Never Apply for a Job Again!: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest (15 page)

CareerGuy Tip: Ask yourself: Am I worthy of having a vision?

A vision could include anything from creating a smoother workflow process for greater productivity on a production line to entertaining a game-changing and innovative idea that turns an industry upside down. A vision could impact only those involved in a certain process or function of a specialized field, or could have multiple impacts spanning companies, industries, or even world trade.

So, before you bag your current gig altogether, given that you currently know a little bit about a little bit, explore some “How about…” and “What if we…” and “Why can’t this…” questions that really pique your interest. Sometimes the “mastery” of a field requires reinventing the field for yourself, and your reason for being in it.

Just as a marriage or other relationship needs attention, creativity, and fresh perspective to make it vital and fulfilling, a career can often call for some romantic dates, growth experiences, and
even renewing of vows. Sometimes you need to remind yourself of what got you there in the first place, go back to those core desires—underneath the blasé busy-ness than has had your nose too close to the ground—and see if there is a way to reinvent the passionate intrigue that got you into that steady relationship originally.

You owe it to yourself to explore profession(al) relationship counseling if that is what’s truly in order.

CareerGuy Tip: Ask yourself: Is my current career worth saving? Is there a chance for renewed sugar and spice?

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you consider if this romance is worth saving. Take a few minutes to explore…

1. How did I end up doing what I do right now anyway? Was it due to a conscious choice, or simply a fluke? Had I put much thought into it beforehand, or was it something that just fell in my lap?

2. Did I ever really enjoy it? Did I once enjoy it, but now it seems the honeymoon is over? Do I still really enjoy it passionately?

3. What is it that appealed to me about it initially? What kept my interest? What aspects of this work/industry/profession still truly appeal to me?

4. Are there elements at the cutting edge of my current field that fascinate me? If so, what are they?

5. What ideas have occurred to me, perhaps only in passing, for making my line of work more efficient, enjoyable, farther-reaching, trendy, impactful, or game-changing?

6. If I could be more at the forefront of new ideas and innovations affecting my current field, what would I want to participate in?

7. If I could play at these broader-vision levels, would I like to stay in this industry?

8. Are there lines of work related to what I currently do that have areas of intrigue or fascination for me, in which my current associated industry knowledge could be an asset?

9. How do I see my current knowledge impacting what I would like to do in that related area, and what do I need to and want to know more about?

10. Am I really kidding myself? Am I only considering reviving a dead vocation because I’m afraid to go out and research brand-new areas of interest? Am I simply planning to make do, doing the same old same old, because I think I’m locked in, I’m too old to make a total career shift, or I’m a proponent of the old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” (If yes to any of these questions, [Buzzer Sound]! No pass! Go back and really work the Freebird and Classifieds exercises. You don’t get to wimp out on being the most useful and alive for yourself—much less humanity—because of your fear!)

Investing some quality time in yourself by engaging in these exercises should evoke ideas, insights, and inquiries that get your heart pumping a little faster…or break up the flatline if it has stopped beating altogether.

At a minimum, you should be able to arrive at three to five possibilities for interested inquiry. Once you’ve isolated those areas of passionate interest, write out 20 questions you want answers to in each subject. That shouldn’t be hard at all because you’re authentically interested in this stuff, remember?!

N
OW, TO
B
ECOME
Q
UESTION-ABLE

A few potential areas for interest exploration and possible questions based on the previous Classifieds Exercise might be:

Again, notice that this isn’t an exact science. Yet, the inner ideas and fascinations illuminated by the Classifieds Exercise gives you a jumping-off point for lots of inquiries into these areas.

The previous possible lines of questioning are just a few to be mined from the full palette of career colors that arose through the exercise. Notice that one line of inquiry is based on an industry segment (wellness industry), another explores a role to fulfill (business development), and another is focused on an element of duties and responsibilities to fulfill (travel). There’s easily another 15 questions to ask in each area, and many more areas that could be mined out of the results of the overall Classifieds Exercise. Add this plethora of inquiries to those developed from the Freebird and Resparking Exercises, and you have a huge reason to be out talking to people! You become a very “question-able” person!

NOTE: For even more help with identifying your particular Sweet Spot, see a special eBook that delves into greater detail,
Finding the S Spot
, at
www.CareerGuy.com
.

CareerGuy Tip: You have lots of reasons for being question-able with people!

Now, your job is simply to get ready to go out and talk to people in those areas of interest.

Remember, first and foremost, that you are seeking answers only because you’re fascinated by the subject: not because you need a job. And, believe me, if you approach your meetings completely for this reason, you’ll meet more people and actually create inroads into otherwise foreign territory simply by your passionate interest.

Principle #4: You Can Never Have too Much Information, and the Higher the Altitude, the Better

How many folks do you know who went to law school but never practiced law? How about people who invested years in an MBA, PhD, or even ministerial school who then went in a completely different direction? There’s nothing wrong with that from an overall growth perspective: We all expand from every experience, and learning even for the sake of learning alone is admirable and worthwhile.

But, if you’re interested in zeroing in on your Sweet Spot in the most time-efficient way, and would like to actually see income arise from that Sweet Spot, then you can never have too much information…and the time to get it is
before
you commit energy, money, or working hours to some particular career pursuit.

Have you ever had a job, or worked for a particular company, when you wish you had found out more about it
before
you took the job? Many of us have. The problem is, when you interview overtly, it’s all about looking good, answering the interviewer’s questions correctly, and doing whatever it takes to have the company hire you. Sounds like desperate dating, right?

When you are so transfixed on selling yourself rather than getting information about a direction or industry you are considering, you miss out on a lot—and sometimes pick bad bedfellows. There’s often no way to get the full skinny through overt search. Lack of full information is a natural downfall of the traditional, overt-search beast. You’re competing for the job, you feel lucky that they picked you to interview, you don’t want to make waves by being pushy for more information…and so the overt-search world turns.

CareerGuy Tip: Overt search generally lacks full information. A stealth approach is
all about
information.

Compare this to a stealth approach. When you meet people based on your enthusiastic interests, completely structured around your research projects and the things you want to know, you can ask anything!

“So, what stinks about this industry?” “When are the days you would just rather pull the covers over your head?” “What trends are threatening this field?” All of those and more fit perfectly into a research project. Plus, operating this way
allows you to garner much more information than you ever would through the traditional, “Please hire me!” job interview model. Again, you can never have too much information—so that’s what you want to focus on obtaining.

When going out into the world of people who don’t currently know you from Adam, for an effective stealth approach, you want to seek information and guidance from folks at least two levels higher than your own corporate or skill level. Someone at your own level would not be the best first contact for research, if you can avoid it. Higher “altitude” impacts attitude, aptitude, and amplitude.