Procrastinating on your career planning

Procrastinating on your career planning Are you guilty of putting off your career planning? I have some sympathy. Ive been meaning to write this particular blog post for over two weeks now, but each time Ive sat down to write it, Ive somehow found something else to do. There are  key reasons why we may put off doing things. In the case of my blog post,  its the fear of the post not being good enough and that no one will read it. The longer I leave it, the greater the self-doubt becomes and with it the greater the temptation to do something else instead.  I could invest my time in something where I am  likely to get guaranteed payback read an interesting article ,  or  get involved in a diversionary activity, such  as on-line shopping. Why do we procrastinate? 1. Self-doubt As with the example above. Perhaps that as Im not a  proper writer, why would anyone take me seriously? So if I dont try, I wont fail. In the case of job applications, perhaps you might feel that you dont have exactly the right experience. Do you know others that you consider more capable than you,  who have applied for the same opportunity and not succeeded  why bother to apply? So this becomes your justification for not bothering and a self-fulfilling prophesy. As Erica Jong puts it, We are so scared of being judged that we look for every excuse to procrastinate. The solution? Well- here I am, being brave enough to have a go at writing this post and letting go of my insecurities in order to share something that I hope at least a few people may find helpful. Its only by trying, getting feedback and trying again that we learn. Remember- there is no such thing as failure- only feedback. Seek help and support from careers staff to help you get unstuck. Once you make a start the task itself becomes less daunting.  Watch our film clips on how to develop your self-confidence. 2. Perfectionism If I had a pound for every student I have seen who was waiting until they were sure that they were applying for the right opportunity, Id be a wealthy woman. Perhaps here  too,  its the feeling you may be judged by others if you get it wrong. However what if you are offered the perfect job and soon after discover that its not all youd hoped it would be? The solution? The best any of us can hope for is that what we start with  feels OK and that we navigate from there once weve gained some experience. Experience- whether good or bad is a great way to start to focus on what might be a better fit. No experience is ever wasted. Many Warwick alumni who come back to campus to meet current students dont tell you they got it right first time. Many will have found  themselves in jobs they had no idea even existed when they were at Uni. Perhaps they started something and it didnt work out, so they applied for something else and changed direction- and that turned out to be a good thing. Many graduates will have changed employers within a couple of years after they leave Warwick. So get some work experience, try jobs out and move towards your best fit as you increase your understanding of who you are and whats important to you. Read my post Fix me up with my perfect job 3. Feeling overwhelmed The whole process of applying for graduate jobs can be overwhelming. Its time-consuming and if you arent quite sure why youre applying then recruiters are likely to pick up on this. Thats likely to mean your dont get short- listed, a dispiriting experience, leading to self-doubt (see point 1 above) and then, unsurprisingly, to inertia. If you feel that you need to have a career idea before getting started, this may mean you dont feel able to take action. The solution? Ironically it is a commonly held assumption that you should have a career idea before you meet with a careers consultant, when in fact the opposite is true. You dont need a career idea to see one of us. You simply need to be willing and or anxious- either is fine-to come and start the conversation. Just say: Id like to get started on career planning but Im finding it overwhelming.  Im not sure where to start. Thats good enough to explore how we can help you get started. By taking small steps we can discuss whats important to you, taking into account your interests, values and motivations. Small steps are manageable and more easily achieved and youll be more motivated to take them. Career success is whatever you want it to be. We dont judge you; whats important is that you are happy with the choices you make and that as you progress through your career, you feel able to change your direction and  your priorities. Just take that first small step! 4.  Fear of change Sometimes students will put off the inevitable fact that university will one day come to an end.  Some students apply for a Masters course to procrastinate and to put off career decision making for a further year. If youre studying something youe passionate about, or where you need a Post Graduate qualification to progress into a specific career this may be reason enough. However if its simply to buy more time, then this could be a very expensive way to spend both your time and energy- especially if you dont know whether you will need your qualification! Many recruiters dont differentiate between a degree and masters qualification for graduate scheme entry. Theyll be more interested in your work experience and relevant skills, so dont make assumptions that  extra study  will automatically be advantageous. The solution? That means taking responsibility for researching into  possible courses and finding out where former students have gone afterwards. You might contact universities to find this out before deciding whether to sign up. If  youre simply putting off the inevitable it may be helpful to see a Careers Consultant (see 3, above). Finally, for those  Warwick students  about to embark on your Finals, we offer you free careers support once youve graduated as well as while youre still on campus. There really is no excuse!  If you havent managed to sort out your career whilst you are at University, and the thought of juggling applications and your exams is sending you into meltdown, then theres still time and support even once youve graduated. Remember: Everybody has to start somewhere. You have your whole future ahead of you. Perfection doesnt happen overnight.  Haruki Murakami