Who is YOUR career partner?!

Not your LIFE partner, but your CAREER partner...what does this mean?! A career partner is someone that you can share your goals, dreams, career and personal aspirations with - this person could be a friend, family member, mentor, co-worker, or boyfriend/girlfriend. It doesn't matter who it is, what matters is that this person keeps you on track, this person holds you accountable for things that you've said you want to accomplish, this person has your BEST interest at heart and is going to make sure that you do what you say. We all get side tracked sometimes, which is the precise reason why we need a career partner. No one has to know your goals in its entirety, but when you speak your goals they have now become more tangible, more real. I have many career partners, my journal currently serves as the #1 partner at this point. I write my goals down, give myself a feasible timeline, work hard to achieve my designated goals and then I go back and re-read my "to do" list. There is nothing worse than reading my enthusiastic "to-do" list entry with guilt that I was not able to accomplish it - that in itself is enough punishment. With this said, our career partners should hold us accountable for things we did not accomplish and praise us for the things we did. It is not his or her job to make us feel like failures if we did not achieve our goals, but rather continue to re-iterate the importance of staying on track and encourage us that we can do it - despite any humps in the road we may have encountered. Career partners do not necessarily have to be our mentors or someone that can even help us to achieve our goals, this person simply listens to us and helps us to stay focused, just by being supportive and lending an ear.



THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN FINDING a CAREER PARTNER:


- you trust this person (there is no competition, but a sincere desire to see you succeed)
- you can be honest and share your inner thoughts ("career partner" must be a good listener)
- gives you honest feedback (isn't passive and just agrees with everything you say)
- talks to you on a regular basis (or how else will they help you to stay focused)
- they are good to bounce ideas off of (brainstorming sessions are fun and insightful)
- they hold you accountable (not afraid to call you out if you're straying or congratulates your successes)
- easy person to talk to (you feel comfortable laying out your plan of action)


***FAB Homework:

Your homework is to find a CAREER PARTNER ~ you must ask this person to be your "career partner" and explain the process mentioned above. Spell our his or her responsibilities by telling them that their main focus is to be a friend, a cheerleader, and give you the good and constructive feedback necessary to help you achieve your goal(s). Having a support system is critical and it starts here.

***Homework assignment to be completed: (get out your career journal and take notes)

1.) Who is your "career partner"?

2.) What are their strengths and how can they help you?

3.) What is the agreement you and your partner have come to?

4.) What steps are you both going to take to ensure the relationship is professionally beneficial?

After you've answered these 4 questions, you are now well on your way to creating and/or building to your web of professional support! Congratulations!!!