If you mapped out your career path, would it resemble a maze, with a lot of false starts, dead ends and retracing your steps? That could mean that you started with a direction and got sidetracked somehow or else never had a direction in mind to begin with-just stumbled into one job after another. Either way, your future progress and success depends heavily on identifying a new direction that makes good sense for you.
Job seekers who strike out blindly or trust to luck in their search (what I call the shotgun approach) don't stand much chance of achieving positive results. You can't simply dash off a generic resume and expect that to accomplish anything worthwhile when you're up against stiff competition, but creating a focused resume requires that you first determine where you want it to take you.
Settling on a career direction involves numerous steps, but three of the most critical are:
(1) researching the job market to identify and learn about industries, companies, etc., that interest you and have reasonable prospects for growth;
(2) evaluating your strengths and potential value to employers in those industries and companies; and
(3) assessing the barriers to entry-the requirements you will need to meet in order to be considered by them.
For example, if advanced education is mandatory for a particular job or career, and you don't have it but can get it with a reasonable investment of time, effort and money, that's one thing. On the other hand, if getting the job would involve something you can't realistically overcome, you're probably better off conserving your resources and looking in a different direction.
