CAREERGUIDE

B I S O N M E D I C I N E

U N L O C K Y O U R P U R P O S E+

B R I N G I T T O W O R K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

1. WHY A PURPOSEFUL CAREER MATTERS 

2. IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT 

3. JOB CRAFTING 

4. PURPOSE-DRIVEN JOB BOARDS 

5. 10-STEPS TO LAND YOUR DREAM JOB 

 

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PURPOSE MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER  In times of chaos and confusion, a job that means nothing to you can be especially draining and unfulfilling. As the world becomes increasingly more volatile, uncertain, chaotic and ambiguous (VUCA), your purpose is the only thing that can guide you.    After 9/11, numerous professionals began to seek more fulfilling work and pursue their calling. In the coming months and years, it will become ever more critical to have a job that matters, that calls you and fulfills you. Luckily, it’s also the path to the good life. Your purpose is the key to a career you love. It is correlated with:  

● Higher income ● Greater wealth ● Promotions, making you 10% more likely to have received a promotion. ● Leadership, making you 50% more likely to be a leader ● Community, making you 50% more likely to have meaningful 

relationships at work ● Fulfillment, making you 64% more likely to be fulfilled ● Impact, making you 54% more likely to report you work has a positive 

impact ● Productivity, making you 175% more productive ● Engagement, making you 400% more likely to be engaged 

 Sources: http://ScienceOfPurpose.org  Do not pass go. Do not collect $200 without first discovering your purpose.  Before you make any career changes, it is critical to get clear on what you want to create with your life. It's tempting to think that a hardware solution is all you need to be happy.    It's tempting to think that if you just get a new job, new lover, new watch, new bag, new car, new roommates, etc. that life will be just grand. Once you get the new thing, in this case, a job, it will be kind of cool. For awhile the newness will be exciting, but unless your purpose is engaged, it will 

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eventually devolve into more of the same - the same dynamics and frustrations, just with new circumstances and characters.  To have a career you love, you first need to come alive with the power of your purpose. Once your purpose is activated, then you can look for and create new expressions of purposeful work. 

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IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT Don't quit your day job.  It can take many months to fully effectuate a purpose-driven career change. Have patience! Definitely keep your job, even if it doesn't bring your soul alive. Financial sustainability is essential to living a purpose-driven life.  Further, your job, if it allows you to invest the necessary time and resources into your purpose journey, is actually part of your purpose, even if the job entails doing some meaningless or even demeaning things.  Begin by completing your purpose statement exercise to gain some general direction and consider working with an Expert Guide to get even greater clarity. Only then, start job crafting or looking for a new job. 

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JOB CRAFTING  No matter what job you currently have, you can make it more purposeful by creating a new purpose-aligned context for it and actively taking on new conversations and projects that bring you more meaning.  Let’s look at the three most important factors in creating a purpose-driven career: impact, community and contribution.  

1. IMPACT. Impact refers to the overall good that the company does, it's mission, the value it creates for its customers - is it aligned with your vision and virtues? 

a. Consider the company’s mission, vision and values. Write down the connections you see between them and your own purpose statement.  

2. COMMUNITY. Community refers to the culture of the company, the way it empowers and connects it's employees, how it invests in their potential, how integrated the company is with the surrounding community and its relationship to nature - is it aligned with your vision and virtues? 

a. Consider your closest relationships at work. Write down the top three relationships that make your job fulfilling. Write down why each are fulfilling to you. Do you help each other? Do you tell stories? Do you make each other laugh? Do you learn from each other?  

3. CONTRIBUTION. Contribution refers to the exact type of difference you want to make - is the role or what you’re learning in the role a match for your unique abilities and passions?  

a. Consider everything you have learned in your current company. Write down what you have come to understand about leadership do’s and don'ts. Write down the skills you have acquired. Write down the parts of your job you enjoy doing. 

 Now, for each of these areas, write down one new action you could take to make your current job more purpose-aligned. Some examples. 

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 ● IMPACT: Pitch a project that will impact people’s lives for the better. 

Share with a colleague why your role, a project or the company’s impact is meaningful to you. Pitch an idea that will have the company’s operations be more in line with its mission and values.  

● COMMUNITY: Ask a colleague who you want to know better to lunch or a coffee. Ask them about their lives, and what’s important to them. Ask them what they like about their current role and what could be better. If they share a hardship, empathize with them and share a related issue or situation where you felt something similar.    [NOTE: Be mindful of the relative difference in privileges you both have. For example, if you’re white and they are black and they share about discrimination, don’t share about being poor, getting dumped or being picked last for kickball. Rather share how it makes you feel to hear about what they experienced and what you are committed to.]  

● CONTRIBUTION: Ask your manager to contribute to a project you care about and/or could learn a great deal. Take on learning a new skill that you would enjoy and would make an impact at work. 

 Pick the action that feels the least risky, share in the Slack channel what you are going to do and by when you’re going to complete it. Take that action and then share in Slack how it went. Take at least 1 new action a week and soon you will start to experience greater fulfillment at work. 

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PURPOSE-DRIVEN JOB BOARDS  Very few jobs are explicitly designed to empower you to unleash the fullness of your purpose at work. However, after you've worked with a Guide or completed a purpose discovery work, you know the next step to take.  Below, you can explore opportunities at a number of values-aligned companies, places where your purpose can grow in fertile soil. Each job will provide you with valuable lessons to create your next career adventure. With these three aspects in mind, consult your purpose statement to determine what is next for your career. What is most important? Impact, community or contribution alignment? Then have a look below and see which companies and roles would be a good garden to nurture your purpose.  Explore these purpose-driven company networks and job sites:  

● Game Changers 500 ● B work ● Great Places to Work ● Koya ● Net Impact ● Green Biz ● Idealist 

 Once you identify some companies and/or roles you’d like to explore, it's important you don’t just submit your resume and cover letter and hope for the best, but to actively develop this opportunity with care and intention. 

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10-STEPS TO LAND YOUR DREAM JOB With your purpose in hand, you have something other candidates do not, self-awareness and a sense of destiny. You have authentic, soulful passion, excitement and grit. However, having a connection to your purpose, identifying a company and applying for a position are still not enough to actually land the job.    To actually land your dream job, you'll need to follow these 10 steps:  

1. RESEARCH: Spend 30 minutes on the company's website, at least half of that reading recent news. Know their customer base, the deep need their products and services fill. Only proceed if you can authentically fall in love with their products and customers.  

2. PICK 1 PERSON: Identify the decision-makers and your future team members in the company by doing a search on LinkedIn. Pick the person with whom you are likely to have the most things in common.  

3. PICK UP THE PHONE: Call the company's main phone number and ask to speak with that person.  

4. ASK: Request an informational interview. Tell them about your passion for the work, the vision, the products, etc., and, as applicable, how it fulfills your purpose, such as your call, mission and craft. And ask if you can take them out to lunch or for coffee. 2nd best option is a Zoom video call. 3rd best option is a phone call.  

5. MAKE THEM SHINE: People love to talk about themselves. During the informational interview, ask them about their personal story, why they are doing the work, what connects them to the work. Ask them clarifying questions and provide reflection and acknowledgement, e.g. "tell me why...", "how did you know...?", "I think it's awesome that you get to live your values at work."  

6. GET CURIOUS: Ask them about the business and what's developing over the next 6-12 months. Ask insightful questions, based on your 

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research and knowledge of their customers, that advance their understanding of their business.  

7. BE BOLD: Finally, if you have touched new levels of passion and excitement for the work and perceive a fit based on the company's needs and strategy, ask if they would introduce you to another decision-maker.  

8. OFFER: If they say yes, repeat this process with the decision-maker and suggest a few small projects you could begin to immediately add value to the team.  

9. CONTRIBUTE: If they say yes to a project, then do that project for free and do it well.  

10. PERSIST: Upon the project’s completion, check in with your purpose and see if this company / community still feels like a good place for you. If you still feel aligned, pitch and complete another project, and so on, until they recognize your irreplaceable value, passion and impact, and offer you a job. 

 If this process breaks down and you get stuck, just know that it is a timing / resource issue and not a reflection on your sincerity or worth. It's just an indicator that it is time for you to move on to the next company / role / person. 

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