Re-focus

To continue in the same train of thought:

"If a captain does not know the destination, for his ship any wind will be wrong"
~unknown

and 

Alice: Can you tell me which path I should take?
Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to go!
Alice: I don't really know.
Cheshire Cat: Then, clearly, any path will do!
~Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll

Enjoy!
Keltie Creed

Why Chose?

Some of the workshops I facilitate are for clients referred for career decision making (CDM) tools such as the Strong Interest Inventory.  Recently one participant was quite resentful that her referring employment counsellor felt that a decision had to be made.  She was an experienced worker with a varied background and she did not want to commit to focusing on any specific type of work. She felt that choosing only one would hamper and limit her.

Although I encouraged her to discuss her feelings with her counsellor and find out why s/he thought it would be useful for her to go through this process, when I put it in the context of job search it began to make more sense to her.  Another participant had been a manager and stated that she never hired people who said they would "do anything", that it was a red flag that the person would likely be uncommitted.

When I used the analogy of catching 2 rabbits (see previous post), the client seemed to "get it".  She saw that it would be more effective, and a better use of her time to focus on a specific type of work, even if only for one day or one job posting at a time.

"One never goes as far as when one doesn't know where one is going."
~ Goethe

Enjoy!
Keltie Creed

Focus

Phrases I hear daily are "I just want a job" or "I'll do anything."  Kudos for motivation and willingness to be flexible, but not the most useful approach to job search.  They often don't realize that employers usually prefer someone who has experience AND interest in the specific task that they are hiring for, not "anything". Being a team member and willing to take on anything requested of them is different from saying that they will take any job.  Care about the specific job, then add the flexibility.

"If you try to catch two rabbits, both will escape."
~ proverb

Enjoy!
Keltie Creed