How to make career decisions - 7 key strategies

How to make career decisions - 7 key strategies

There are seven key reasons why it is really hard to make a career decision and identify clear career goals. Adopt these strategies to overcome the sources of indecision.
Strategy 1: Increase your  information about yourself and want you want . To make a decision you need to work really hard at understanding your interests, strengths, values and lifestyle preferences.
Strategy 2-Increase your  information  about the  organisation your work for. Make sure you really understand what your organisation does and where there may be opportunities for you and what possibilities exist. Could you create your own role?
Strategy 3 –Increase your  information bout the external environment.  If you know that your organisation can’t or won’t  provide opportunities then you really need to explore outside that organisation and beyond your sector. All my years as a headhunter taught me that every organisation is more complex and more interesting that it looks from the outside. Get into the detail and really discover what goes on.
Strategy 4 –Overcome any lack of decision making confidence. It  can be really difficult to make decisions about new roles or new directions. Use all the decision making tools that you might use in a business scenario. SWOT, Force field analysis, foursquare decision making tools. Then tap into your emotional resources, go back to what your interests, desire and goals, meditate, pray or reflect. And ask how you will feel if you don’t do this thing.
Strategy 5- Overcome the decision making fear and anxiety that can produce a paralysis. Literally it can cause panic attacks. So using your decision making tools calm those fears.  Really focus on looking at the risks you might be taking and identify each of them; then  brainstorm the measures you can take to reduce the risk. Really think through what’s the worst that could happen and what is the worst that is likely to happen. What would you do then?
Strategy 6 –Consider the stakeholders and talk to them. There may be conflicts between what you want and what someone else thinks you should do. In the end it is your life. However you need to garner support by showing them how passionate you are, how carefully you have researched the decision and how carefully you have identified the risks.
Strategy 7-Overcome your constraints. If you have a lot invested in one profession or one organisation then it may be difficult to contemplate leaving to do something different. Again there area  whole range of decision making techniques that can support you to weight the balance of doing something different.  What’s clear is that research shows if you do all your research you can make life changing decisions with less stress and are more likely to succeed in your chosen path.  
Highly anxious people may jump to conclusions before they are really ready, they may make premature or hastily contrived decisions. Or they may be paralysed and make no decision. Information and research are the keys to helping you make the right decisions at the right time.
For more help and advice on how to set and achieve your career goals talk to Mary Hope at www.maryhopecoaching.co.uk