Finding your career passion…..

an art, a science or sheer luck?

BY LINDA EUNSON

A recent issue of Fortune Magazine had Richard Branson on the cover. Next to his picture it said:
“The Man Who Has Everything: The Island The Money The Family (Damn Him.)”
The article suggested that Branson may not be the smartest or the richest man in the world, but he certainly seems to be having the most fun. It goes on to quote him: “I don’t think of work as work and play as play; it’s all living.”
So how do you go about finding that kind of passion, that job that will truly motivate you? Are there ways to identify that ideal job and ways to get that ideal job, once you have identified it?
I personally believe that I have found my career passion. I don’t just like my job. I love my job. Why? And how did I end up in this great position? I don’t have a magic formula, but in this brief article I hope to share a few tips with you.

Identifying the ideal job


Find out what your work reward values are
What motivates you? Is it money? Is it the thrill of closing a deal with a customer? Is it helping people? Is it providing great customer service? Is it solving complex technical problems?
What kind of work environment works best for you?

Is it one with a focus on teamwork? One that offers a lot of variety? One that provides a great deal of autonomy? Do you like working outdoors or with your hands? One way to assess this is to just have a hard think about it, or ask your colleagues and friends what they see. A more objective way could be to use some assessment tools available in the market. There are many, some free, some not. One of the ones I use with great success is CareerLeader. (www.careerleader.com) This is a tool that will provide you with an assessment of your core business interests, your work reward values and your business strengths and weaknesses. It will then suggest a number of potential careers, tell you why it selected those careers for you, then tell you how to go about landing a job in each of those careers.
A few others that might be useful are the MBTI (Meyers Briggs) assessment. Use Google to search for MBTI and you will find several sites that offer the test at various prices. There is also a book that expands on the MBTI results called “Do what you are” by Tieger. Another well-known career book is “What Color is your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles. University career offices and human resources departments often have access to these resources and others.

Identify your natural talent(s)
I attended a lecture about a year ago given by an American research organization that is studying this area. In their research they found that in many companies, 80% of sales were done by 20% of the sales people. Why was that? Their conclusion was that this 20% were really good at sales and they loved it-they were “naturals”. They then developed assessment tests to identify what was common among this 20% so that when these companies recruited new people, they could use these tests to identify top talent. Some of the assessment tools I mentioned earlier can be helpful in identifying what your natural talent is.

Trial and error
If your circumstances allow it, try new things, take risks, do some volunteer work related to what you think you’d like to do. Or, raise your hand at your company-ask to be part of a project that interests you. It might offer exposure to a new career path.
Carpe diem: seize the day
Don’t let opportunities pass you by-grab them. I used to believe that I got to where I am by luck and circumstance. Of course that has some bearing, but I believe that people often create their own “luck”.
Hire a career coach
There are many out there today who can help you find your way. If you are a student, work with your career services office.

Finding that Ideal Job
Focus

The people who are finding jobs these days are those who are focused. There are 3 major variables to focus on in a job search: function, industry and geography. You can’t perform an effective job search if you don’t know what you want to do or if you approach companies or search firms and tell them that you can do anything, anywhere. That doesn’t usually work.
Focus your job search on one or two functions: sales or marketing for example, on one or two industries: telecom or high-tech for example and one or two specific locations geographically.
Let’s say for example you are interested in marketing in the financial industry and you want to stay in Asia. Be even more specific, for example, Commercial Banking and Insurance. Make an exhaustive list of Commercial Banking and Insurance companies that operate in Asia. Research those companies. Talk to people who work at those companies. Go to company websites, but also use sites such as www.hoovers.com or www.vault.com to get more objective information. Are the companies on your list growing? Are they growing in Asia? Check out their careers websites to see if they are hiring and what kinds of positions they have. You may end up striking some companies from your list. This is a good thing. Your aim is to get down to a list of target companies that are more likely to be hiring.

Informational networking
In parallel with researching companies, start finding the names of people who work at those companies. Contact them and probe for information. Don’t ask for a job. This may scare people, especially if they don’t have a job to offer you or if their company isn’t hiring. Just tell them that you are looking for information. Ask them what they like about their company or industry, what they dislike. Ask them if they have any advice for you as to how to get into the industry. If the opportunity presents itself, try to find out who is hiring. Try to get a name. Ask them if there is anyone else that they recommend you talk to. Keep building that network of contacts! This should allow you to pare that list down even further.
You’re ready to start sending out cover letters and resumes once you have the names of the hiring managers and you’ve done your research on the companies you are targeting.

Vis-ability
Make your abilities visible. If you want to be contacted by headhunters, they need to know about you. Find speaking opportunities. If public speaking isn’t your thing, write articles in industry magazines or journals or websites.
Network, network, network….
Statistics usually show that 50-60% of jobs are found through networking. Only 10-20% are found through headhunters and the balance from newspaper ads, websites, or other means. If you are not good at networking, start by volunteering for something. Join a local business association. But it doesn’t have to be business-related.

It can be with your church or your children’s school. But don’t just become a member and attend events. Networking isn’t about going to events and handing out cards. Get involved. If you don’t have a lot of time, take on a small role on a sub-committee. You never know whom you may meet. Make networking a part of your everyday life.
Networking is about giving and taking. If you are just taking, networking won’t work. Start “giving” now so that when you suddenly find yourself in need of a job, you are in a position to receive. Pay it forward and you’ll get paid back.

Resume
Your resume is a selling tool. It is meant to get you an interview, not a job. It’s an opportunity to sell yourself. So make sure that it shows what you have accomplished, what value you have added to your companies. Use action verbs to describe your achievements.
Did the projects or tasks that you completed increase revenue for your company? Decrease costs? Increase customer satisfaction? Increase productivity? Great. Then say so and by how much.
A job description will get you nowhere. If your resume is a job description, how will a recruiter pick you out from the crowd of others with the same job description?
Eliminate “responsible for” from your resume.
It is generally acknowledged that recruiters spend less than 30 seconds looking at a resume. So make your resume short and sharp. A two to four page resume is about right in Asia.
Make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. Use spell check and grammar check. Be sure to have a friend review your resume.

Search firms
People tell me that they have sent their resume to ten headhunters, so now they are just waiting. Well, they may be waiting a long time.
Search firms are not paid to find YOU a job. They are paid by their clients to fill a position with very specific requirements. If you don’t fit those requirements, chances are the search firm will not be interested in talking to you.
On the other hand, if a search consultant DOES call you and you are not a fit or not interested, offer to give them the names of people who may be more suited. This will help build a good relationship and then when YOU are the one who needs help, they may remember you!


Conclusion
Some of you may know of individuals who have always known what they wanted to do in life-even from a young age. I don’t have any statistical data, but I suspect that this number is very small. So don’t feel bad if you haven’t known what you wanted to be from the age of 10!
In my work at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business here in Asia, I have coached many people, some in their 30s and 40s, who are still searching for that ideal job. That’s one of the reasons they are pursuing an MBA. Many
find a new job in their current company, or get a promotion with more responsibility. Interestingly, about 6 months into the program many of them completely change their minds. This is mainly due to what they see others doing as well as what they are learning. A program such as ours opens up new horizons and of course offers an incredible network of contacts for life.
So take action NOW and start managing your career. No one else will do it for you. And good luck (but luck alone will not do it!)


Linda Eunson
Director, Career Development Office
University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, Asia Campus
Linda has had many careers in different industries including telecommunications, high tech, the airline industry, and the search business in Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. Her expertise is in software development, marketing and human resources. This is perhaps why the University of Chicago decided to hire her a few years ago to advise mid-career professionals and executives on how to advance or change their careers.
Linda likes to balance her work life with volunteer work and sports activities. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the American Club, is a weekend volunteer guide at the Asian Civilisations Museum, and soon at the Botanical Gardens. Linda is also an avid scuba diver and reader and tries her best to work out at the gym.
Linda has an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Chemistry from the University of Manitoba and an MBA from Concordia University in Montreal. She is a Permanent Resident of Singapore and intends to stay until the weather in Canada changes and the taxes go down.