It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the choices that may be placed in front of you.  Not knowing which one is best.  Always second guessing yourself.  Hoping someone will make the choice for you.  It’s no different when the choice has to do with your career.  Graduating school at the top of your class but you’ve got nowhere to go?  In your current job for more than your fair share without a shot for a promotion or advancement?  If you can relate to any of this then you are surely experience a case of “job fluster.”

When you are bombarded with choices about your career staying clear and focused can become a challenge.  Even if you know where you’d like to go, getting there can make you dizzy with options you may not ever thought you’d be faced with having to make.  Job fluster feels like the world of career is flying all around you and you have to catch something quick before it disappears. Feeling the pressure from your friends and family about your choices won’t help you remain calm and your own self-imposed pressure can make matters even worse.

You are the master of your own career destiny and it’s time you take control of it in a way that helps you ultimately get what you want. It might seem easier said than done but here are a few tips that may just help free you from your job fluster:

1. Make a list:  It doesn’t just work for Santa Claus but it can actually help you stay clear on your mission.  Listing out the jobs you want and the companies you’d like to work for narrows your options and gives you a sense of direction.  It also helps you stay on top of what’s going on in those companies and be ready to move when you see a job opening.
2. Do research:  Staying on top of what’s happening in and around your industry and your profession may seem like homework but it may inspire you to look at your career options in a new way.  Learning about what’s new and innovative in your field helps you to think outside the box and find new avenues to explore that may not have been readily present to you.
3. Talk to colleagues:  It’s one thing to use your network to dish the dirt about what’s working or not with your career, it’s another to strategically develop a “career” sounding board of trusted advisors who can help steer you in the right direction when you begin to veer of course.
4. Take action:  Talking, reading and writing is one thing but if you NEVER put your plans into action you’ll be stuck in job fluster for a long time.
5. Reward your efforts:  It takes a lot of work to stay focused and not taking the time to acknowledge your efforts and your accomplishments no matter how small, will set you back and not give you the drive or incentive to move ahead.

You’ve got what it takes to get what you want out of your career.  Staying focused and disciplined in your thinking and in your actions will make the road a lot easier for you and you will get ahead much faster with a little help from yourself.

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Don’t you love it when you are asked, “Where do you see yourself in the next few years?”  Like you have a crystal ball and can really know that!  It’s not a trick question but it does give the recruiter or hiring manager a sense of where your head is at and whether you are a long or short-term player. It’s nice to know where you are going let alone where you’ll end up in a few years.  Yeah, you can say you want to be President or have the corner office or be making over $100K a year!  But really, is that the right question to be asking a prospective employee? Where you see yourself in the future has little importance compared to where you see yourself TODAY!

Knowing where you are going in the next 3-5 years in your career should not throw you or anyone else off course when someone dares to inquire.  Retirement might be nice but that might be a luxury these days rather than a tangible goal!  Here are a few ways to address the question of where you see yourself without necessarily revealing anything you are not ready to:

1. 1.    “I’d like to be promoted”: Having career ambition is not something to be ashamed of.  Having unrealistic expectations on when and how to get there might be.  Be specific about your desire to move ahead without letting someone believe you are not prepared to do the hard work in order to get there.
2. 2.   “I want to run my own company”:  Knowing when you are ready to go out on your own might be something you decide to keep to yourself. It’s not important for a hiring manager today to know what your long-term aspirations are especially if they have nothing to do with the job you are in or you are considering applying for. 
3. 3.   “I want to earn an advanced degree”:  Looking towards furthering your education by earning a degree or advanced degree is a lofty goal to have but you have to ask yourself is it relevant to your current position?  If the answer is yes, then by all means share your goal with the hiring manager, if it’s not, then there is no point in letting someone who is hiring you today know what your education goals are for the future particularly if it does not concern your current job.
4. 4.   “I want to travel around the world”:  Well, I guess one response might be, “Who wouldn’t” but come on, do you have to share that with someone who is only focusing on whether you’ll show up for work on time rather than whether or not you’ll be able to get your passport updated in time for your world travels!  Keep that one to yourself please.
5. 5.   “I don’t know?” Honest as that one is, it’s okay to not know where you will be in 3-5 years but a better way to answer that one might be that you hope that you will be further along in your desired career and working with a company and people that truly challenge you to continue to grow and to learn.  Now doesn’t that one sound much better even if it’s not stating a whole lot?

While you may not know exactly where the road will lead in the next couple of years, being prepared with an answer that does not throw you off course in your answer is wise especially when frankly, you may not be that sure.

Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

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So you want the top job, the fancy office, and the executive assistant.  You say you are ready to handle more responsibility and that you have climbed to the next wrung on your career ladder.  You think everyone looks up to you, thinks you are a super-star or describes you as a mentor even though you are not sure you’ve ever helped anyone along the way. It’s easy to think you are great when YOU think you are great, but do you really know what everyone else thinks of you?

Wanting to take the top job or feeling so confident that you can do anything you set your mind to does not necessarily translate to you being ready to lead the charge.  It might look like running a company or department is easy when you have good people you can rely on and trust.  But knowing what you are truly capable of and knowing how much others rely and trust you makes will reveal whether you are ready to descend the throne to your next career position.

It’s not enough to think you are ready for the next step you need to learn to “act the part” in order for anyone to take you seriously.  Acting the part does not mean you should be hanging out with the support staff, buying your co-workers drinks after work or treating your boss to a night on the town.  Acting the part means doing a great job, gaining the trust of your peers and subordinates and looking out for yourself as much as you look out for others.  Showing up to work hung over, gossiping about your boss, getting drunk at a company function are not the ways to enlist friends and allies at work.

We all want to be recognized for our accomplishments at work but when they talk about your extra-curricular activities more than they do your work projects, it’s time to act the part of a leader and not a follower. You may think you have what it takes to lead the charge and you may possess the necessary technical skills but if you lack the emotional intelligence to really harness the ability to lead by example then you are missing out on a big life and career lesson.

Taking your job personally instead of professionally will hurt you more than you know if you are trying to prove you have what it takes to lead a team.  Being defensive, manipulative or argumentative will not help your cause when you decide it’s time to raise your hand for a promotion or bigger job opportunity. Knowing yourself better than you know anyone else helps you to be aware of your shortcomings and enables you to learn and to lead by example.

It’s okay not to have all of the answers all of the time but when you don’t act the part of a leader and that of a decision maker you might just lead yourself and others down a dead end where no one can help you or your team navigate towards success.  Acting the part means making wise choices about the company, boss and co-workers you decide to hang out with.  Because like it or not you judged by the company you keep.

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Commitment is a scary thing.  Whether you are dating someone or thinking about getting married, no one likes to tie themself to something or to someone that is not considered a “sure thing.”  You can count your career as the type of sure bet anyone would like to have. You may consider “dating” your job or perhaps entertain a few different job offers at the same time, but when it comes to your career, do you have what it takes to go the distance?

For a long time the term “consultant” or “freelancer” or “temporary” had a derogatory meaning.  It might imply you were someone who floated from one thing to another, or you were not part of the inner circle and you were expendable or maybe even perpetually unemployed.  Well being a full time employee these days holds much the same baggage   You can offer yourself up as a “lifer” hoping to stay with a job until retirement whenever that is, or you can keep your options open.  Knowing when it’s time to “play the field” when it comes to looking at your job options should occur naturally and just because you have the seven-year itch.  You’ve got to know what you are worth in the marketplace but more importantly you have to able to know when it’s time to walk away from your job relationship especially when it’s no longer working for you.

Here are some helpful scenarios to consider when you are not sure whether you should continue to “date” or “marry” your job:

1. Do you like the feeling of limitless boundaries, freedom of expression and the ability to call it like you see it without fear of retaliation or reproach?
2. Do you enjoy the flexibility of knowing you can leave your job at anytime without feeling like you are betraying your boss or co-workers?
3. Do you gain satisfaction from knowing people are actually listening to your opinions and your point of view holds value instead of worrying if you have jeopardized your position?
4. Are you grateful you do not have to attend the obligatory team-building meetings, or company “bonding” sessions because you are seen as an individual contributor and not someone who needs to “fit in”?
5. Do you like knowing that you can change jobs or work environments or simultaneously juggle many assignments without triggering a “conflict of interest” or that you are mutually exclusive to anyone?
6. Are you able to call your own shots, choose your own work schedule and pick whom you would like to associate with at work?
7. Do you like feeling that everyone is your client and that you do not have to play favorites in order to get ahead?
8. Do you enjoy the challenge of knowing you are your own boss and you don’t need to placate anyone in order to get the corner office or a seat at the proverbial table?
9. Isn’t it great to know that at the end of the day, you can leave your work at work and not let it plague you when you are on vacation or enjoying some private time with your friends and family.
10. And finally, knowing all that you do, isn’t it time you were able to be your own boss when it comes to selectively working for a company or for individuals of your choosing without feeling like there is no way out?

When it comes to considering whether you are best suited for dating or marrying your job think about how you feel at the end of the day?  If you feel you can’t wait to leave and are glad that you are able to move onto something else whenever you feel like it than you are probably someone who would not be happy no matter how big the engagement ring is.  Knowing who you are and what makes you happy will ultimately make you a more valuable addition to any team whether the situation is “permanent” or not.  And remember, there are no guarantees in life regardless of what your employment agreement says.

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Sharing is a sign of trust.  We all want to be “transparent” when it comes to our thoughts, feelings and the way we manage our decision making.  It’s good to put all of your cards on the table when dealing with your co-workers, your boss and your clients, but you have to know when TMI (Too Much Information) is crossing the line. Finding and using your verbal filter helps you edit out only the pertinent information from the “need to know “ category and may make the difference in confiding more than you need to.

We all want to share and feel like we are in the know when it comes to the corporate “inner circle.”  That’s a natural feeling to have when you believe you are not part of the process of how the company or your job works.  It’s about control and information as they say equates to power.  That holds true whether you are on the giving or receiving end of any news. Some of us are better at managing information, where others feel like they need to be part of every conversation and know the inner workings of a company. But when is knowing more than you need to something you can handle?  Do you need to be part of every conversation and know how everyone feels about you or the boss or your peers?  It’s one thing to provide “feedback” in a constructive way when the party you are sharing it with is open to receiving the feedback.  It’s entirely another when you are spreading the word about people or situations that best be kept confidential.

Knowing how much information to filter out when discussing another person in the organization is the difference between being helpful from being harmful.  You can find the right and wrong way to share information.  Sometimes it’s a slippery slope when the individual or the organizational culture does not foster open and honest communication.  You run the risk of being too open and too communicative if the company does not support that type of behavior and information sharing in a safe and confidential environment.

You can and will develop the kind of trust you need from your co-workers when you know the difference between sharing too much information that may cause others to feel insecure about your candor and your honesty.  Asking permission to share “unfiltered” feedback is a way to engage in a trusting and open dialogue with a co-worker especially if you have to share tough news.

The art of corporate communication is more about what you should not share with someone than it is about what you feel someone needs to know. When you have managed to discern the difference you open yourself up to new and meaningful ways to share your thoughts and a point of view so that others can appreciate it.  Knowing when to speak your mind is a skill that will serve you well whether you are starting out in your career or you are a seasoned veteran.  Learning the best way to share information with your colleagues and associates is a skill worth practicing. Possessing self-awareness in how you handle your professional interactions will serve you well as you traverse the corporate landscape.

 Looking for a job?  Find us at www.greenlightjobs.com

Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/lisakayeglj

Follow greenlightjobs on Twitter http://twitter.com/greenlightjobs

And, on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/abb/50