When I doubt everything about my ability, I do not doubt what I know about career navigation and what the labour market rewards. It rewards intuition, connection, problem solving, fortitude, and people over process. More than anything, it rewards you reaching down deep and grabbing hold of your inner most values and drivers, and courteously yet confidently living them.

It’s the expression of my truest values out there in the world: People deserve dignity at work, and they should be empowered to make the best career choices for themselves. This is the bedrock on which Career for Years has been built, it is its mission and guiding principle. It is a wake up call.

If you’re like me, then the excitement of possibility is quickly contrasted with the fear of failure. And just as quickly as the excitement is sparked, it is doused with fear and self-doubt. More often than not, actual failure would bring consequences that could only be felt by ourselves, because it would be related to goals we set for ourselves alone: “think, live, and love, better.”

As we settle into our old rhythms and routines, how can we keep the excitement lit and make the choices our Dec 31 selves hoped we would? How do we stop the fear of failing from taking over our fresh ambitions?

In my view, there are two main pillars to decision making: the stakes (risks), and our values. If the stakes are low and our values aligned, we can make decisions easily. Tough decisions come when the risks are high and/or the options all differently aligned.

I love the start of a new week. Just like I love the first hours of the day (once I'm properly awake). There is so much potential in the forthcoming hours, so many ideas and plans, actions waiting to be executed. And then mid week (or midday) rolls around and I realise that I haven't achieved half of what I set out to do. 

The result of being managed by my fears was that I realized all of them. I did not keep up with my own success, and without having a clear purpose on my business, I failed to articulate who I was and what I was all about. 

How we value our abilities in a monetary sense, and how we justify that to our employer is a major show of our self-awareness, knowledge of the industry, confidence, and tact. Salary negotiations are not just for movie stars slipping pieces of paper across a table. When done well, they are another avenue for you to demonstrate to your employer why they offered you the job in the first place. 

The robots are coming! Ok, the robots are here. Today we’re talking about ATS’s. Applicant Tracking Systems.