It’s that time! High school students are going to career conferences, checking out college and university campuses, and having stressful conversations with their parents about “what to do with their life.” My sister just shared with me today that she’s taking my niece on a college campus tour. Where did the last 18 years go?
Some parents know how to help their kids make these huge decisions. Most parents tell me they feel ill-equipped. There are too many choices today, and secretly, many parents say they are dissatisfied with their own career. (The Globe & Mail puts this number as high as 77 percent!) So how can they possibly give direction and provide hope to their kids?
But what would happen if you knew there was a proven, secret formula to discover your dream career? And once you knew your direction, what if there were concrete strategies you could follow to navigate and build your career? Well, I have some exciting news! The “secrets” of career success are going to be revealed as we launch my new television series this month “Success Stories With Dr. Karyn.” Here is a link: http://www.dkleadership.org/successstories/signup.
This 10-week series features up-close and personal interviews with 10 top industry leaders (National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, chief executive officers) about their entire life — from childhood through to their successful careers today. The stories of what each person experienced are unique, as they share their individual opportunities, obstacles, and triumphs. But when they talk about how they kept moving forward, we see some powerful patterns emerging. The undercurrent for all of these leaders is that they developed their Emotional Intelligence as they navigated their career!
When you hear their stories, you realize it’s less about luck and more about taking risks, learning from failure, building exceptional relationships, delaying gratification, working extremely hard, and being wise decision makers. We often look at successful people once they have “arrived” at their destination, and we tend to focus on their achievements. This series will show you the back story — and how these leaders got to where they are now.
While we were filming in April 2015, I was in the middle of a speaking tour that took me to several elementary schools and high schools, and as I described what I was working on to the teachers and principals I was interacting with, I noticed there was a lot of interest in this topic. They explained that schools and individual teachers are desperately in need of current resources. One teacher sheepishly told me her textbook for teaching her 10th-grade career students was from 2003, while other teachers said they were randomly going to YouTube to try to find material that could fit the new curriculum. Yikes!
We need to properly equip our young people for the workforce — and as I’ve worked and trained in hundreds of organizations in North America over the last decade, the message I am constantly hearing is that the next generation is not prepared. They are lacking the Emotional Intelligence they need to succeed in the workplace!
So we got to work! This summer, we put an incredible team of educational consultants together (directors of education, superintendents, guidance counselors, and teachers) to create a Turn-Key and Affordable Educational Resource Kit to accompany the television series. This kit turns each episode into a classroom teaching tool, and for every episode it includes discussion questions, classroom activities, and additional videos from myself highlighting the Emotional Intelligence skills being illustrated (risk-taking, goal-setting, resilience, confidence, taking initiative, passion, assertiveness, etc.).
For parents: if you want your kids to be learning these crucial skills, make sure you pass this info on to your school’s guidance counselor or principal! For teachers: if you are interested in current, inspiring classroom content that will help your students connect to their IPP and make your careers and health education classes relevant, get in touch with us: karyn
So how can parents help their teens find their dream career? Here are my top three tips:
Know yourself
This may seem like a loaded question, but who are you? Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Dreamer or detail-oriented? Thinker or feeler? How do you manage your time? Do you perform better in structured environments or in more spontaneous environments while working under pressure?
According to the Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment Program, there are 16 personality types (defined by different combinations of four distinct parts of our personality), and depending on your type, you will likely answer these questions in very different ways. But did you consider these questions before you applied for your last job? Before we can even begin to think about figuring out our dream career, we need to know who we are! When I interviewed industry leaders last year for our Strategic Career course, nearly 75 percent of them said the first step to finding your dream career is to know yourself! This is the foundational question!
The interesting thing is that while emotional intelligence is 100 percent learned, personality is more fixed. I did my first personality assessment when I was 21 years old and, to be honest, I was skeptical. How could answering 100 standardized questions tell me anything about myself? But I was wrong! When I read through the 20-page custom document, it nailed me! It explained how I get my energy, how I make decisions, how I manage my time, and even described how I respond to conflict. I love anything that saves time — so yes, we could spend our entire lifetime trying to get to know ourselves, or we could do high-quality assessments that do it for us! Once you know your personality and industry interests, you are much closer to finding your career path.
Learn our ‘secret’ formula
Dream career = personality + industry + values.
I have learned personally — and through working with hundreds of leaders — that finding your career is a combination of knowing your personality (what naturally energizes you) plus knowing the industries that you are personally interested in plus knowing your values!
More than 90 percent of the adults that have taken our course say it was the values component that gave them their “aha moment.” Suddenly, they realized that why they do not like their current job is because their values are not aligned (ex. they value family, but they are traveling two-to-four times per month). I have learned that the people who are the happiest and have discovered their true dream career understand these three components and stick to them as closely as possible!
Four years ago, I was offered a very cool opportunity to do regular consulting in a well-known and respected large organization. Everything looked great on paper, and my friends and mentors were all encouraging me to go for it. But when I assessed my values, I realized it was not a good fit, and I declined the opportunity. (My friends were shocked!)
Know where the jobs are
Once you know your career direction, the next step is to do your research. Talk to industry experts in your field to hear their perspectives, insights, suggestions, and tips. What education would they recommend? What is a realistic pay expectation? Is college or university better? What should a person do to give herself a competitive edge in her industry? What schools would they recommend? If you are an adult, ask them specifically about your situation. Would they recommend you go back to school OR start working right away in your industry? What is the best way to break into your field? What part of this industry has more job opportunities? What will be the career trend in the next five years, from their perspective?
I’ve learned that no one can be an expert in all industries and yet each industry has their superstars. You need to track these people down and then take initiative, pick up the phone or send an e-mail, and ask for their input. I find the most outstanding industry leaders have such a sense of confidence and security that they are happy to share their insight. When I interviewed industry leaders for the podcast portion of our course, I was amazed at how many practical tips and suggestions these leaders shared — everything from how to get a job interview, to which country to do a Master of Business Administration in, to how to network if you are an introvert. Remember: information is powerful, and every piece you gather will bring you one step closer towards reaching your dream career.
Dr. Karyn Gordon is a regular contributor to “Good Morning America,” founder of dk Leadership, best-selling author of “Dr. Karyn’s Guide To The Teen Years” (Harper Collins), and motivational speaker to a quarter of a million people. Visit her at www.dklea
