Self assessments in relation to career pursuits. A short commentary.

When you attend to dozens of career questions daily, rumbling words is not bad for a resulting craziness. For one, everything in the realm of career is complex. But admittedly, encountering useless sentences can be irritating for a reader, if only because they cannot in anyway help in pushing forward career pursuits. Job seekers and career builders, our market members, are always on a rush; as self-sworn career writers this little hobby of ours is quite questionable to keep.

Which explains why we've conducted a survey on their interests. We're looking to make the remaining days of 2010 conducive and intelligent for this blog. It's something we've wanted to achieve since our first day as moderators to Jobs in Singapore.

The goal holds special positions in our hearts, to this date. Part of our new year's resolution is to focus more on the right stuff, namely; resume writing, job interviewing, career planning, and career management. Saying goodbye is never an easy thing, especially if it's something that one enjoys doing very much, but we'll change in time. We don't keep empty promises -- you should know that very well already if you've been a follower since a long time ago.

Come to think of it, it can be said that the general purpose of this blog is to aid people in achieving success. Success in career, that is. That having said, don't be afraid to conquer the roadblocks in your pursuit, whatever they are. For one, help can be found all over the internet. And secondly, whether you're a career builder or job hunter, the fact that you've reached this blog (and reading this right now), makes you pretty much covered, assistance wise.

As inspired by a message from one follower, in line with the rule we've recently imposed onto ourselves, we'll talk about an aspect of career assistance today. Not FAQ, but we're going to make a short commentary on why despite all the help out there, it's still important that you prioritise 'YOU' when weighing in factors in making decisions for your career.

Only you can make proper decisions for your career. Whatever situation you're in right now, options must be weighed in appropriately and risks, studied before finalising anything. Not to mention, although it can be hard, putting your goals as the standard for your judgments is the most lucrative way out. For a stable career...so that you won't mess up whatever achievements in career you've garnered so far.

Career changers and job hunters have pretty much the same case in relation to this, For the members of the former, what led you to think of switching jobs in the first place? Was it because you went to writing for media when your real passion was in a technical writing job? Or perhaps your real dream was to be in a hospitality career, instead of in a call center job?

Don't commit the same mistake. What we want you to do in your next job search is to see your credentials against your personal passions. Only that can lead to a definitive answer. We're not saying that what you'll end up with is heaven though. It's just that it's easiest to achieve job satisfaction via a match.

The advantage of fresh graduates on this battle is that, in today's corporate world where there are matchmakers of personality and careers, they've been exposed early to the importance of one's personal passions in choosing a career. It's probably already a staple in university counseling activities. And so if this is your first time job hunting, we suppose you already understand the importance of knowing one's self in relation to looking for a job? Or not? Nevertheless, what you've done so far to get a job, we have high confidence in them.

For those who've been planning for advancement opportunities, how are your negotiations doing? If not good, how about a change of tactic?

For your next request, although written strategies from experts are out of the question, it's of equal importance that you follow YOU. If it's a salary increase that you want, as long as it's in the line with the latest salary levels and you have achievements to back it up, fight for the request. Do the same if you're requesting the upper management to give your team more training opportunities and career seminars to attend. As long as your arguments are backed up properly, hold on to the request and don't lose your confidence in it.

You see, it's a matter of confidence in yourself.

Career journey is complex, but the notion that only a few can come out of it happy is wrong. One of the best ways to outsmart its intricacies, is perhaps the plainest one...knowing what you like. If you know what you like, everything else will come into place.

Further reading from Career Advice:

Salary Increase: How to Get that Pay Raise
Training Opportunities: Being talented
Job Satisfaction: How to have job satisfaction at work
Job Hunting: Knowing how to create your own good luck and keys to career planning
Goal Setting: Reach Out for the Stars

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