WCIYP (You Need To Understand More Fully Who You Are)

According to Richard N. Bolles, the author of What Color Is Your Parachute, it is critical to take an inventory of yourself in order to fully understand who you are as a person, and how the results can impact job-hunting as a whole. By doing so, you will be able to learn more about yourself and find answers to the following seven dilemmas provided by the book:

1.) By doing this homework on yourself, you learn to describe yourself in at least six different ways, and therefore you can approach multiple job-markets.

• Instead of being arbitrarily known as an "accountant", you can instead describe yourself as a person with certain skills and experiences that ultimately shape who you are as an individual.

2.) By doing this homework on yourself, you can describe in detail exactly what you are looking for.

• By doing so, you will be able to more effectively communicate with family, friends, or colleagues for assistance in your job-hunting process.

3.) By ending up with a picture of a job that would really excite you, you will inevitably pour much more energy and determination into your job-search.

• Once you have a dream job in mind, you will undoubtedly become determined to earn the position, or at least be persistent until you do so.

4.) By doing this homework, you will no longer have to wait to approach companies until they say they have a vacancy.

• Utilizing a bridge-person to connect with an employer is an ideal way to approach a company without any widely known vacancies, and more likely than not results in you finding a job. 

5.) When you are facing, let us say, nineteen other competitors for the job you want-equally experienced, equally skilled- you will stand out because you can accurately describe to employers exactly what is unique about you, and what you bring to the table that others do not.

• In other words, you should be able to articulate the traits or skills that differentiate you from others for a job opening.

6.) If you are contemplating a career-change, maybe-after you inventory yourself-you will see definitely what new career or direction you want for your life.

• Conducting informational interviews, or simply taking an inventory of yourself will surely provide insight into what you are passionate about, and can help determine if a career-change is necessary. 

7.) Unemployment is an interruption, in most of our lives. And interruptions are opportunities, to pause, to think, to assess where we really want to go with our lives.

• If you adopt the "Parachute Approach" to job-hunting, which I have discussed in great detail in previous blog posts, then you will definitely be able to determine who you are and what you love to do. In fact, taking an inventory of yourself can help you grow as an individual, in addition to finding a job that you may find interesting.