During times of recessions or a fresh graduate from university can be anxious/overwhelming times without the support and help of others. Figuring out where your passion lies and what you want to do with the rest of your life can seem like a daunting process. Everyone has a starting point. No matter what that starting point looks like, you have to start from somewhere. If you’re lucky enough to land a foot in the door, here are some things that can help you navigate the career world.
One piece of advice I was given was from a former colleague of mine when deciding how to go about finding the right placement within a company.
· Set up a one on one with your direct manager and talk about the different options within your career development. For example, if you’re in financial services and work in operations, discuss with your manager other business units that he or she can provide some insight on
· Reach out via email to individuals within several different business units and respectfully ask to shadow them for a day to see what a day in their shoes is like. (FYI – speaking to that person in a meeting or one on one is not helpful. Rather ask them if you can basically follow them around for a day so you can get an overall feel for the job duties. This will give you a more realistic point of view and will help you to make your decision much easier)
· Take notes!! At the end of the shadowing, go to a quiet room or coffee shop and literally write down all of the things you liked from the shadowing experience and all of the things that you did not like. Take into account the general overall picture. Don’t worry too much of the details of the job as all jobs come with duties that will excite you and duties that will not excite you
· Get a feel for the team. Team bonding and team interaction is crucial. This will make you or break you in some cases. Granted it’s hard to get an in depth feel for the team environment by just meeting them for a day or so, but gather them together within the week that you are shadowing the person and see if they would be interested in happy hour or an informal gathering after working hours. This will also give you a better sense of what the team interaction will be like
· Don’t settle! If the work appears to be not challenging as you would have thought or the job duties are not up to your expectations, reevaluate your thought process. Only by speaking to someone and watching them perform the job duties will you get a better sense of the position at hand. Maybe it involves more manual labor that you thought and will save you from going down this path.
Focus. Focus. Focus. Deciding on a career path is definitely not an easy one. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us want to be set up with a financially sounds future. One piece of advice my track coach always said…It’s not about the race. It’s about the journey getting from one point to the next and the lessons learned in between.
