Why You Haven't Found Your Perfect Career Yet (And What To Do About It)

So, you want to know why you haven't found your absolutely, positively, PERFECT dream career, right? Well, the answer is actually quite simple.

It's because it doesn't exist... yet.

Ask anyone who's got the "perfect"job and they'll tell you 3 main things:

1. They didn't find their perfect job, they created it
2. No career is truly perfect, so there will always be good days and bad
3. It doesn't happen overnight

I think it's important to note these things because a lot of us are out here searching far and wide hoping to finally find that magical career that we keep hearing about.  

You network til' you're blue in the face, apply to dozens and dozens of jobs and even try to make the best of where you currently are, but for some reason it always seems that what you're truly after - that perfect career - is always escaping your grasp.

Instead of giving up all hope that you'll ever be one of the "lucky" ones who get to enjoy what they do for work, I challenge you to just start looking at things from a totally new perspective.

Check out 3 tips you can start using right away to help you move closer to your ultimate goal.

Get clear on what you're really after 

When you think of your ideal career, what about it makes it so enticing.  Is it the pay, the hours, the people, the projects, all of the above?  Take some time to map out exactly what you want. You need to be specific here, because this is the only way you'll know what you're looking for and be able to assess when you've actually gotten there.

Figure out what it'll take for you to get from here to there  

OK, so now that you know what you want to do, it's time to research what you need to get there.  Do you need to get some sort of certification, expand your network, or move to another state (or country)?  You catch my drift, right?  Take this from some abstract idea to a well thought out process map.

Talk to someone who's already done it

Do your research and find people who have already succeeded at creating the ideal career for themselves.  Many of these people are just waiting to tell their stories to anyone who will listen. It's super important to surround yourself with people who are of the same mindset you are. This is how you will take your thinking to the next level.

Want to get started mapping out your ideal career right now and take the first step to switching into your ideal career? Click here to check out the Career Changers coaching program where you'll get the tools, strategies and accountability you need to reach your career goals.

Can You Hear Me Now: The Ultimate Guide to Acing a Phone Interview

Phone interviews suck.  They are annoying and sometimes inconvenient.  Yes, I said it and I know you were thinking it.  Phone interviews rob you of the benefit of seeing the interviewer's facial expressions and body language and you don't have the luxury of charming them with your amazing smile and unforgettable eye contact.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we have to move past it.  No matter how much you or I don't like them, phone interviews are here to stay and have actually increased in frequency during the job search process in recent years.

There was a time when the phone interview was reserved for the quick 15-20 minute phone screen that recruiters held at the beginning stage of a job search or when candidates lived out of state or the country and it was inconvenient and/or too expensive to have an in person interview.  This, however, is no longer the case.

With recruiters and hiring managers getting an average of over 200 applicants for each available role, they often have way more qualified candidates than time and try to weed out those who aren't a good fit for the company via a first round phone interview.

Because of this, even the most attractive of candidates on paper are finding themselves knocked out of the running in the very early stages of the interview process.

Before we get into the ways to make sure you are not one of these candidates, it's important to look at some of the red flags hiring managers are  looking out for.

• Low energy

• Unfriendly demeanor

• Distracted

• Unprofessional

• Bad Communication Skills

• Insanity (unfortunately, this is not a joke)

Keeping these red flags in mind, here are 5 ways to make sure you sail through your next phone interview with ease so that you can make it to the second round.

Start Strong. You'd be surprised by the number of otherwise great candidates who remove themselves from consideration during the first 5 seconds of the interview simply by being unprepared and unprofessional in their greeting.  Since you had to pre-schedule, it's highly unlikely you will be caught by surprise. You should be prepared, alert and friendly from the moment you answer your phone.

Take advantage of not being seen.  Since the recruiter can't see you,  you should have your notes, the company website, the job description, your resume and any other relevant document in front of you during your interview.  It's like taking an open book exam.  You have all the answers at your disposal.

Stand during the entire conversation.  Standing while speaking allows your voice to sound more clear and also makes you feel confident and like you have more energy. This is public speaking 101.  Although you aren't speaking to a crowd of 100 people, you do have a captivated audience of 1 on the other end of the phone and you should be doing everything in your power to keep this person engaged.

Smile when you speak.  Similar to standing, smiling does wonders for your voice while on the phone.  To the person on the other end, you will sound very warm and approachable.  Remember, you will not be able to convey emotion with your facial expressions, so it's extremely important that you make your emotions come through your voice.

Control your environment. Again, the interview was pre-planned, so before the call begins you should have found a quiet and isolated area for you to have the conversation.  Most likely you will need 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted time.  Nothing is more distracting to an interviewer than hearing loud noises, chatter, or music in the background.

Phone interviews are no longer an exception in the interview process, more often than not, they are the rule.  Follow these tips and you will be on your way to the second round interview in no time.

What other tips can you think of to crush the phone interview?

5 Lies 99% of People Believe About Work-Life Balance

Check out this infographic I created on the ever elusive idea of "work-life balance". How do you manage your own work and life demands? Let me know in the comments!

-Dorianne

How to Be a Jet Setter When You Don't Have A lot of Vacation Days

Everyone thinks they want to be an entrepreneur... that is until they actually have the opportunity to be one. Most people completely ignore the downside of being your own boss (irregular hours, long bouts of isolation, fluctuating income, expensive health benefits) and zoom in on the good stuff (location independence, unlimited earning potential, no annoying coworkers).

 From the outside looking in, it looks like a dream life. You wake up when you want, wear whatever you want and have the luxury to choose which work projects you will work on in any given day.

Above all of these perks, another benefit most people point to about entrepreneurship is the fact that you can pick up and travel whenever you want! This idea of being a jet setter is a huge factor for people measuring their work life balance.

Since 97% of us are about that cubicle life though, does it mean we simply won't get to enjoy the personal fulfillment that comes with jet setting?

I'm here to shout loud and proud that the answer to that question is NO! Here's how I have been able to travel to 19 countries (and counting) all while having a full time job and at times having very limited vacation days.

Plan ahead

You should plan your travel destinations at least a year in advance. The year is only half over and I know that I plan to go back to Spain, New Orleans and Missouri next year. Planning in advance not only helps you get cheaper plane tickets, it also allows you to create a plan for your vacation days strategically.

Don't waste your days

My vacation days have varied from as little as 3 weeks when I started my career, to my current rate of 7 weeks. Sure, it's much easier now to plan vacation, but this wasn't always the case. When I had less vacation days to work with, I only called out sick if I had a fever. Spontaneous days off may feel good in the moment, but can mean the difference between you having enough PTO to go to New Zealand or the local beach town only one state over. Both are great, but New Zealand really has a nicer ring to it, no?

Incorporate work travel

Do you have to travel for work? Why not add on one or two extra days at the end of your trip to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city you're in? A lot of times people think of jet setting as only going to exotic, foreign locales, but that's not the case at all! I've been to 3 continents, but still can't wait to cross Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana off my travel bucket list!

Get creative

This summer, my plan is to spend a few days in Montreal, Canada. It just so happens that my company has an office there, so instead of using 5 whole vacation days to travel, I will work from that office for 2 days. When I also factor in the weekend I'll spend there, I'll only have to take 2 work days off. This could also work if your company has a work from home policy that allows you to work from anywhere. It doesn't have to be a permanent arrangement either, a lot of companies can be flexible.

As much as I believe in hard work, I also believe in play! If your desire is to travel the world, your job doesn't have to be something that gets in your way.  As with any other big goal you have in life, a little preparation goes a very long way.

-Dorianne

How to Avoid Being Fat, Sick and Nearly Broke

A few years ago I went on a 30 day juice cleanse (read: 27 days and 12 hours). It was one of the most challenging things I'd ever done. For those not familiar with a juice cleanse, for almost 1 whole month I ate no solid food and all I was allowed to drink were various home-pressed fruit and veggie juice cocktails (note this is not an article about whether juice cleansing is healthy, necessary, etc.). I'd just finished watching a documentary about the negative effects of the processed food we eat and how it affects our body, mood, health and overall emotional well being. The documentary focused on the lives of 2 men who were overweight with various chronic illnesses and showed how they were able to get healthy  and lose weight by juicing. As they rattled off the list of unhealthy symptoms they were experiencing, I couldn't help but feel like they were describing my life.

Peeking into the lives of these men was a game changer for me and as the credits rolled at the end, I was already ordering my shiny new juicer from Amazon and had planned my first juice recipes for the week.

I mean, I had the time to kill.  I had been recently laid off from my soul crushing job and had spent 3 months sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself. I too, was overweight, angry, depressed and unhealthy and while I know my diet had a role to play in my situation, I couldn't help but think that being stuck in a bad job was just as much the culprit of my physical, mental and emotional state as that slice of pizza (and cake and gummy bears).

Yes, I'd done well at my job over the years - got raises, promotions and various opportunities, but I wasn't happy. Each day I went in to the office, was another day of me feeling unfulfilled and misaligned. It took me 6 long years before I was able to escape from that situation (read: I was laid off) and it killed me to know that it wasn't even something I had control of. They made the decision on my behalf.

Although I can  look back now and tell you that it was the best thing that's ever happened to me professionally, I was completely devastated at the time. The one good thing though, was that I was able to take a step back and realize how much I'd let myself go over those years.

My biggest takeaway from being unemployed was the realization that having a job you hate affects every aspect of your life. Think about it, we spend so much time at work (about 1/3 of our lives), so it should be no surprise that being unhappy with an area that takes so much from us (physically, mentally, emotionally) would cause other areas to suffer as well.

Hating your job causes an extreme amount of stress. This stress manifests physically by making you feel defeated and like you have no energy. Maybe you have a cold or headache every other week, you overeat (or undereat), skip the gym and stop doing those things that used to make you feel good about yourself - like threading your eyebrows and getting a mani/ pedi.

The added stress also affects your relationships. You are more likely to snap at co-workers and family members and less likely to put yourself out there to meet new people. It's as if the more isolated you feel, the more you hide from the outside world - which makes you then feel even more isolated. It's a horrible cycle.

Another huge area of life that is affected by working at a job you hate is your wallet. The second biggest reason (hating your boss is the first) people are unhappy with work is because they feel they aren't being paid what they're worth. It's such a demoralizing feeling to put in the time and effort at a job and then look at your paycheck and see that after your bills are paid, you hardly have enough left over to go to happy hour with your girls.

So, how do you avoid falling into this trap of a miserable life? How do you avoid being fat, sick and broke? Well for me, it was a 27 day and 12 hour juice cleanse that helped snap me out of my funk. A funny thing happens when you lock yourself in your apartment and focus on how to make a kale and ginger juice taste like chicken. With all the extra time I had on my hands not working or eating, I was able to reflect and truly get to the bottom of who I was in life  and what I wanted for my career.

By the time I started my next job I was happier, clearer on my goals, aware of what I would no longer tolerate and 70 lbs lighter (30 were from the juice cleanse and the rest came off through old fashioned diet and exercise)! The good news is that you can still come to the same realizations that I did without having to go to such extreme measures.

Take the time to ask yourself these questions and have the courage to answer honestly:

1. Are the only days you're happy each week Saturday and Sunday? 

If the only time you come alive is on the weekends then you may need to reevaluate if you're at the right job. Of course, everyone has a bad day or week at work, but if your bad times outweigh the good ones, you should ask yourself if you're really happy there.

2. Do you turn into someone else at work?

One of the biggest signs that you aren't happy at work is that you can't be your true self there. If you find yourself talking, dressing and/ or acting differently at work, pay attention.  What is it about the environment that forces you to hide who you are?

3. When's the last time you felt inspired by your job? 

If it's been way too long ago for you to remember or if you never have, that should be a red flag for you! Everyone has an off day (or week) at work, but your off days should never outnumber the days you are on.

When it comes to work, your number one priority should be to find a situation where you can contribute to an organization that has a mission you can relate to, values what you bring to the table and allows you to be your true self. Life's too short and working hours are too long for you to be unfulfilled.