When working with career transition clients I am often barraged by their  list of “non-negotiables”. This includes the industries that they will work in, what salary is acceptable, hours and locations desirable, and what they are willing to take on as responsibilities in a new job. This information is helpful in deciding whether they would like to take a position that has been offered to them, but it is not helpful in discovering what they should be searching for in a new career. In other words, it is “putting the cart before the horse”.

I help professionals in transition sort out what they have both enjoyed most and excelled in, in order to be able to decipher which careers are available and easily attainable. This is a simple problem-solving exercise but it becomes complicated when job market, job opportunities, personal branding, interviewing methods, and other factors are unknown in the process. The individual would have to research all of this, and THEN figure out how to go about finding their new career position. I am not sure why professionals take on this market research task since it is not usually something that they have done recently. Shopping commodities is one thing, but it is not usually easy to be objective about things that are so close to your psyche. In other words, even if you were a doctor, would you operate on yourself?

In navigating this problem-solving exercise, you need a consultant to guide you and show you the way. Being talented, motivated, intelligent, and market savvy, will aid you in the process of reaching your goal; once someone else has put together a road map or a plan. Do you really want to waste any more time now that you have decided to make a change? Don’t lose momentum or courage by trying and failing. “Don’t jump from the frying pan into the fire.” Have a career consultant help you to find the right job, not just a different one.