One simple tip for getting clear on career

No matter what changes in the economy and job market, you still get to choose what it is YOU want in your career.

I teach my Leading Successful Change students a detailed and ultra-powerful NLP process for setting an inspiring and empowering career vision for the future. Because they have me guiding them, they’re ready to do that and I can hold space for them and provide ideas, insights, and feedback. But for you now, doing this on your own, I recommend we keep it a bit simpler because if you’re thinking about your career future you may be fretting, “I don’t know what I want to do!”

Introducing: the Career Shopping List. 

The Career Shopping List doesn’t just focus on the new job or career you want, it also plots out the type of work life you want to lead. Rather than get overwhelmed on the what, you can help balance that with the how. I’ve taught this simple process to Year 6 students – 11-year-old and 12-year-old girls! If they could do it, you can, too! 

List your preferences

I’d like to know: what do you want? Let’s brainstorm your dream job. Brainstorm against each category below or add your own:

Career: What profession or career do you want to work in? (Hint: it’s ok if you don’t know – leave this blank!)

Industry: What industry or industries do you want to work in?

Location: What geographical location or locations would you like to work – city, state, country?

Remote: What remote working culture would you like to work in – in office only, hybrid with some days in office/some days at home, home office only, or flexible?

Commute: How long would your commute be? Would you even have a commute?

Office: What type of office or work location would you like to work in? What does it look like? How would you describe it? What is the light and the space like? What facilities are around or nearby?

Desk: What would your desk or workspace look like and be like? What kinds of materials, colours, and items are there?

Type of work: What type of work do you want to do? What skills would you use, or tasks would you complete?

Leader: What kind of leader would you like to have? Gender, age, personality? What would their qualities be? What would their leadership style be? Or are you the boss?

Team: What kind of team members would you like to work with? What qualities would your colleagues have? What interpersonal or social aspects would you enjoy when working with them? Or do you work alone – a lone wolf?

Stakeholders: What kind of stakeholders, clients, or customers would you like to work with (if relevant)?

Pay: What would your pay be – your salary or your daily/hourly rate? Don’t overthink this. You may see/hear/feel a number – write it down! It’s your unconscious mind telling you the answer. Be sure to state that this excludes superannuation (or your country’s mandated retirement contributions) or any other government-mandated benefits like paid leave or health insurance in some countries – these aren’t benefits, they are requirements!

Days: How many days a week would you work? Which days? (Side note: your pay should not be prorated. Your salary preference should be the whole of what you earn, regardless of how many days you work!)

Hours: How many hours a day would you work? What would your usual start time and end time be?

Bonus: Would you be eligible for a bonus? If so, how much? This could be a dollar amount or a percentage of your salary or a company revenue measure. 

Financial benefits: Would there be any other financial benefits such as employee share plans, discounts, free products, novated leases, extra superannuation contributions, etc.?

Non-financial benefits: Are there any other non-financial benefits you’d like? This could be gym memberships, free fruit on site, company parties, end-of-trip facilities like showers, lockers, and change rooms, etc.

Other: Anything else that you’d like to add or include in your Career Shopping List.

Brainstorm as much as you can – try and put at least one answer in each category. As you fill out more and more, you’ll get your desire juices flowing and get clearer on what you want.

How you write your Career Shopping List is completely up to you. You could write one-word bullet points, or expand into sentences, like:

• I want to work three days from the office, two days at home.
• I only want to work four days a week (at full pay).
• My minimum salary expectation is x dollars, excluding superannuation (which is added on top).
• I’d love a career where I get to be creative.
• I want to lead people through meaningful change.

Brainstorm as many things as you can, with at least one entry for each category – the more you put down, the more focus you’ll give the universe (and your own psychology!) in bringing those things to you.

Your non-negotiables

Finally, we want to hone in on what’s really important. You might have a very long list of preferences and things you’d like, which is great. But when push comes to shove, what won’t you budge on? These are your “deal-breakers” or “non-negotiables”. Scan your preferences and put an asterisk against 3-5 of your preferences that must be met. Your preferences are flexible. But your non-negotiables? They are must-haves. Only pick 3-5 – it’s important to prioritise and focus on what you won’t budge on, because the universe may bring you jobs and opportunities that you’ve never considered, thought about, or even knew existed (like me when I found out about Change Management!).

Your goals may change

You might find some resistance starting to pop up with setting your preferences and non-negotiables. You might be worried you’ll get it wrong, you’re asking for too much, or you don’t know if that’s what you really want. Hang your perfectionist hat up, take a deep breath, and just put something down in each category. It’s ok for your preferences and non-negotiables to change over time. My Coach Matt Catling used to say, “Clarity doesn’t come upfront. It comes when you’re on the journey.” Only when you’ve started moving and taking action can you discover what you really want for your future. So, for today, write something down so you at least have a starting point.

If you’re struggling with this exercise and you’re not sure which path to take in future, come join my free Futureproof Your Career Challenge Workshop on tomorrow Wednesday 17 September. 

This one-hour game-changing workshop will be held live, giving you the opportunity to interact and ask questions along the way. So whether you’ve recently lost your job, the future of your role is uncertain, or you dream of successfully changing careers and earning your worth, this workshop is the perfect next step to prepare yourself and proactively shape your professional destiny. 

Register ASAP for tomorrow’s Futureproof Your Career Challenge Workshop

The worksheet and Zoom link have already been sent out, so we’re all stations go for the live workshop tomorrow.

See you there!

Lata xx