Where did I put my lens cloth?

How can you make a decision about a job opportunity if the lens you're viewing it through isn't clear?

You've been in the career passivist game, right?

The one where an opportunity comes along and it looks ok, and SOME OTHER PERSON thinks you should do it and you vaguely heard that OPPORTUNITY COMPANY is a good place to be.

So you let yourself drift over there and the job works for a while and then you're back feeling unsatisfied, like you're not meeting your potential and you're on the look out again.

Lots of people end up in the coaching room at the next stage of the process, which I call 'active curious'.

They realise the need to take control as passive career moves no longer work for them (or have dried up) but they don't quite know where to point their control stick.

Starting with the lens is a great way to work out where to point that stick.

It's a major differentiator between the career passivist and the activist.

If you can build a lens with the relevant component parts then you put yourself in the position to make the best possible informed decisions about which direction you'd like to head in.

The informed decision in this case comes down to recognising what you want, what you need and what you can walk past without a second glance.

Making informed decisions will save you tonnes of time, effort and energy wasted in pursuing roles that it's likely you didn't want anyway!

Getting rejected from a role you really wanted hurts so bad. Why would you want to add hurt to your heart by also being rejected from roles you don't want and aren't really right for you?!

Creating your lens gives you the clarity you need to pursue the right opportunities for you.

Creating your lens has the double whammy bonus of developing crazy self awareness that you can bring to informal chats, applications and formal interviews. Winner!

What goes into your lens?

The lens is made up of various parts, which all blend together to deliver clarity.

It usually comprises:

Values - what is important to you in your heart?

Strengths - what are the things you're good at that energise you? What could you do all day long?

Criteria - must have, great to have, fantastic if. This can include practicalities such as pay, geography and flexibility policies.

It can take some time to work through this but I promise you it's the best time you'll spend if you want to make your next move work for you.