Development opportunities should be top of mind at all stages of one’s career.  Whether you are just starting out or thinking about a change.  Thinking through what is important to you in your work life is important.  During a job search one tends to think more about what the ideal future would look like.  A book that is very helpful in this thought process is Designing Your Life, How to build a well-lived, joyful life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. In this book it talks about how to take control of your career development by using these tips.

Keys to thinking like a career designer

• Be curious (see opportunities everywhere)
• Try stuff (have a bias for action and build your way forward—test things out, create prototypes, embrace change, don’t be attached to a particular outcome.
• Reframe problems—make sure you are working on the right problems. Step back and reframe your biases. Try to open up new solution spaces.
• Know it’s a process—it’s a journey. May have to let go of first idea and create many prototypes.  Let go of end goal and focus on the process and taking steps. 
• Ask for help (mentor and team) Use radical collaboration. Ask the right questions and ask for ideas.  Life design is a team sport.  When you reach out to the world the world reaches back with ideas.

The book provides some very helpful exercises for career development and design.  Regardless of the stage of one’s career, these exercises will help you determine what matters to you.  There are also helpful hints regarding how to network to find the job you want.  As they point out, “It’s quite possible to crack into the network as a sincerely interested inquirer someone looking for the story/information not the job.”  Effective networking with people who do the types of jobs that you are interested in can help you narrow down your search.  Asking them to tell you about their career journey will provide useful ideas and help you to build a helpful network.   

Another helpful resource is an article in Harvard Business Review.  It provides some helpful questions regarding how to set one’s career goals and priorities.

Even if your employer does not help you with your career development, you can take charge of it by continuing to identify career opportunities and your priorities.  One useful suggestion is to take advantage of development opportunities that are part of your current role.  This can include job rotation or leading an initiative.  Internal networking is also helpful to use as one thinks through next career steps.

Hire Outcomes HR is building a candidate network and our goal is to help you find the career you are searching for. What set us apart is our personal process to get to know you and your needs and aspirations. For more information, go to:

Hire Outcomes HR – Hiring Solutions for Success

Source: Designing Your Life, How to build a well-lived, joyful life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. How to Build a Career You Won’t Hate (hbr.org)