Vacation Planning vs. Career Planning – which do you do more often?
Do you spend more time planning your two-week vacation than your thirty-plus year career?
I’m taking a poll so weigh in with a comment below and don’t worry, if vacation wins out, you’re not alone.
Perhaps I’m focused on this topic because I’m writing this post from sunny Florida. Perhaps it’s also because I’ve been contacted over the past year by many people in need of soul search before their job search but without budgeted funds to invest in themselves. (Gladly I offer lots of free resources on my website as well as the opportunity for free live career advice via my radio show each week.)
It’s time our careers get attention too.
The economy has changed and no longer are people finding jobs by just submitting a resume. Employers instead are looking for the IDEAL candidates and won’t settle for less. They want a proven track record from their new hires as well as genuine enthusiasm for the job. (Read more about “hiring errors”.)
If you’ve been spending more time planning your vacation than your career, the good news is that career planning can be as easy as 1-2-3:
- Soul Search – define what motivates you, what you love to do and your unique gifts and talents
- Research – talk to people in jobs you’ve dreams of doing, take a Vocation Vacation, subscribe to newsletters like Springwise to learn of new creative business ideas
- Job Search – translate your genuine career interest into on-the-job experience with a part-time job or volunteer project.
It’s time to have a plan for your career so that the years you spend working are as enjoyable (if not more so) as the time you spend vacationing (yes, it’s possible). To help, Dr. Woody Woodward joins my SIRIUSXM show Friday (today) at 4p ET/1p PT to share insights from his book The You Plan – A 5-Step Guide to Taking Charge of Your Career.
Hope you can tune in and be reminded that, “it’s never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Elliot, English novelist.