I was talking with my associate career coach, Stacy, recently and it reminded me of something I wanted to share with you. One of her career coaching clients has been in banking all her life. She sees herself as a banker and others do as well. As a result, she could not brainstorm career ideas outside of banking because she couldn’t get past that filter. Here’s a quote from Stacy’s client about her experience:
“Stacy’s coaching process shook me out of that filtered approach so I could really see that my talents and passion could be applied in ways I had forgotten. I am really excited and tremendously grateful about the possibilities I’ve rediscovered through this process.”
Stacy had to take time during coaching with her to break that mold so she could help her think outside the box. She helped her jog some memories as well of past work experiences. In college her client was a docent at a museum. First, she had not thought of that as a possible career path (working at a museum). Second, she almost had forgotten about that experience even though she loved it at the time!
This happened to me recently at a meeting with Barb Henry who is the director of alumni services at Oglethorpe. She gives students the advice of asking their roommates parents for networking connections. These students don’t think of that because, they are just their roommates parents – not someone who works! But lo and behold, when she mentioned this to a student recently they realized, their roommates’ father works at Coca-Cola and she was off and running.
Remember to think outside the box when it comes to choosing your industry, or how you perceive the people you know, and how you walk down memory lane. This will help you remember past experiences that you may have forgotten or not considered as viable career options.
Hallie Crawford
Atlanta Career Coach
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