Today I received an email from Eric (not his real name). Eric has been an operations and marketing manager for many years. Unfortunately, he was laid off and he is now looking for new job.
That already isn’t an easy task, but as a multi-potentialite, it can be very complicated to find the job you really want. I’m sure many of you can relate to Eric’s story. Below you can read Eric’s email, modified to make it shorter and to preserve his privacy.
“Hello Dear Nickita,
Thank you for all your valuable articles and you sharing them with us is an amazing opportunity to know the way you think and how hard work it takes you to put all thoughts into one article and how hard you research to get to those thoughts.
Since January 2016 I was laid off from my job as operations and marketing manager.
Since then, I’m dreading to go back to the sales field. I invested my time in reading, writing some ideas and going to the beach to refresh my soul again. I also searched for a job, with no hope so far.
Why am I telling you this? Because, as a multi-potentialite I could not find something of interest to me anymore. What is your opinion? I could not take a decision about anything I love to do. You ask me why? I might be having the answer inside of me and I don’t know it yet. But I need your help to have a second opinion. Have you been in such a situation? or someone else you know?
Appreciated
Eric (not his real name)”
Let’s take a closer look
Eric, you are not alone! Many multi-potentialites have been or are still going through this. And yes, I have been there too and I also know a few people who have been in this situation too.
Let’s take a closer look at Eric’s situation: Eric has been an operations and marketing manager for many years. Actually this is a perfect job for a multi-potentialite because it’s large and general enough to have lots of possibilities: You can change sector, you can change product, look for a bigger team to manage, go into the direction of digital marketing, TV marketing, printed press or a mix of it all.
The only problem is that Eric was clear that he doesn’t want to do this job anymore and that’s fine. He didn’t tell me why; If it was because of the job itself, office politics, a conflict with upper management, unreasonable objectives or because it just became plain boring.
Eric also sounds a bit discouraged. Is all hope gone of finding a job? Of course not! There are lots of opportunities. You always have to keep being positive, believe in yourself and your capabilities.
There are jobs everywhere. The question is just finding the right one and that brings us to the biggest of all multi-potentialite problems: Finding out what you love to do and of everything you love to do, what interest to choose as a career?
A step by step solution
1) The first step is to get to know yourself better.
To do this, you can take different personality tests. An interesting one is “16 Personalities” which is a scientifically serious personality test, with simple questions and it’s available for free.
You can also create a Johari window for yourself. How to do that? Check out my blog post “Use this pro technique to discover personality traits you didn’t know you had”. You will need the help of your friends and relatives to give you feedback. They will tell you what you are already doing spontaneously.
2) Try to get the “big picture”
Try to figure out what is important in your life and create your inspiring personal vision statement. You want to be sure that your new job is aligned with your personal vision.
3) More specifically for your career, figure out what your career or motivation anchors are (expertise, security, freedom, prestige, entrepreneurship, etc.).
To find out, you can take this free online work values test.
Career specific steps
4) Make a list of all high level activities that you love to do, activities that you are good at and professional roles and responsibilities that you like. Be as general as possible.
If it is difficult or you don’t find a lot of ideas, then look at what you loved doing in the past and at your successes in the past, or look at what you’re spontaneously doing in your spare time.
5) See if you can combine those activities, roles and responsibilities in a job.
Note that for a job, the world must need it and people must be willing to pay for it.
Find your IKIGAI. That means the combination of what you love to do, are good at, what the world needs and people want to pay for. To do this you can also read my article “Does your next project deserve to get a place in your passions portfolio?”.
Make a list of possible jobs you would be able to do and that are aligned with your Ikigai and your personal vision. If you find it difficult to come up with ideas, invite your friends and relatives for a brainstorming session.
6) Then follow the normal path of
- Creating your CV aimed at the job you want to do. You should never lie, but you can emphasise tasks that you have done following the requirements of the job you’re looking for.
- Find job opportunities (local newspaper, recruiting agencies, job sites, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Prepare for your interviews
- Believe in yourself and your capabilities!
Eric, you have been in marketing and this is the moment to market yourself as a valuable employee!
I hope I could help you and everyone else who is currently initiating a career change. Note that it doesn’t need to be a complete change. You can make smaller changes which is always easier that one big radical 180 degrees change.
Hey Eric, I wish you a lot of success and please keep me posted on how it goes. And for other people, if you find yourself in a similar situation or you have tips and advice for Eric, please write a comment below.
Your view?
