Landing That Career

Many people are fond of giving the advice to “look for a career, not a job.” Now, looking back at your job search, it is time to take that advice seriously and apply your skills and experience to a position that can take your career to the next level. Here are some ideas for transitioning your job search into a career search.

1. Consider retirement. When you’re searching for a job after a long stretch of unemployment it is difficult to see as far into the future as your retirement. Most Americans today expect to retire somewhere in their late 60s so that can be a very long time to be a part of the work force. Planning long term for your career rather than taking a series of unrelated jobs will put you in a better position to retire on your own terms.
2. Conflicting plans. After you accept a job you believe fits into your long term career plan you still have a lot of work to do. You don’t need to be aggressive or create office conflicts but you need to know that your boss might have a very different idea of where they see you fitting into the company long term. It is up to you to prove that you have what it takes to end up where you want to be.
3. Salary considerations. Money seems to be the biggest motivating factor in the job search. It is easy to allow your long term plans to be derailed because of an opportunity to make more money doing something else. It is important to stay flexible and understand that just because a job pays more money it may not be a good fit with your long term goals.
4. Find a mentor. It is important to have a cheerleader on your side throughout your career. You should seek out someone who has been a part of the field for some time and develop a professional friendship. You will learn about their career path and what it took for them to get where you want to be. You may even chose to surround yourself with multiple professionals who can be resources for you along the way.

Is it time to transition your job search into a career search? Contact the recruiters at Harvard Resource Solutions to see how we can help you find the right jobs in Troy MI.