Use Your Resume to Think About Your Life (part 2)

Once you have written about your current situation, you would begin work on your previous situation or your previous job and start the writing process again. Be sure to consider if there were other work-related or outside activities that you were involved in and write about those too. Continue that remembering and writing process, going back as far as you can - hopefully to your first job and early activities. Be sure to include your educational and learning activities.


Once you have the basics written down for your historical resume you should set it aside again, to see if other memories surface. Add those thoughts to what you have written, then begin to put your notes into a readable form. Although they do not have to be complete sentences, there should be enough written so that you can remember what you were involved in and whether or not you enjoyed it or found it satisfying.


Then you can begin to focus on where you are headed. Based on the current direction in which you are moving, what's next? Is there a job you were preparing for, or planning for, that would be a natural progression from where you are? Is there something else you hope to do in your outside activities? Again, write down thoughts about the next step, or next turn, or next path. Include as many details as possible. Try to remember what you had anticipated or hoped for at each turning point on the path so far.


Then you can review what you have written about where you are headed. Is that where you really still want to go? Can you create a clear picture - on paper or in your mind - of what that will look and feel like for you? If you have a clear picture, how does that feel? Does that give you a warm, content, or hot/exciting feeling or is it more of a cold reaction?

If you feel warm or hot, that is good. Write down as many details as you can about that picture. The more you can write, the more likely you will be able to bring it into reality. If you recalled what future you were working towards, are there things you have been able to check off on your earlier plan? Are there new things you need to add to help create that plan. If you have not already done so, it is a good idea to add some time frames to when you should reach each step in your plan. In the next post, we will talk about having a cold or neutral feeling about the picture you have created.




Mary Ann Davis (M.A.) is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning for retirement or non-retirement, coping with an empty nest or loss of job, planning to return to work or school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in finding solutions for issues related to life transitions. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.