Teams

As a career practitioner, I have mixed feelings about this announcement.  Reducing the cost burden to the individual on learning and increasing the number of domestic places is a positive but law, commerce and humanities students will pay the price.    Scaling the cost of courses tied to a prediction of future workforce requirements (which can only be a guesstimate in this VUCA world) demonstrates a narrow form of decision-making that doesn’t do justice to our complex systems.  I can totally appreciate the rationale for making degrees more accessible when they lead to careers where there is a current or predicted shortage of workers but I fear for the implications this will have.  At Strategic Career Management, we believe that people will thrive both personally and professionally when they choose a career that is well-matched to their strengths, motivated skills, interests and longer-term ambitions.  That is not a career choice based only on the logic of  “cheap to achieve and likely to get a job”.  The move to play with course fees, combined with the government’s other Job Maker initiatives and the way these are being communicated, has the risk of encouraging people to make life shaping decisions based on very narrow criteria.  Some may argue that if we work on the premise that ‘you’re capable of anything if you work hard enough’, where’s the problem?  Our experience working with clients over the last 10 years indicates people should proceed with caution;  career choices based only logical reasons such as convenience, pay, ease of achievement, career prospects etc can make for a difficult journey ahead with people often under-performing due to lack of natural motivation and fit for their chosen field, leading to stress and mental health issues, relationship difficulties and general dissatisfaction at work.  This isn’t always evident in the early years, but by mid-life it has well and truly taken it’s toll.

At Strategic Career Management we will continue to support people to make well-rounded decisions that are appropriate for them as an individual, ensuring that logical reasons are only one piece of the jigsaw when it comes to deciding career path.  If you have the opportunity to influence someone close to you, we ask that you actively encourage them to do the same.

It’s interesting how we can find metaphors for career counselling everywhere…

I was leaving my father’s house after our weekly dinner gathering in early January and the vast flock of corellas was settling noisily down for the night in the trees in the part opposite.  Then something flew by my head.  At first, I thought it was a piece of rubbish but when it landed above me on a low hanging branch, I realized it was a wiero (cockatiel)!  It was beautiful – white and grey pearl and very tame.

She must have been mixing it with the big guys for a while – but was out of her depth and seemed to want something else.

We were easily able to get her down from the tree – she seemed to be inviting the contact – and I bought her home.

We cleaned out a disused cage and set her up for the night with some food and water.  She was delightful the way she called as we left the room and enjoyed sitting on our hands.

I’d have been keen to keep her, as she was an absolute joy, but my son suggested that we place an advertisement in the local lost and found group to see if we could find her owner.

The following night, after work, that’s just what I did.  Low and behold, within 45 minutes Ariel’s original owner had made contact.  It turned out that Ariel had been missing since early October last year – three months in total!

We were able to return her to her owner and she spent the night sleeping on her chest, just like the old days!

As I was reflecting on these strange events, that brought Arial to me and then saw her returned to her owner, I realized it’s pretty much the same process that we use with our career counselling clients.

First, the client – motivated for change – finds us.  We listen, ask questions and encourage them to feel comfortable and be brave.  Then we support them, dig a little and work with them to uncover their ideal role or direction and we help them identify the best path toward their goals.

It’s a bit of a midwifing service, with the career consultant as the conduit through which the magic happens.

I felt really pleased to be able to reconnect Ariel with her loving owner and it’s the same feeling I enjoy with each and every client I work with.

If you’re feeling lost and tracking with the wrong crowd, consider making contact with our career counsellors.  We’d love to help you uncover your right path toward a career and role that is satisfying and where your strengths and talents will be valued.

Article originally posted on abc.net.au.

What’s the worst piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?

For two friends of mine, it was “don’t ever admit you were wrong” and “don’t ask for help — it shows weakness and an inability to do your job independently”.

Both are dubious suggestions, but they’re far from the worst examples of bad advice.

The Huffington Post recently reported women at an Ernst and Young leadership seminar in the US were told not to be too “shrill” and that they should look “healthy and fit”, with manicured nails. (The company says it’s no longer running the seminar, which was put together by an external provider.)

Curious for more examples of questionable guidance, I typed “worst career advice” into Twitter and found this doozy: “The secret to success in medicine is maximising the hours between 12am and 6am with productivity.”

Clearly, much of the above is terrible (or at least hugely misguided) advice. But when you’re young and new to the world of work, or deeply embedded in a particular work culture, it can be hard to tell.

We spoke to career coaches and management academics for tips on how to identify bad advice, and what to do when you get it.

How to identify bad work advice

Consider the advice-giver’s motivations, what motivates someone to give advice?

“It could be a genuine desire to help,” says Susan Ainsworth, a management professor at the University of Melbourne. “Or it could also be a desire to control others, and [be motivated by] self-interest.”

If someone is telling you what to do, or how to act, consider whether they have anything to gain if you follow their advice — and whether that gain equals your loss. “Really, the person should be impartial [because] they’re more likely to have your interests at heart,” Ms Ainsworth says.

Think about what you really need

When it comes to questions of career direction, Ms Ainsworth says “a lot of career advice assumes that people should want a position with more money or responsibility. [That] they should always go upwards”.

If someone is telling you what to do, or how to act, consider whether they have anything to gain if you follow their advice — and whether that gain equals your loss. “Really, the person should be impartial [because] they’re more likely to have your interests at heart,” Ms Ainsworth says.

Think about what you really need

When it comes to questions of career direction, Ms Ainsworth says “a lot of career advice assumes that people should want a position with more money or responsibility.

[That] they should always go upwards”.What if that’s not what you really want? Bad career advice is often too general and takes a cookie-cutter approach. “Or it’s just opinion,” says Helen Holan, a Perth-based career coach.

Good advice, she says, is usually:

• Tailored to the individual

• Unbiased and distanced from the giver’s own motives, beliefs, values or feelings

• Takes into consideration your values and goals — rather than trying to convince or tell you what to do

• Helps you challenge assumptions and see things from a range of perspectives.

Trust your gut instinct

“Often we do know what’s right [for us] and we just ignore that little voice, because we’re looking at other people’s advice as being the most sound,” says Melbourne-based career coach Kate James.

She uses meditation to help her clients tune into their core values and what their intuition is telling them. If you’re not up for meditating, perhaps make note of your reaction when you receive a piece of advice. Are you emotional? Angry? Confused? If so, it might be worth reflecting on why.

What to do when you receive bad career advice

If you’re up for it, ask questions

“I would ask — not in aggressive way — about how that person formed their advice,” says Ms Ainsworth.

“So questions like, ‘When did you realise that was a good thing to do?’ Ask about their own career, get them talking about themselves. Because that will tell you a lot about how to put their advice in context.”

Thank the person

“If we assume that people generally have good intentions, it would be dangerous to call them out [on the bad advice],” says Ms Holan. “Thank them for caring enough to want to give the advice, and say something to let them know that you’ll consider it.”

Consider getting impartial help

If you’re confused about what to do with the advice you’ve been given, have a think about your core values and goals. One option is to get a career coach. “[They] can be helpful because you’ve got someone impartial who’s working with you,” says Ms James.

If you go down that route, look for someone accredited with the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) or Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA).

Don’t beat yourself up

All of the experts we spoke to agreed no decision is perfect, and no decision is fully wrong. So if you follow what you later realise was bad advice, there’s still value in the experience. “You’ve learnt something about yourself, you’ve grown more confident in yourself, you’ve perhaps realised what you do want,” Ms Holan explains.

Take my friend who was told never to admit to a mistake, for example. He was just starting his career at the time, so he figured it was solid advice. “Later [I] realised that you can’t grow if you’re never wrong,” he tells me. “Your workplace has to let you make mistakes and if they don’t, go elsewhere.”

Better to learn a lesson late than never at all.

Author – Sana Qadar

ABC Life

Like any major life decision, deciding what you want to do (next) in your career can feel incredibly daunting. Whether you’re just entering the job market, considering a career change or simply stuck trying to decide between different job opportunities, there’s always that feeling of ‘what if I make the wrong decision?’, ‘what if there’s a better opportunity out there for me?’ and ‘where can I go for career change advice?’

While making career decisions may not be an easy task, it is definitely doable and unless you get serious about it those doubts will stay with you and can ultimately grind your career to a standstill. The following steps can help you get clarity on your options and make a career transition decision with confidence.

1. What do I want to do?

Finding work that you are passionate about is crucial to your happiness and success, so while answering the above question may seem like a task in itself, it’s absolutely crucial that you take the time to do it.

This is all about building your self-awareness so work on uncovering your strengths, skills, weaknesses, motivations, values and aspirations. Personality tests and career change counselling can help, but also look at your story to date: when were you most excited about going to work? What were you doing then? Don’t expect a definite answer to surface right away; instead, look out for patterns and focus on these.

2. What are my options?

Be clear on the options that are out there for you: read up about industries you’re interested in and check out job descriptions – what are the key requirements and day-to-day responsibilities? Go to job fairs; reach out to career coaching services; connect to people in your preferred role on LinkedIn or join industry-specific groups. Notice where your attention goes, but be realistic: do you have the skills and experience required? If there are gaps can you easily fill them?

3. Where can I go for advice?

A career change counsellor will provide individualized one-to-one discussions that deliver practical, professional career change guidance. Taking the time to discuss your options with a professional and build a career transition action plan is something you can do to give you the edge and point you in the right direction for your next career chapter.

4. Find overlap

The next step is to compare your list of options with your needs criteria. Most likely this will substantially reduce your list to just a few options. Dig a little deeper into these remaining few and try to get a feel for what’s involved in these jobs and whether you could see yourself doing them. To truly get the inside scoop you can try job shadowing, where you’ll follow around a professional as they go about their day at work and potential find a mentor who will offer further insights to your possible career transition. Volunteering can also be a great way to really test the waters in a certain role or industry.

5. Take the leap

You may come out of this process of elimination with several options left to choose from, or perhaps there’s only one that’s right or perhaps that one sounds right on paper, but you’re still not convinced. At this point it often comes down to a gut feeling. Ask yourself: does this decision feel right? Does it excite me? Can I see myself doing this? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, take a leap of faith and start researching specific employers to apply to.

Doubt is often a symptom of fear, so try to keep things in perspective. Many people think that one decision can set them on a course that they can’t change, but the opposite is true – you can always change your mind. If you do make the ‘wrong’ decision see it as a learning experience: knowing what you don’t want to do is just as useful in helping you make the ‘right’ decision.

Your career is a journey and you’re likely to stumble upon more than one crossroads as you go along. Be conscious and thoughtful about the direction you choose to take, do your research and remember, when in doubt, follow your gut.

If you’re interested in career change counselling or advice, Strategic Career Management can offer coaches that are passionate about inspiring their clients to have great careers that use their best strengths and meet their personal interests and values. Contact us to learn more.