2 Phases of Career Searching

There are 2 phases to career searching that when ignored can quickly lead to you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Between figuring out the right role for you, to submitting resumes to what feels like a black hole, there’s A LOT that goes into job searching.

It’s no wonder my clients talk about being tired of the process.

The problem is that a lot of people think of the “job search” as if it’s the main component of their career development. But it’s only a small piece of it.

The Difference Between a Job and a Career

Here’s the thing, there’s a difference between a job and a career.

A job is, for the most part, temporary. A small piece of your entire career. A job is something you do to bring in money and support your lifestyle.

On the other hand, a career is a series of related events that make up your life’s work. These events align with who you are and allow you to make your own unique impact in the world.

Your career involves your education, jobs, volunteer experiences, etc. as long as they all work together to lead you to your goals.

When I work with clients who are unclear about what they want to do, I like to talk about career searching as opposed to job searching. Focusing on a career search allows you to think holistically about the entire process.

Now that I’ve laid that foundation, let’s talk about career searching.

The Ineffective Way to Career Search

There are 2 phases of career searching – a lot of women I’ve worked with end up in unfulfilling jobs because of how they approach their job search. For a lot of women, their process to finding a job looks something like this:

• I need a new job or I want a new job cause I’m tired of the one I’m currently in.
• I think about what I’m good at
• So, I go online and start searching for opportunities. I look on LinkedIn, Indeed.com, Monster.com, maybe Facebook, maybe Google, whatever works.
• I find something and I submit my resume to apply for the position… or 20 of them.
• And then I wait to hear back from someone one way or another.

This approach often just leads to crickets and frustration because you don’t see the fruition of all the effort you believe you’ve put in. The problem with this is that you’re thinking of the whole thing as one process where it’s two phases.

This is where my signature approach to career counseling and career searching comes in.

The 2 Phases of Career Searching

What you don’t hear about often is that career searching happens in 2 phases – my Flipped Triangle Career Decision Making Model – the Discovery Phase and the Attainment Phase.

Phases of Career Searching #1 – Discovery

This is where you do the self-work that’s necessary to find a fulfilling career. Why? Because it’s impossible to find a career you truly enjoy and can thrive in if you don’t first know who you are.

It’s impossible to find a career you truly enjoy and can thrive in if you don’t first know who you are. Click To Tweet

I quickly discovered this when I was on the wrong career track. In this phase, you can use my unique VISA framework to discover your aligned careers.

Clarify your non-negotiable career values

This is where you get clear about what your values are, your compass in life. What are the things that are important to you in life? What are the things that guide your life, that guide your decisions?

Identify your zone of genius interest areas

These are the things, and activities that get your juices flowing. What are the things that when you’re doing them time feels like it’s flying by? It feels good. You feel fulfilled. You feel like you’ve accomplished something.

Get super clear about your high-power skills

We all have multiple skills, but we don’t have to use every skill in our jobs. There are some skills that feel like an up-hill battle when you try to use them. These aren’t high-power skills. Your high-power skills are those skills that when you use them, you feel strong, powerful, and confident. These are the skills you want to leverage in your aligned career.

Once you have clarity about who you are, you can engage in intentional research that allows you to discover careers that align with who you are.

You can ask yourself: “What are the pathways out there that actually align with who I am that I will find fulfilling?”

Note: there is no career that is 100% going to satisfy every need you have. That’s what hobbies are for. That’s what side gigs are for. But you should be able to enjoy your career at the very least 80-90% of the time.

To engage in a successful career search that ends with you finding a fulfilling career, you have to start by looking inward. The first phase of the two phases of carer searching allows you to get very clear about who you are.

You can move to the second phase once you’ve laid that foundation of who you are and discovered careers that align with who you are.

Phases of Career Searching #2 – Attainment

This is where most people think the career search process starts which is why they tend to find the process frustrating.

Starting your career search in the second phase means you’ve skipped a whole phase that makes up the foundation on which a solid career search is built.  

Starting your job search in the attainment phase is like going on a road trip without a map or directions. You might get where you want to go eventually, but you’ll likely waste a lot of time being frustrated and disappointed along the way.

Starting your job search in the attainment phase is like going on a road trip without a map or directions. You might get where you want to go eventually, but you’ll likely waste a lot of time being frustrated and disappointed along the way. Click To Tweet

The attainment phase is the part of the process that can be unpredictable and time-consuming if approached without a clear strategy.

To conduct an effective attainment phase, you engage in strategic solo and internet research, build an effective network, and begin the application process.

My SIMS framework will help you successfully navigate this second phase of the two phases of career searching.

Engage in solo research

Once you have clarity about who you are, you can engage in solo and interactive research of potential fulfilling roles online to evaluate careers for potential fulfillment. The discovery phase gives you the parameters you need to evaluate any role for fit, alignment, and fulfillment.

In addition to solo research, interactive research that involves discussions with people in potential companies, roles, and industries that you’re considering is crucial.

Do Intentional Marketing

Moreover, you should also build aligned network with current and potential connections while you’re doing intentional research and during the career search. A lot of roles are secured through connections.

Market and Apply

The next step involves marketing and application. In this step, you’ll audit all your marketing materials –  resume, cover letter, and your LinkedIn profile. You’ll also develop an effective elevator pitch. Once you have clarity and highly effective materials, you can begin applying to your aligned roles.

Secure and Plan

Finally, you work on securing and planning your career growth. To secure your fulfilling role, you’ll need to successfully ace any job interviews and negotiate a value-aligned salary. After securing your fulfilling role, it’s important to become future-oriented and begin crafting your career development and growth plan.

Lack of Confidence

I’ve noticed, from my work with clients, that when a step is skipped in one or both of those phases of career searching, it usually results in a lack of confidence in the search process.

In the discovery phase, low confidence in your abilities comes from the lack of knowledge clarity.

In the attainment phase, low confidence comes from feeling overwhelmed by the whole process. And when that overwhelm sets in, then there becomes a lack of confidence in your ability to secure a job. That’s why it’s important to take the time to think strategically through both of those phases.

Importance of the 2 Phases

Phase one is very important because it’s the foundation that makes everything else easier. When you have the foundation from the discovery phase, the attainment phase becomes easier because you know exactly what you’re looking for in opportunities.

You know how to research companies to see if they align with your values when a new opportunity comes up.

When you’re writing cover letters, you know exactly how to craft your story and your experiences to market yourself effectively. In creating your resume, you know exactly how to position your experiences to align with where you want to go.

I approach the career search this way because it allows for a holistic experience. This approach ensures that your chances of finding a fulfilling career are higher.

If you’re feeling unhappy at work, take the time to do the self-work you need to get very clear about who you are.

Or better yet, join a program that helps you navigate the first phase of career searching without overwhelm and stress.

In Find Your Fulfilling Career, I walk you through all the steps you need to successfully complete the discovery phase so you have a solid foundation to engage in strategic research and a successful job search. Learn more about FYFC.