4 Tips for Crafting a Great ‘Career Vision’

In nearly every job interview, you’ll be asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” For some people, the answers come easily. Often, however, people struggle to answer this question. If you find yourself a little unsure of where your career is going, it’s time to craft a career vision. A career vision will help you clearly define your goals, understand what you really want from your career and help you target the job search to opportunities aligned with that vision.

Face Your Fear

Most people don’t have a career vision because the thought of committing to a path can be scary – especially if you aren’t sure what you want. This can be especially true for graduates of liberal arts programs who may fear they don’t have enough transferable skills. It is often that fear that leads people to accept any job they can land. In truth, the only goals you never achieve are those you don’t set.

Decide What You Want

Deciding what you want doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process, but it’s a worthwhile exercise. Every day, over the course of a few weeks, sit down and write, “I want” in a notebook. Then, without any self-judgment write whatever comes to mind. It might be one sentence. It might be three pages. After a few days, you’ll likely start to notice recurring themes or desires.

Ask Yourself Some Important Questions

Once you have a broad idea of where you want to go, it’s time to start building your vision. To clearly define that vision, write down the answers to these questions:

• If it were possible to change anything about my career today, what would I change?
• What type of job would I want?
• What would I want to do each day?
• What type of company would I want to work for?
• What type of culture would I want to work in?
• What type of boss would I want to work for?
• What salary would I want to earn?

Get in the Game

The destination you’ve chosen and the answers to those specific questions listed above will give you a clear vision for where you want to take your career. However, you’ll need to take the first step and find a job today that will put you on the right path.

Working with a reputable Boston staffing agency can be a great way to try out new experiences and further define your career vision. You can test out different work environments through temporary roles and expose yourself to different corporate cultures, or you can parlay a temporary assignment into a full-time job if you find a great organization you want to work for. If you are looking to find a temp job in Boston, partner with Contemporaries, Inc. Our recruiters have a 98 percent success rate for placement and 90 percent of our placements turn into permanent positions. Contact us today to start realizing your career vision