rather, it is a component of an occupation that evolves over time and with a strategy.
