As the holidays end and a new year begins, are you bummed about going back to work! After the joy and excitement that the holidays bring, does it seem like kind of a drag to go back to your weekly routine? I think many have the impression that you would only want to seek career consultation when you have just lost your job or are fed up with your current one. While my clients are usually ready for a change from their current career situation, the consultation helps them see their work lives in new ways that enhances their current job role.

What often surprises them is how unique their talents are from those of others. My clients tell me all the time that they are annoyed with particular job tasks or co-workers usually because they assume that everyone sees those work situations in the same way as themselves. The key is to remember that your approach is truly, entirely distinct from that of others. "Why does everyone always expect me to do that?" I often hear. "Why can't they just do it?" my clients will say. While it may be true that others are not responsibly fulfilling work tasks, very often my clients learn that their approach to those same tasks makes them the preferred person to complete certain job tasks in the best possible way over others, which helps them view these situations differently.

At EPIC Career, we help you single out those talents. Those are the bits that must be brought out in job interviews, Summary sections of resumes and the like. Employers want to know this about applicants, but job applicants often do not understand or know how to articulate these qualities. As we launch into a new year and back into familiar and perhaps draining work routines, remember that your talents are unique. Career assessment and consultation can help you understand how you are different from others and how you can optimally express your unique potential contributions to supervisors and potential employers to win coveted opportunities. Whether you are ready to make a major career change or simply expand your understanding of your talents, EPIC Career is hear to help!

Myth 1: I know what I am doing, so I have no need for career assessment.

False!

Are you sure about jumping into that career field? From my experience working with clients about career and college major choice issues, I can often fairly quickly see how a career choice might or might not be a long-term career fit. Actually, sometimes it is a great fit and I breathe a huge sigh of relief. But far too often, I know that the choice is a terrible mistake. 

Why does it bother me to learn that someone is about to embark upon a career from which they are not likely to find long-term satisfaction? First, I think about their future disenchantment with the choice and what a blow to their future self-confidence it will be. Secondly, I think of all of the resources (time, energy, tuition and certification expenses) the individual will personally invest. Finally, I hate to think that the American taxpayers are about to potentially loan that student tens of thousands of dollars to pursue a program that might only lead to disappointment.

So when I hear "This program has great job prospects" or "I have a friend who did that program and everything turned out great for them," my response is "Are you sure that you are completely confident about spending or borrowing all those many thousands of dollars on this program that you are not quite entirely sure will work for you?" Are you sure you don't want to know what more than 60 years of solid research suggests would be highly likely to be an ideal fit for you?" 

Before spending all those thousands, wouldn't it be wise to explore a wider set of options that will offer you understanding of clear pathways for your future career success? Whatever your college major or career decisions, wouldn't this knowledge help you breathe easier as you make them? At EPIC Career, we are here to help.

Myth 2: Because I am happy in my career, career assessments could in no way help me advance in my career.

False!

Making the Case

Career success is wonderful! It is great when you enjoy your career and earn a salary that meets your needs. It's even better to feel you have earned appropriate credentials for your profession and strong references that will support many years of career advancement. My question is: do you know how to articulate your strengths? Yes, past achievements, educational attainment, and references speak for themselves, but is that your whole story? 

If you have ever been a hiring manager you know the conundrum. You have gone through all the appropriate interviews, checked all the references (which were all satisfactory), and involved all the appropriate people with whom the new hire might regularly work. But ultimately, the final decision still lies solely with you. How do you make the decision? What is the ultimate rationale that will help you decide that one applicant will truly be a better fit than any other candidate. The answer is "fit." You know that one candidate just fits in better with yourself or others and you think (often with no rational explanation) that that one is better than every other candidate. As candidates, how can we be the fit?

Being the "Fit"

How do we stack the odds in our favor for the greatest chance of showing that we are the best fit? Personality! We must understand how our natural personality strengths make us the optimal fit for the job. When I have hired, I have always known that all applicants that I have invited to interview have a strong shot at the job. What I ultimately want to hear, however, is what makes the candidates tick. What excites them at work? What successes have they enjoyed enacting that they describe as satisfying? I also want to hear about what is not so fun or not so interesting and how that applicant manages those tasks. These details are what make the applicant a human. After all, if I am hiring them, I want to know that I want to hang out with them in the workplace for a significant amount of time over many years. Personally, I do not want to hear about how they like to go fishing, skiing, shopping or anything else personal about their lives. I want to know about what they enjoy about work. Unfortunately, too often candidates do not convey this side of themselves, leaving the interviewer to only speculate about job fit as the candidate made no compelling case.

The Power of Self-Description

How does a successful professional understand these kinds of intangible, difficult to measure qualities about themselves and most importantly, how does one articulate these qualities to an employer? Career assessment is the key. At EPIC Career, we help you understand how you have always been and will always be. Yes, we all change and improve in many ways throughout our lives, but there are many aspects of ourselves that are quite stable. You need to be able to describe in what ways you are uniquely gifted at particular work-related tasks - how you have been in the past and will always be. You can then use examples from your work experience to verify that success. This information is so much more than saying am a "I good team player". It's better than using generic terms like "focused", "punctual", or "dependable".  (Shouldn't all workers be those things?!) 

Are you ready to stand out from the crowd by describing yourself to employers in ways that most applicants cannot even conceptualize about themselves? At EPIC Career, we are here to help.