Maximize Career Discovery - Windows

There are many valuable methods of discovering the job that fits you like a glove. I like to call one of these methods “Career Windows”. They are views in to your talents, desires, and how God has wired you to meet a specific set of needs in the world.
There were seven or eight valuable insights, ideas, and tools I picked up in my Psych 101 class over 30 years ago. They include Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Pavlov’s Dogs, and this one... the “Johari Window” model which was developed by American psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in the 1950s, while researching group dynamics. Johari is just a combination of Joseph and Harry.

As you can see in the diagram, there are 4 boxes or windows.

The first window represents the things that you know about yourself and are readily available for all to see. This might be things like height, approximate weight, and muscularity. If you are 7 foot tall, chances are you know this and other people have noticed it too. Further, I’m betting a career in basketball has crossed your mind and probably others have made the suggestion.

The second window are things that for some reason are hidden to you, but can be seen by others. If you lack self confidence or you have lived or worked for an extended period of time in an environment where your strengths and desires weren’t valued, you may have become blind to them. In this case it may be helpful to get around someone who has the talent of seeing and calling out strengths in others.

The third window would include strengths, desires, or needs that you may know but for some reason may be completely invisible to most other people.

And the fourth window called “unknown” represents the strengths, desires, or needs that are buried or so obscure that only God can see them.

Marcus Buckingham has suggested that you are the best expert on yourself with regard to your strengths and desires. I tend to agree with where he’s coming from on that, but I’ve also watched him work with someone who needed a lot of help uncovering their top talents and buried desires. Many of us can benefit from someone else’s insight, especially as I already mentioned, if they are talented in doing this. I am also a big believer in prayer. I’m convinced that if we ask Him, God is all too willing to help us discover what He created us to be and do.

Pull out your notebook and set up one page for each of the windows. As you begin to fill out the second window, enlist the help of those closest to you. When you get to the fourth window, ask for God to give you insight in what He created you to do.

You might also consider setting up a section on each of the four pages including one for strengths including talents and skills. Set up another for desires including passions, interests, and things you enjoy and value. And set up a third section for needs to be met, especially noting those needs that you find particularly motivational. Blend these findings with the previous post on “Pointers”.
Get your notebook and start writing!

Maximize Career Discovery - Pointers

Pointers are sort of like bird dogs. My Grandpa Cobb had bird dogs all of the time I knew him. At one period he had two… Hap and Sis. They were both German Short Hairs and great dogs. I don’t remember as much about Sis but Hap was all energy and absolutely no sense. In reality his energy level was far beyond any creature I have ever known. How he ever contributed to my grandfathers shooting one bird is still a mystery to me. If Hap got out of his spacious backyard pen he would run all night chasing who knows what in the orange groves across the street. I'm not sure he knew what he was chasing. If you managed to get Hap on a rope or leash you better be wearing a good pair of leather gloves or rope burns were guaranteed. With the gloves, you better have good shoulder sockets and stay very aware of the tension on the leash. If there was much slack and Hap decided to run he would pull you right off your feet. Hopefully at that point you had the good sense to let go. I’m quite sure Hap could have pulled up two water skiers on a shore start if he had been given the opportunity.

With careers and callings, pointers are anything that point you in the right direction. They don’t shoot the bird, bag it, clean it, or cook it. It would be similar to a fish finder. As my Dad would tell you, these high tech gadgets don’t catch fish… of course you use dynamite for that….

Here is a short list of career discovery pointers:

1.  Experience - Awareness of strengths, passion, and need develop over time by involvement and observation of daily experiences. This usually requires reflection as well. My observation is that most callings or dream jobs come at least in some measure from this pointer.

2.  Clarifying Moments - A single pivotal experience can drop kick you into the right place. We often call these moments change, crisis, challenge, and even tragedy. But it doesn’t have to be something negative. It might just as well be an intense pleasure.

3.  Intuition - Some people just get an inner knowing of what they are supposed to do with their life. This nudge doesn’t always come young.

4.  Classes and Course Work - This is the biggest benefit of college from my perspective and why everyone should go for at least a couple of years… and probably go back every few years through out a lifetime. College has so many more electives and options than high school. A good liberal arts education is a good way to find out what turns you on. Start with Junior College and save money. Kick in the big bucks only as needed if there is really the benefit for a specific career.

5.  Job Shadowing - Go spend a day or two following someone around while they do their thing. This gets you past the glamour and into the trenches where the actual work takes place.

6.   Parallel Career or Volunteer Work - At one point I was taking course work toward a career in counseling. I found the course work riveting and could see I had some talent. For two years I volunteered with a crisis hot-line doing telephone counseling. I also spent a lot of time with those working on counseling degrees. At the end of the day I realized that counseling meant working with a lot of people that didn’t really want to get better. They went to counseling to feel like they were trying and show others they were trying…. But they weren’t really trying. I have a relative by marriage that is currently working as a medical tech with an ambulance company before he spends boat loads of money to go to medical school. This is a smart guy.

7.  Coaches and Counseling - Career Coaches and Counselors can be a big help. They don’t have to be professional or trained. They need to have the gift of insight with a little background and experience. Check out the Crossroads Career Network for some referrals. If you like what you see in this blog, I would be happy to explore working with you.

8.  Questions and a Notebook - A good set of questions with reflection over time is invaluable. You’ll get some of my favorites here.

9. Career Assessments, Indicators, and Tests - I’m going to review a bunch of these in the following pages and posts. Several are linked to the right. I am a big believer in the value of assessments. I actually recommend taking and even re-taking some over the course of a lifetime. Plan late December, early January, or your birthday to take a couple of new tests. These assessments also have limitations. They are one category of tool. Most people need a set of tools and rarely is one tool a magic wand or a magic key that opens the door all by itself.

10. Mastermind Career Group - Many people benefit greatly from an inner circle or personal board of directors. This might start out with some sort of networking group. Here again Crossroads Career Network has affiliated groups all over the country. Most people benefit from some kind of outside perspective, encouragement, and support.

Maximize Discovery - Dream Jobs

Richard Bolles writes, “This phrase “dream job” is widely misunderstood. It is commonly understood as a ‘cushy’ job: one with a large income, little responsibility, and loads of freedom to choose what you do day to day. What a dream job!


In real life, a dream job is not that, at all. It is not like a suit off the rack, one dream job fits all; rather, it is like a suit custom tailored for you, and only you. Your dream job is work that flows from, and has an essential connection to, who you are. It is a marriage of doing and being. It is work that fits you like a glove.

Last week (April 21, 2010) Oprah Winfrey interviewed Jenna Lyons, a creative director for J. Crew clothing stores, Buddy Valestro who is a Cake Artist know for his television show the Cake Boss, and Jeff Leatham, known as the Rock and Roll Florist. All three are “insanely great” at their jobs. Check out the link:

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Go-Inside-the-Most-Glamorous-Dream-Jobs/1

After reflecting on the show I was struck by how well what they said matched Richard Bolles description. It was obvious all three worked their tail off with long hours. They all had large incomes but the jobs weren’t cushy and they each had loads of responsibility and pressure. They were passionate about what they did, they were talented, and they each served real needs for real people.

How they got these jobs were as different as the jobs themselves. Jenna loved fashion, knew it and landed an introductory job at J. Crew at age 21. She worked her way up. Buddy’s dad made him come to the cake shop and work as punishment for playing with matches at age 5. It was love at first sight. Jeff who was trained as model had a friend working at the Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles in the flower shop. He walked in one day and was so awestruck at the artistic aspect of the floral arrangements that he said, “I have to be a part of this”.

So here is three questions based on the above interviews:

What do you love?

What have you been exposed to where it was “love at first sight”?

What have you experienced and said to yourself, “I have to be a part of this!”

As we move through the next few days of posts, set up a binder or notebook. Jot down your thoughts and ideas. Invite God into the process…. And prepare to take action!

Maximize Your Career Discovery Process

I’m going to spend the next couple of weeks looking at different paths and places to look for an ideal career uniquely suited to you. I don’t believe there is any one best universal method. For most people this is a process and in some cases a lengthy one. In some career paths the discovery process will take place multiple times. You probably aren’t going to play professional baseball your entire span of working years. In fact, the chance that you will have one well thought out unified career path out of high school, college, or even post-graduate work is growing to be slim and none. The odds are it’s going to be messy.

There is not even universal agreement on how to describe this career thing you are looking for. For some it may be a dream job. For others a passion. Some are strength, talent, and aptitude oriented. Coming from a Christian faith perspective. I resonate with the idea of “Calling” and a belief that God calls us to complete a specific mission that He conceived before we even born. Our Scriptures talk about being knit together in our mothers womb and that we are God’s Workmanship created to do good works that God designed in advance for us.

Even if you believe that God calls like I do, I can’t offer a tidy formula. In the Bible God called Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Ruth, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Esther, Nehemiah, Hosea, Daniel, Mary, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul in unique ways. In fact, for the most part the method of call was as unique as what they were called to do. God seems to love variety. I also think it’s fair to say that most of these people had calls that were developmental. They had steps or mini-calls that added up over time to a big call. Rarely was the path all mapped out clearly in advance either. In the book of Genesis, Joseph got his call in a couple of dreams but he wasn’t shown in advance how the fulfillment of those dreams would lead him through years of slavery and then prison.

Some people seem to have multiple careers over time that fit within their calling. Others have simultaneous mutually supportive parallel careers. By all accounts, the apostle Paul, who was responsible for the world-wide spread of Christianity supported his ministry by sewing together tents. Jesus was probably a carpenter until He was around age 30. Who knows, your real calling may not ever pay you a dime.

After having said all that, I’m convinced it is extremely valuable to continue growing in knowledge and awareness of what your good at and what you’re passionate about. As I’ve said in earlier posts I love to ask people what they are “Insanely Great” at. The answer is surely always at some intersection of talent, desire, and serving the real needs of those around you.  And because it's messy doesn't mean you can't work and re-work a plan.  You can bring order and clarity out of the chaos.  Keep reading!

Re-Charge Day

Deception #11 Bonus! - Depressing Job Statistics

In some countries, the number of job seekers is reaching unheard-of proportions. Ireland and Spain, two of the worse cases, are on their way to a 20% unemployment rate. Some American Counties face the same grim statistics. Merced County in California is just up the road from me. They found themselves a lead story in USA Today last month with unemployment figures hovering around 19%. In fact most of the counties around me including my own are at least in the 15% category. As part of Crossroads Career Network we had a booth set up at our local career fair yesterday. I only spent a few minutes because I had appointments set up on the coast. But just that few minutes almost hurled me into a panic attack. The convention center floor was wall to wall people looking for jobs.


The depressing job statistics deceive many people into believing that no one is being hired in this economy. But 162,000 Americans got hired in March alone: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

According to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke 1.8 Million Jobs come open in this country every month!

If you have work, count your blessings even if it’s not your ideal gig!!!! If you are un-employed at the moment don’t panic. As the above numbers show, thousands of people are still being hired, just make sure you are doing everything you can to be one of them. Mass un-employment is a phenomenon that results from major economic shifts. Don’t take it personally. Just get into action.

How you handle the job statistics will somewhat governed by your unique goals, needs, and circumstances as well as the unique conditions in your area. Are you looking for Cash, a Career, or a Calling in this season of your life? I love to work with people around the whole "Calling" piece and ideally these all come together in one nice job package but in the real world you sometimes have to pull them in one at a time.
Here are some thoughts:
1.  Go Where The Jobs Are!  While jobs are being lost in certain areas and sectors of the economy, go to the places where you stand a better chance. Don’t waste a lot of time trying to find work in companies that are falling apart.
2.  Be Relentless In Your Search!  Don't post your resume in two places, try ten or twenty. Call up ten to twenty companies per day, ask to talk to their human resources manager, and present your skills.
3. Package Yourself Perfectly!  Polish your resume and your shoes. Polish everything.  This is a time to “Kick It Up A Notch”. Ask for feedback on your presentation.

4. Make Special Offers!  Offer to work the swing shift. Go to the location nobody wants. Propose a reduced introductory salary.
What ever you do… make sure you have made it very clear when you really want to work somewhere. This is not a season to be coy.  Follow up... and follow up again even a few weeks after you didn’t get the job. Often an employers first choice doesn’t work out the way they’d hoped. If you are waiting in the wings and easily accessible you might get a shot just because the person in charge of hiring doesn’t want to go through whole publicizing and interviewing process again.

If you want further advice in the form of a short, inexpensive game plan I reccomend The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide by America's top career consultant Richard Bolles.  He is the author of the best-selling career book of all-time titled What Color Is Your Parachute.  It comes out in a new addtion every year and I highly recommend it.  But this little book was written with the specific challenges of 2010 in mind!  It's less than 100 pages and designed to get you into action quickly.  Chapter titles include:

There Are Always Jobs Out There
How To Find Hope In The Midst of a Brutal Downturn
The Best and Worst Ways to Look for a Job
A Plan of Action, When Your're Out of Work

Buy it here or I'm seeing it at a many of the Fed X Kinkos locations!

Deception #10 - Depreciation and False Humility

Humility in our culture is often mistaken as thinking poorly of ourselves. This poor self-esteem translates into all kinds of destructive behavior in and out of the work place. In reality, humility is thinking highly of others. And really it’s kind of a package deal. If we genuinely look at ourselves grounded in a healthy self image we will think highly of others too.


7 Habits author Stephen Covey is collaborating with Jennifer Colosimo on a book that is just about to hit the stores called Great Work, Great Career. In the book they suggest: keeping track of accomplishments. Ask yourself and others, “What did you produce? How did your work translate into clear value for the company?” And regularly update a summary of what you do that combines your strengths and passions, along with what you’ve done to make a clear contribution.

If you have an iphone or ipad you might consider downloading the application based on the book. It has sections titled, “Know Your Strengths”, “Define Your Contribution”, and “Contribution Statement”. It is has some great video teaching segments and prompts you to answer questions like:


What unique knowledge, talents, or skills do you have that can help you make a contribution?

What job-related opportunities are you passionate about?

What is your real responsibility to your organization, to your customers and co-workers?