Optimum Talks Blog

Have you found your career sweet spot? Here’s how a career consultant can help you find it

Being able to do something that you love and motivates you for the rest of your life is an ideal goal that many of us wish to attain. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find that sweet spot. In fact, only 30% of people stay in one job for over 4 years, which goes to show that it certainly takes more than one experience to figure out what your ideal sweet spot is.

Am I happy at work? Am I in the right place, the right role, the right company? Am I making a difference? Those are some of the questions we often ask ourselves whenever we start feeling like something is missing in our puzzle.

Adding to that, our current post-pandemic reality has changed workforce dynamics like never before, pushing many to reflect on their current career path, ambitions, and what their perfect passion is to feel fulfilled at work.

What is being in your career sweet spot?

Simply put, being in your sweet spot translates to being in a flow state: being immersed into something that you love and that is challenging enough to stimulate you but is not too overwhelming to discourage you either. While this concept applies in all aspects of life, it is also applicable in the workforce. The ideal career sweet spot also comprises a mix of three critical factors: what you love, what you are good at, and what is a demand that others would be ready to pay you for.

However, how can you clearly define whether you’ve have found our sweet spot? Here are some ways to help recognize it:

• Waking up in the morning and looking forward to your day
• Being proud about what you do and being able to talk about it
• Feeling like you are making a real impact: What’s your “practice?” Your “act of service” for the good of society?
• Having enthusiasm regarding your work projects and goals
• Not paying attention to the time when you are working

What do you feel when questioning your career?

Often, it is believed that questioning your career path is most prominent during the beginning, while most of us are still figuring out the right direction for the rest of our life. However, this reflection is also present amongst professionals who are in their mid-careers. After 10 to 15 years in a similar position, there is often a settlement of comfort, thus a lack of growth within the role. Eventually, questioning starts to occur around whether you are currently where you should be or if you need a career shift. During this critical phase, a person may experience three main scenarios:

Facing various emotions 

• Questioning a career that seemed like the ideal path at the start may bring a range of emotions and put everything you have previously done into reconsideration. This can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for anyone going through it.

Facing career uncertainty

• After being constant for many years, it is a scary thought to have to deal with career uncertainty again, including the big question of whether you will find a better position while leaving the current one.

Facing financial risks

• Changing roles can mean having a temporary pause in salary, or even making less than the previous role, which may raise concerns regarding your finances.

How can you find your career sweet spot?

The first most crucial step required is self-reflection, which involves reflecting on your strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, frustrations, passions, as well as your personality. Taking the time to sit down for this reflection process is essential. If a tool is needed for that, a self-assessment tool such as SuccessFinder can be valuable to help further deepen your understanding regarding all facets of yourself in various workplace scenarios. A debrief with an expert who goes through your test results and who provides relevant insights about your work behavior is truly the added value of this investment.

The next step after having a better understanding of oneself is to have the right action plan towards the gathered insights. The right action to be taken varies by people and their situation. It can consist of redoing your CV to find a new job, refining your skills to adapt to the current market demands, discussing your future goals with your current team, and more. This is when specialized career consulting can come to aid since consultants can help in mapping out your future career and provide you with the right tools for doing so. As one might consult a doctor for physical pain, or a psychologist for mental health, a career coach or a career consultant is fundamental when trying to figure out what your next career move can be. Knowing that time spent at work is a major part of an individual’s life, it is important to give it the proper care and investment it requires.

Whether it is from working in tech to becoming a mail carrier, from doing project management for a construction company to starting a landscape business or going back to school for an engineering degree, unexpected career changes are something that we see regularly as career consultants, and we can provide the right guidance so that the transition is as smooth as possible.

Your career sweet spot is something that is always evolving. What seemed right a few years ago, may not be the case today, and that is perfectly normal. The market is also changing by the minute, so it is unrealistic to believe that our desires will remain the same. As human beings, we evolve with time and our goals also adapt in consequence. Besides, it does not have to be only strictly work-related. It is important to pursue your interests outside of work as well to truly feel fulfilled in and outside of your practice.

Here is to a flourishing career, one that never ceases to push you to become better every day.

At Optimum Talent, we can provide you with the support and guidance to help you develop and execute a plan to fulfill your career goals.

If you feel that:

• Your career has stalled – you wish to explore other career options
• Your career is on the wrong trajectory – it’s not taking you where you want to go
• Your current role is no longer sustainable – you need an exit strategy
• You’ve hit a glass wall – you are not progressing anymore
• You have no idea what you’d like to do – you could use guidance and support

Get in touch with us today! We’ll be happy to be part of your career journey!