Tips & Insights for Top Performance

If you have a career in mind that you might like to work in, check out your assumptions first. People who work in the career know what it is really like and can share their experience. Even if they are disgruntled with their career, they can provide good information as they share their highs and lows. Different things bother different people. What they might think is the worst part of their job, might be what you are looking for. Interviewing is a priceless way to determine if a job is a good fit for you. JUST DO IT. Many people don’t want to bother someone with these questions, but many people are happy to share. They are talking about themselves and most people don’t mind helping another person out. Take a risk and contact a few people who are doing the job you think you would like to have. It is worth your time.

Here are some things you might ask them:

• How long have you been working in this career?
• Why did you get into it?
• How did you get to where you are today (education to career advancement)?
• What training did you have before employment and what training have you had since to keep yourself fresh?
• What skills are most important for this job?
• What do you love and what do you hate about this job?
• What are the opportunities out there? Is it a tough market for this work or lots of opportunity and room for growth? How so?
• How has this career / work field changed since you have gotten in it?
• What does a typical day look like for you?
• What does the salary look like for this career – starting, mid and advanced?
• What would you recommend I do to learn more about this career (read, class, person to talk to, website, etc.)?
• Who do you think is a good fit for this career and is successful?
• Who do you see trying to do this career but it is not a good fit? Why is it not a good fit? What do they move to?
• What other jobs are like this career but a little different? How are they different? Have you considered those? Why or why not?
• What experience is needed or helpful to have before working in this line of work?
• If I were interested in this work, how would you recommend I get started (networking, connections, training, education, etc.)?
• What titles do people in this line of work have?
• Where does your company and companies that you work for recruit from (where do they find their people?)
• What organizations do you belong too?
• What books and magazines and RSS feeds do you read?

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer,  Minneapolis, MN

Did you know most people today will work SEVERAL careers in their lifetime. Working in 3-5 different careers is becoming the new norm. While traditional employment would have a person work one career in maybe 3-5 companies max, today, people not only work for several employers but are CHANGING fields as they progress in their professional life. So, are you ready for a change???

How do you research new careers?…Here are a few questions to ask yourself about a new career you are thinking about.
• Does this career/job use my strengths (reference your Strengths Finder 2.0 strengths)?
• Does this career/job match my personal values (if you don’t know what these are, schedule a free coaching sample session)
• Does this career match my employment needs (salary, location, hours, skills, etc.)?
• Do I need new or more schooling or training for this career? What options will this education give me?
• How saturated is this field? Is it growing and increasing in demand or on the way out?
• How long will it take me to make myself “marketable” for this career/job?
• Talk to 3-5 people working in this field…does this job match my “assumptions and premonitions” about it?
• How much capital ($$) will it cost for me to transition (schooling, certifications, can I work and school or do I need to quit my job and just do school, etc.)?
• What kind of network and relationships do I have to get into this field (networking is everything in today’s job search)?
• How much time will I need to spend on honing and developing my skills for this new career?
• What will moving into this new career give me?
• What are the downsides of this new career? How much will that affect me?
• What benefits does this new career have? How will that help me?
• What does “success” in this career look like to me? In order to be “successful” in this new career, what will it take?
• Am I willing to pay the price (time, dollars, energy, work…) to make this happen?
• Am I running from an old career or CHOOSING a new career?
• List why this career is a good fit?

Don’t guess or be spontaneous in your career changes, be planned and intentional.

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer,  Minneapolis, MN

“You always get more of what you focus upon. So, what are you focused upon right now?

Are you focused on the problems, the distractions, the frustrations, the excuses, the shortcomings and the annoyances in your world? Or, are you focused on your dreams, your greatest possibilities, your positive passions, and on the things that you value most?

You can choose your focus in every moment, and by doing so you can choose the reality of your life. Though it may seem that circumstances conspire to steal your focus, they can only do so with your cooperation.

Yes, there are plenty of things that will pull your focus in a negative, destructive direction. And yet, you have the strength and the ability to persistently pull your focus back in line with your most positive and empowering intentions.

It’s not that difficult to maintain your focus. It’s just a matter of overriding some negative habits you may have developed.

Focusing on what’s positive and productive and empowering is actually a lot of fun, and the more you do it, the more you’ll like it. Focus on the best you can imagine, and watch all those good things grow more abundant in your life.”

Ralph Marston

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer,  Minneapolis, MN

There are several tools out there for understanding your personal style. Many are similar, but offer a unique perspective on different facets of your personality. The Strengths Finder Assessment, The Myers-Brigs, The DISC Personality, Keirsey Temperament, The Shape Personality, Authentic Happiness Questioner, and Jung Typology Test, are a few.

One CORE assessment on understanding behavior and personal style however is the DISC. If you are interested in purchasing this assessment, please e-mail me (cost: $25).

What makes the DISC different is that it has 4 distinct styles that are consistent for people across ages and generations. While other assessments help you to understand YOU and YOUR STYLE, the DISC helps you to understand you and as your learn the DISC, you begin to understand others and why they act the way they do. This is relevant with co-workers, boss-employee relationships, marriages, children, friends, etc. It is helpful for reducing conflict, being more productive and having stronger communication and relationships across the board.

In my February Newsletter, I have written an article that offers a snap shot of what the DISC traits are.  D for Drivers, I for the Influencers, S for Steadiers, and C for the Conscientious.

With the knowledge of your personality you can better understand how you work with others and understand how they work and why they work that way. Understanding both sides, you can then formulate a strategy of how to maximize your personality traits to contribute to others, work well with them and enjoy your relationships.

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN