FINDING A CAREER ~ Part 3: “Criteria for Choosing Career”
This is part 3 of a 5 part series focusing on THE 4 LISTS, a tool to help you find your next wonderful career. Please read parts 1 and 2 for the context for this piece. The lists are the basis for a process in which we start with YOU, what you love, what’s important to you, what you have to offer, and then generate career options for you to explore — so you can make an informed career decision. The goal is for you to love that career, and in it find joy, satisfaction and max of your other career criteria.
These are the titles of the pages in THE 4 LISTS:
#1. Interests and Passions
#2 Career Options
#3. Criteria for Choosing Career
#4. Gifts, Strengths, Talents, Assets, Skills
List #3. Criteria for Choosing Career
Today we’re looking at List #3. Criteria for Choosing Career. Take a sheet of paper and write this bolded title at the top. Below it, write these questions for yourself:
> What do I want my work to look like?
> What do I want my work to give me?
> What are my values? What’s important to me to accomplish, contribute to, in the world?
Examples: I get to dress informally. Staying in the Southwest. Minimum additional education/training. No ceiling on my income. Support the environment.
Initially list as many things as you can think of for criteria; the most important ones will come to mind easily. Then in the next few days, add other things that come to your awareness.
What do you do with this list?
Later, when you are ready to explore or research some of the most appealing career options (from list #2.), you can choose from your list your highest priority criteria items. Those most important criteria can become your checklist: “Which of these am I likely to get from this career?”
You can always ask yourself, too, how you might tweak the career area and do it your way, to get more of your high priority criteria. Asking the question, and “listening” to the ideas from yourself, is a great way to tap into more of your own knowing.
As you continue to explore, you can compare the various careers, the ones that spark the most joy in you, according to your own criteria. You can record insights, conclusions in your FINDING A CAREER notebook.
Part 4 will focus on what you have to bring to the table: gifts, strengths, talents, assets, skills, and how you use those in this process. We’re getting you all set to do the exploration (part 5) leading to your choice. You’ll enjoy the exploration because you are only looking into those careers that especially appeal to you. Joy points the way!