Decide on fresh career direction

Are you jobless and suffering from the emptiness generated by it? Having attained your objectives, are you now seeking to climb up to the higher rank. Is a glum feeling of amazement plaguing you because you were not confident of reaching where you have?

If you happen have any doubt about where to go next without taking any chance, you must do some career planning. The job market today is not very sizzling and hence you need to be certain about what you have achieved so far and what you aspire to achieve in your career. Remember that life unfolds itself strangely and things could be always be in your favour. Here are ten tips to decide on fresh career direction:

·   Plan straightaway:  If you want to have better tomorrow, you need to have a sanguine outlook. This will help you stay alert and become noticeable to prospective employers. And you cannot do this unless you plan and plan well.

·   Unwind & reflect:  Ideas will cross your mind if you are at peace with yourself. It may not be surprising if the best idea comes to you when you are taking your morning walk. Mulling over at your workplace will not yield anything because your mind may be knowingly or unknowingly preoccupied with criticism of others. You must allocate some space for thinking to yourself; and refrain from worrying. You will find that you will hit good plans for your future.

·   Know yourself:  To know yourself, you must know your inclinations, inspirations and expertise. If you happen to be an impulsive doer, it may not be an easy affair. But you can do the needful with some willpower; taking assistance from a friend or guide will help.

·   Identify what you seek:  You have to look within to discern exactly what you seek. You have to be certain about your aims – humble or grand - sans which you simply cannot plan. When you look within, you invariably carry out an assessment of your motivation.

·   Be candid in your evaluation: Does you present work leave you contented and in high spirits? Or do you feel otherwise? You need to discern precisely what makes you feel cheerful or miserable –your organization, remunerations, work ethos, recognition and facilities to improve upon, etc. If you are able to point out issues that you adore or abhor, you will automatically also think of various alternatives available to you.    

·   Catalogue your skills:  What are your attributes and strong-points that qualify you for an appointment? You must record them; doing so will facilitate identification and rectification of your weaknesses.  

·   Envisage your prospects:  Your imagination should be let loose, if not wild to conjecture images of what you intend to achieve in your life and career. Do you know your preferences? Where exactly would you like to be in? What charter would you precisely like to take on? How would you like to be acknowledged and recompensed? While envisaging your future, you should not lose your nerve; your determination will help you picture it.   

·   Reason out things:  It is essential that you know the rationale of your objectives rather than musing over the ways to go about achieving them. You will be inclined to believe that you are on the right track and not pause to reflect about actualities. Points that you should consider are your aptitude, skills and principles because without evaluating them, you will never be able to formulate a cogent plan.

·   Do phased scheduling:  There are three distinct phases that your planning should pass through. To start with, you must evaluate your personality and what you necessarily should have. Thereafter, you should see in your mind's eye your future and create a picture of it. And lastly, the plan has to be reduced to writing.  

·   Reduce your plan to writing:  You must jot down anything that crosses your mind – be it during travel, conversation or simply sky-gazing. Your plan should invariably include five aspects – your action, methodology for it, time for its initiation, outside assistance required and a perceived picture of the end-result, that is, your success.

Do not waste time anymore. You could be in for a great surprise. Anew life could be unfolding for you – something far exceeding what you even imagined!