5 Critical Steps for A Fulfilling Career

Feel the Most Confident About Your Decisions

Whether you are in the midst of a career transition, coming back to the workforce after a break, a recent graduate, or in the middle of a big decision, here are 5 critical steps to follow for a truly fulfilling career. These steps will also help you stay connected to what is truly important to you.

1) Determine what you enjoy

You will often hear “follow your passion”. Passion is a very strong word, and sometimes can be misleading. Some of us are fortunate to know what we are passionate about, but for most of us, it is difficult to figure out what our passion is. Scott Galloway speaks to this in a short excerpt entitled Why professionals shouldn’t follow their passion. He writes, “People who speak at universities, especially at commencement, tell you to follow your passion. Your job is to find something you’re good at and, after 10,000 hours of practice, get great at it. The emotional and economic rewards that accompany being great at something will make you passionate about whatever that something is. Nobody starts their career passionate about tax law…”

Given this, what I would say is to discover something you truly enjoy, even if it’s not really a passion! Take a step back, look inwards and be mindful of your daily experiences to determine what tasks, processes, roles, and activities you enjoy. Think about the industry you would like to work in and build from there (banking, consulting, technology, medicine, fashion, real estate, public policy, pharmaceuticals, etc.). Once you know the industry, figure out the roles you would like. For instance: do you like marketing, analyzing data, product development, forming relationships, sales, human resources, etc. If it is the role that drives you, then do a soul search and figure out what industries would you be the happiest in.

This year’s Wimbledon winner, Novak Djokovic, speaks his truth about doing what he loves. See if you can cultivate some of this mentality in your own life… “‘I try to focus on the positive emotions that drive me, like passion, joy and the pure inspiration to play the sport that I love. I have to always go back to that core […] I’ve had to rediscover this inner joy of motivation, of playing. And not only to win or lose, but playing for the sake of enjoying the game’”. Couldn’t have said it better myself!

2) Understand & cultivate your strengths

It is commonly said to “follow your heart”, but it is also very important to know and pursue your personal inherent strengths. What are you naturally good at? What type of tasks and activities do you do very well? What can you get better at? For instance: if you are very creative, then you should be in a creative role where your work is appreciated. Or if you are a relationship builder, you might want to be in sales or business development where it comes naturally to you — you can do it with finesse, and you can do it much better than others. Working in an area where you play up your strengths sets you up for success!

3) Discover your weaknesses

As much as it is important to know your strengths it is even more important to know your weaknesses: it will help you develop the strengths further and avoid the weaknesses. So you don’t get stuck in a job where your weakness is the main requirement for the job. Because if you end up in a job that does not suit your natural tendencies and your inherent skills, it will be an uphill battle. For instance, if you find a job in marketing and you are great at coming up with new ideas, but you are not detail-oriented, you will have a tough time executing your ideas successfully. There will be delays, balls will be dropped, and things will fall through the cracks.

If you are competitive and want to excel in your job then you will always be frustrated. This is because the results will not be the same as what is expected, or it will cause too much effort and heartache to get the same results that someone else who is more organized and is more detail-oriented can get. Getting a little better is possible, but changing your inner wiring completely is easier said than done. Not impossible — but pretty difficult!

4) Learn, Explore & Experience

To determine what industry and functions you would enjoy and to discover your strengths & weaknesses, always be open to exploring, discovering and learning. Be a sponge; read, listen, observe, and experience. Speak to people around you: those in your community, your old professors, your colleagues, your friends, their friends, your relatives, and neighbors, etc. and ask them about the work they do. Ask them if they could connect you to someone else in a particular industry or function you are interested in. Ask people what their responsibilities are at work, what their day looks like, do they travel, whom they manage, what do they create or develop, and what are the challenges and opportunities in their job or industry?

But don’t be afraid to ask the difficult questions: what they don’t like, what keeps them up at night, what the potential pay range is? Knowing about the compensation is very important; For instance, many people find fashion to be very glamorous but get the shock of their lives when they realize how little the industry pays and how cutthroat it is. If you had known about the pitfalls and challenges of an industry, you might have made a different decision for yourself despite loving one particular aspect of an industry. Learn about different industries and roles so you start developing a concrete idea of what you want to do.

Once you list a few industries/jobs, then get a deeper understanding of the industry by exploring internships or consulting projects. If you can’t do an internship or a project, explore shadowing a professional for a few days. Be open to unpaid and volunteer opportunities too, because often, that is an excellent way to determine what might be a great job for you. Better yet, what might be a great job but not really for you! And that insight is worth a million bucks! Furthermore, the skills and exposure you will develop will be invaluable in your next job and will be a great addition to your resume.

5) Develop that Relationship

Everyone needs mentors and you will too. It is important to reach out and connect, but even more important to nurture that relationship that you already sowed the seeds for. Some of these people could become your core group of mentors. When you seek advice from someone, follow up with a nice thank you note. Email works fine, but as I learned in business school, the best thank you notes are the hand-written ones. Furthermore, follow up twice a year with an email or a hand-written note, or an in-person meeting if possible. In those follow-ups, check in on how they are doing and share information about what developments, research, or blogs you have made. This way, it does not seem like you connect only when you need something. Always ask how you can be of assistance to the person who advised you and also to the person who originally made the introduction. It is a circle of help that keeps us propelling forward — always be willing to help, connect, and advise as you progress in your career.