First, most of us live a substantial part of our lives on autopilot. We generally feel we have no choice. To stop and consider fundamental questions about ourselves and our existence every morning would be highly inefficient the kids would never get off to school on time; the dog would pee all over the living room rug before we got around to walking him, and we'd chronically arrive late to work assuming, of course, that we decided to go to work after such soul searching. Routines, schedules, habits, and webs of responsibility that connect us with others are the stuff of everyday life. Without them, each day might threaten to become a chaotic muddle.
While on autopilot, however, we are always in danger of forgetting that control of the flight plan, the destination, and the route is still in our own hands. As automated control systems have become widespread, so have stories of operators falling asleep at the controls both literally and metaphorically. Operators often fail to register signs of problems, danger, or malfunction, and they frequently fail to perceive opportunities for improving the operation. Once an important signal does penetrate consciousness, an operator may be so unaccustomed to evaluating and solving problems that he or she is intellectually and psychologically paralyzed. The same paralysis can happen in everyday lives; we sometimes call it getting into a rut if we are still awake enough, that is, to realize we aren't simply speeding smoothly along the highway to happiness. If you have just lost or left a job, you have the perfect opportunity to examine your autopilot program and decide whether it should be revised or possibly even thrown out.
The second reason for thorough self exploration is to prepare for self promotion. Because you have probably taken for granted much of what you accomplished every day at work, you may be the last person to truly understand what you have to offer. If you've held the same job for several years or have been on the same career path in the same organization, you have probably gained a great deal of knowledge and skill of which you are not explicitly aware. When I counsel midcareer job seekers, I am repeatedly amazed at how little awareness they show of some of their major strengths and assets. Many have a strong tendency to overemphasize technical knowledge and ability while omitting mention of interpersonal skills, problem solving ability, or imagination. Sometimes they are aware of these assets but don't know how to talk about them. Sometimes they fail to mention them in interviews and documents because they assume potential employers will be wondering whether they can do a job, rather than how and how well they can do it. Self exploration exercises are among the best tools for preparing to revise resumes, compose cover letters, and handle interviews.
Third, you like many, many other people may never have explored yourself systematically with reference to vocational decision making. If you are like most people, you wound up where you are through a complex mixture of chance, external pressure, and choice. When asked how they got started in a particular career or company, most people say something on the order of, "Through the back door" or "There happened to be an opening in the X department" or "My father (or mother) made me (or wanted me to) do it." Very few give accounts that start with a systematic exploration of values, skills, and preferences leading to information gathering and resulting in the identification of short and long term vocational objectives. Not, of course, that they should! Often the best way to find out what you want is to get out and explore the territory, which is how many of us start our vocational lives. But you're no longer at the beginning. You've been around and have had a chance to gather much information about yourself and about the world of work. Now your job is to retrieve this information, analyze it, and use it to your best advantage.
Fourth, the world constantly changes, as do you. Skills that may have been in great demand 10 or 15 years ago may no longer give you any particular advantage in the job market. For a time, Wall Street seemed able to devour every financial major; any M.B.A. factory could turn out and still be hungry for more. Since the 1987 crash, however, the pavements have become littered with financial wizards. I was stunned to read in this morning's paper that IBM first marketed its line of personal computers only 10 years ago today (mid August, 1991). Now, any managerial or professional resume without some reference to personal computers is at an extreme disadvantage. Also, the world of organizations is a world of passing fancies and fads, and as they come and go, buzzwords come in and out of vogue. Silly as it may seem, you may need to revise your vocabulary more urgently than you need to update your skills. When you last looked for a job, MBO (management by objectives) may have been the password; now "Total Quality" is probably the sweet nothing more likely to win you a second date. As you explore yourself, you will also be giving yourself a chance to revise the terms in which you present yourself to potential employers.
Finally, you need to tackle the extremely difficult but crucial question of why you lost your last job. Many executives and outplacement counselors believe that people who lose managerial and professional positions fire themselves. More often than not, I suspect, this view appeals to those who espouse it primarily for self serving reasons. It helps organizational survivors assuage their guilt and calm their own fears. Meanwhile, out placement counselors are often paid by the organization that has done the firing, and one of their missions is to deflect anger and blame away from that organization. Yet, they raise a legitimate question: why did you get the axe rather than the person sitting next to you or the jerk down in purchasing who has done nothing for the past 10 years except dream up new forms and procedures for complicating the procurement process? You need to answer this question for two reasons. First, it's going to come up in one form or another repeatedly during your job search. Second, answering it may help you set goals for personal development and aid you in setting your next employment objective.
As you network and talk with potential employers, you will want to have a succinct statement of why you were terminated that presents you in a positive light. This statement must also be consistent with what potential employers may hear from your former bosses or co workers if they solicit recommendations. As well, you need a more personal understanding of your recent termination one that may or may not coincide with your public story to avoid getting into another employment situation that makes you unhappy. For example, in the process of examining why they lost a position, many people discover that they had, indeed, been unhappy with the management style dominant in the organization that terminated them. This information helps them explore what kind of management approach they prefer, which in turn allows them to focus their job searches on organizations and settings in which they are more likely to find a congenial management style. Then they can genuinely, enthusiastically, and credibly pitch themselves to those targeted organizations.
In general, the more you know about yourself, your values, and your preferences, the better able you will be to sell yourself. As you learn about yourself, you will build greater commitment to your own goals and develop ways of talking about yourself that stress positive attributes and attitudes. A statement such as, "I like to have challenging but clear objectives to work toward, but once they've been defined, I work best when given latitude in figuring out how best to meet them" presents you in a much better light than a statement like, "I can't stand bosses who hang over my shoulder all the time."
