Wisdom and StrategyCareer – Wisdom and Strategy

The Underrated Advantages of Keeping your Day Job

James — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:00:57 +0000

Positioning to Consider if you're Starting a Side Hustle

Let’s talk about something that may sound non-intuitive when it comes to achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.

It’s a line of thought that many of the twenty-something “gurus” touting their greatness on social media today would push back on. It’s a way of approaching the whole concept of work-life balance with some unique potential to optimize the use of your present resources while constructing a nice launch pad for future success while also maintaining your present way of life in the meantime.

What is it?

Keeping your 9-5 while building your side-hustle.

Do you really need to “escape”?

“What”?!”, I hear a lot of readers asking?

“But I want to leave my day job behind for ever. I hate working for someone else. I need to escape!”

A lot of people think this way, and I can understand why. They feel like there current job is limited, they’re not using their talents in ways that could be much more fulfilling. Or, they don’t have the kind of flexibility with their time to do other things that they really want to do.

In fact, a lot of people talk down about the idea working for someone else. Others encourage people to quit their jobs as soon as possible.

But in doing so, they ignore all the advantages that having a job provides.

You see, a good, reliable job, or even the ability to get a job when you need one can be exceedingly helpful on a number of fronts. This is true even if your ultimate goal is freedom, starting a side hustle, or investing more time in mastering a hobby.

But what are some of the advantages to keeping your job and how can you start to realize them? Let’s walk through a few of them below.

Free is often the best of all

There are multiple ways to obtain training and knowledge necessary to grow. Some immediately self-directed options include books, courses, seminars and online educational videos. Consuming quality informational content is one method to establishing a knowledge base you can expand upon.

But this method leaves other things to be desired.

This mindset, by itself, doesn’t inherently allow you the opportunity to develop the actual skills and experience needed to succeed. There’s still a lot of value to the “learn by doing” methodology, and the importance of on the job training cannot be denied. And remember, even though skills you develop through these means may not directly apply to your current or future role or side hustle, perhaps you can find ways to make them apply with some creative thinking.

Furthermore, the cool thing about leveraging your time on the job for learning the skills you need for the future is that it’s essentially free training.

Of course, the people training you while in these positions probably assume that you’ll be working there for awhile. And maybe you will. But it’s not always easy to know what the future holds, and there may come circumstances that are outside of your control that may require you to adapt.

Jobs come and jobs go, but the proficiencies you develop while doing those jobs stay with you forever provided you maintain them.

Mentors here, there, and everywhere

Another key advantage derived from keeping your day job is the typically easy accessibility to great mentors that it can offer you. Assuming your present role is at least somewhat aligned with what you’d like to do in the future, you’ll likely be working in close proximity with some individuals who have achieved a degree of excellence in the same industry.

And any manager worth their salt would be supportive of you meeting and working with a mentor in your company. They may even have some recommendations for you to reach out to – people who they respect, and have worked with well in the past. They may even help you with an introduction if you ask for one.

Of course, not all people in positions of leadership will support you in this way. It may also depend on a number of circumstances, such as whether you’ve shown yourself to be a good employee. But if the option is there, in can be a lot easier to connect with qualified mentors when you already have that support system established.

I’d rather surf the waves than tread water

Who wants to live with their back to the wall?

Well, prematurely leaving your job before your side-hustle is actually generating any revenue can lead to just that. I’ve heard countless stories of entrepreneurs struggling to make in during the early, lean years. And eventually, some do make it. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. And many of these would-be entrepreneurs even have families in tow who are depending on them to bring home the bacon, so to speak.

Not to say there isn’t some truth to the idea that having that added motivation can inspire to you work even harder. But I think we can all agree that that is an uncomfortable situation to say the least.

Avoiding incessant questions and judgement from naysayers

If you quit your job to pursue your “passion” it’s often accompanied by negative comments from friends, family, neighbors, etc. And if you’re not in a position on the timeline where you’re actually producing results with your business (for instance, it may be very early on in the process), this unsolicited commentary can bring you down.

This is one of the reasons I’ve always found benefit in working on side projects without announcing it to the world. And it’s all the more easy to do so if you don’t make drastic life changes (like quitting your job) early on.

Learning how to maximize your time

If you’re building a side hustle while you still have your job it may be a struggle to find more than a few hours every day to work on it.

This can actually be a blessing because you’ll soon realize that there’s little time to waste. Confronted with multiple tasks that need to be done you’ll naturally have to give precedence to the most important ones.

Those things that will actually move the needle need to be prioritized and if you’re all about getting traction, you’ll be more inclined to complete the essentials early and often.

One way to think about this period of time is as your training ground. Great entrepreneurs absolutely need to make the most of their time, and you’re getting a crash course in this principle while judiciously finding a few hours every day and on the weekend. Of course, with a steady income from a day job, the results will come more from a must have goal-based type of place.

But that can also be a good thing because successful enterprises are often the natural the result of deliberately chosen goals.

What about you? What’s your next step in your career and / or entrepreneurial journey?

5 Questions to Help Shape the Course of Your Career

James — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 13:00:11 +0000

Some Things to Think About

When I was just starting out in the world of work it took me a while to get my career track figured out. I went from one job role to another in various industries, wasting too much time in a scattered and arguably chaotic fashion throughout.

But it doesn’t mean this was all bad either.

In certain respects it worked out OK because I was able to develop some diverse skills that served me well, at least in some capacity throughout all of my career. A lot of this benefit was simply due to how I approached and utilized my experience – but that’s for a different post.

It’s clear now that a better plan in the beginning would’ve helped pave the way for greater progress (and also more income) in those earlier years.

Of course, back then I likely wouldn’t have known what to do with it.

Maybe everything works out the way it should.

But now, at this stage in my life I’ve accumulated some perspective as to what I could’ve done and how I could’ve thought differently. And I use this approach today at this stage in my life. I also share it with others when they tell me they feel lost like a ship at sea.

The approach I speak of revolves around asking certain relevant questions and doing so regularly.

Let’s walk through them now.

1. What do I want?

This question is default mode for many people.

Others go down this road of inquiry subconsciously each and every day. They may not realize they’re asking themselves “what do I want?” but they do it nonetheless. And some even ask it selfishly without taking other people’s needs and wants into account (which isn’t a great way to go from my perspective).

In contrast to this, certain individuals ask this question more along the lines of what they don’t want. Their perspective in life revolves around avoidance. And if that works for them, that’s ok. They have it figured out in their own way, and it’s not my place to argue.

But for my purposes, it’s always made the most sense to figure out what I want to do or acquire, who I want to meet, etc. from a deliberate, conscious perspective.

If you build a timeline around it, and assume that you’ll regularly be asking it every three months (or less) or so for years down the road it’s even better because you should get a steadily evolving idea of how all the pieces fit together.

You may also get a glimpse of how what you’re doing today influences what you want to do tomorrow and so on and so forth.

But what about those who fail to consider this question?

It’s unfortunate, but people who don’t ponder these things may find themselves working in a job they hate when they’re too old or established in a certain field to do much about it.

2. What skills and experience do I have?

It’s great to have dreams.

Thinking about what’s possible and making clear plans to get there are important steps taken by some of the greatest innovators who ever lived.

But (and I hate to be the one who has to say this), it’s also important to also be realistic.

And in many cases it might make more sense to read the trends of life by looking at what you’ve done in the past and what skillsets have you accumulated in the process as a hint to what the next step should be.

From what I’ve seen people tend to move toward interests incrementally, and a clear understanding of your past choices is a great way to enhance your vision for the future.

For instance, I can’t tell you anyone off hand who has worked their entire life as an accountant and then suddenly decided to be a marine biologist. Chances are, prior to wanting to become an accountant they had an affinity for math, working with numbers, and modeling out financial scenarios.

There must’ve been some degree of satisfaction there to stay in that field for so long.

Not to say big changes in one’s career path can’t happen, but I think the 180 degree pivot quite rare.

Now, the reason this question is so important is because having the right qualifications is often one of the first requirements you’ll see in job postings, and with that it’s only natural that the topic also gets brought up in interviews. Employers want to hire people who have done the same, or at least similar things in the past – and having had some degree of success in these endeavors is usually preferred.

Another example of why this question is key is, depending on what you’re looking at doing with your career it can help give you an idea of where you need improvement. If you don’t have the skills and experience necessary for a certain role, determining the answer to this question will give you insight into areas that you need to work on.

All that said, if you’re at the point where you’re contemplating a life change and would like to do some type of job that’s totally different, this certainly doesn’t mean that you cannot do that thing. But your chances of success are certainly better if your past track record has provided you a firm foundation for future success.

3. Who are my connections / who supports me?

If I’ve learned anything in my life it’s that you can’t accomplish anything noteworthy all by by yourself.

Sorry, it’s just how it is.

Don’t feel alone if you’re surprised by this. As an ambitions, self-starter type, It took me a long time to learn (and accept) it too.

But let’s take this to another, more positive level.

You can go a lot further and get there a lot faster with the right type of people in your corner.

So why resist? It might just make more sense to embrace it.

Start making your list, and see who can help you with what you need to get to where you want to go. Some of these people might have some connections of their own who can provide you with the perfect introduction, and perhaps they’d be willing to do so.

But now, what happens if you make your list, and for whatever reason find out that your circle is a bit small. Maybe you just have a few good friends, and they aren’t involved with the type of career that you’d like to have.

That’s where networking comes in to the picture.

Networking takes some time to master, and a more full explanation will require it’s own blog post. But for right now, I’ll leave you with some points to think about when considering effective networking.

Start building real relationships.
Figure out ways that you can help others
Become better at marketing yourself
Create a system for effectively managing your contacts
Engage in regular networking (Meeting new people)

4. Am I moving in the direction of my current goals at present?

Something that a lot of people lack (even some at what could be consider the upper echelons) is one key trait:

Self-awareness.

But what is self-awareness and how can you develop it?

Fundamentally, self-awareness is about knowing what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and the impact your actions are having. For example, in using certain communication methods you may be pushing others away who could be of help to you in some way. Maybe you’re being rude or grumpy and don’t even realize it. In a case like this, self-awareness would revolve around looking at these past interactions carefully to determine why more people aren’t sticking around.

The first thing that I did to start learning this important skill was to learn to have some humility. I realized that I had a lot to learn.

I also started taking more responsibility for my actions, and began writing about these scenarios in my journal. This activity coupled with deep reading about the particular topics where I wanted to improve steadily began enhancing my self-awareness.

It’s a journey that never ends. And if you do it right, it can be one of the most satisfying projects you undertake.

5. Is it better to wait or move?

Timing is of the essence when it comes to career moves.

When an opportunity pops up on your radar you may have some lead time in which to decide. However, opportunities in certain niches can go fast. A lot of people may be looking for them, and if you decide to not step up, they may step in and take advantage of them.

Once you have established some self-awareness as referenced above, you’ll have a better idea as to whether you should take up the opportunity yourself.

Another step which can help here is developing a pros and cons list for the particular opportunity. Once you’ve completed both of these elements, you’ll be better positioned to examine the particular opportunity from different perspectives and determine if it’s one that will work for you.

What other questions do you ask when considering your career?

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10 Tips for a Winning Job Hunt

James — Mon, 27 May 2019 18:43:56 +0000

A Strategic Approach to Maximizing Your Time and Nailing Your Dream Job

For many people, job hunting can be a daunting task. This is especially true when you’re down to your last savings, and in urgent need of some great work.

When you’re looking for a job, there are a few steps you can take which will help make the process a lot easier.

Know what you want

When you know what you want, you can quickly review job availability, see what it is that interests you, and efficiently apply your efforts in the most logical way. A big part of this is being aware of your skills, characteristics, and inclinations.

Additionally, knowing how your current educational achievements align with the role you desire will help to narrow the field as you pursue the job of your dreams.

Create a List

As you scan through resources to find jobs that interest you, it’s important to make a “wish list” of sorts. Pulling together 10 – 12 companies / roles that fit the bill in this area allows you to move more decisively into the next phase of the process.

Research

Hand in hand with creating the list above, is researching the companies you’re interested in. Initially, you research in order to get a handle on whether or not the jobs are a good fit for you.

Next, you research in a more focused manner in order to learn all that you can about the companies, so that you’re ready for the application and interview processes.

When you move into the interview phase, the goal is to know key points about the company, and be able to discuss these points intelligently.

Draft a Winning Resume

Depending on what the job requires, you may want to assess your resume in order to determine if it’s worded in the correct way, and whether you are highlighting the skills that you have which align with what the role requires, and the culture of the target companies.

We will discuss resume drafting in detail in an upcoming post.

Apply for the Job

In this modern era, the job application process for corporate roles is typically online. A lot of this is simply reiterating what is stated on your resume. Often, there is a spot to attach a cover letter, which we will discuss in a future post.

Know the Players

Assuming the company contacts you with interest regarding your resume and cover letter, they will reach out to you with some interview dates. Once you move into this phase, it’s helpful to know the individuals who you will be interviewing with. Who are they? What are their roles? How long have they been with the company? LinkedIn and internet browsers such as Google are great tools here.

Review Your Skills

Whenever I prepare for a job interview, I sit down with a blank word document, and create a bullet point list of my relevant skills and experience, and accomplishments. I write them as clearly and succinctly as I can, and I make sure they are applicable to the role in question.

Next, I memorize this list and recite it in front of a mirror… over and over and over. I practice this repeatedly, so that all of my relevant skills are fresh in my mind and so that I can discuss them with ease during the interview.

Chart Your Course

Once you get an interview time and location set up, it’s helpful to map out and travel the route you will take to get there. I typically do this a few days before the interview so that it’s fresh in my mind for the big day.

This will help you feel more comfortable on the day of the interview, as you’ll have familiarity with the location, and key landmarks.

Additionally, It might not hurt to stop by somewhere local for a quick lunch at a local restaurant so that you’ll have something in common that you can discuss with your prospective employers

Dress for Success

It’s very important to dress for the role that you want. If you’re going for a corporate role, wear something like a nice suit, slacks, dress, etc. which conveys professionalism. Additionally, it’s important to arrive on time, and be courteous throughout the interview process. Strive to achieve the “put together” presence.

Utilize Great Communication Skills

When you’re in the actual interview, actively listen and engage with the interviewers. Make great eye contact, ask relevant questions, emphasize relevant skills (where applicable) and try to enjoy the process. There’s a balance here, which we can discuss in a future post.

Overall, when you’re enjoying the process, those interviewing you will likely enjoy it too. When you can convey that “likability” factor, it will make you that much more memorable to your prospective employers.

What have you learned throughout job the hunting / job interview?

Would you add any other key points to the list above?

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