 How often do you think about career development or do you just throw it in your CV probably for a certain job application and you get the job probably, you get called for the interview and then you get the job and you're comfortable and you're okay. Good evening and thank you for joining us on Y254. My name is Patricia Muriochi. Tonight we talk about career development. We just try to see when we talk about career development what really do we mean. Are you so comfortable as you watch us tonight in your career that you'd not even realize that there is career stagnation probably for someone looking to change or to shift from one industry to the other. How do you go about that? We're going to be covering that and much more tonight with Lea Mouli who is a career coach. She is a human resource consultant and she is a lecturer at Cooperative University. There's no better person to talk about career development I believe than a career coach. Talk to us across our social media platforms that is at Y254 channel. You can also reach me at Patricia Muriochi. Thank you Lea for finding the time to be here tonight. And the first thing last week, we also had Lea, we were talking about setting goals as a new year probably people need to see back and probably try to reflect of a lot of things that did not work out and put up new strategies. We mentioned something about career goals and I felt it would be right if we dedicated an entire session to just exhaust on career goals and career development. And to start off, I would like us to talk about career goals. How can we, as Patricia right now, if I sit down and I probably want to have a vision board, for example, something that I have done for a very long time, how do I define career goals? What is it that I'm supposed to look at as I sit down and set my career goals? Good evening and thank you for having me. You're welcome. When it comes to planning your goals, specifically when it comes to your career, you've got to think about where do I want to be? Start even with a year from now. Then where do I want to be five years from now? And once you start to visualize yourself, a year from now, do I want to be where I am now? Do I want to be doing what I'm doing right now? It will make you think about things you want to change in the future. And that's how you begin to set your goals. Like if I want to change a job, is it that I'm changing a job within the same industry or I'm changing careers in totality, going into a new industry? For example, you want to change, you're in ICT, you want to go into project management or any other career that you want to change. So you need to be aware of going to change a job from like, for example, from the organization I work for to another organization, or do I want to change in totality? Or am I looking to grow within the ladder, within the same organization? Maybe I was an accountant. I want to grow to become a senior accountant or I want to grow. I'm aiming maybe 10 years from now on to be in senior management. Maybe I want to be the CA for if I may use the example of an accountant. So once it's clear in your mind where you're going, then you start to plan. When you have to be like we said the other day about smart goals, you have to be specific. I'm aiming for CA for. So it must be time bound. Like I want to be CA for in 10 years, I want to be CA for in in seven years to be it must be very specific. So now, while you're still setting your goal, you need to do an evaluation of your skill sets and your competencies. Because with your current skills, you'll be able to know what does a CA for need? What skills does a CA for need? Do I have the competencies? What leadership skills does a CA for need? So when you do your evaluation of your current at this and where you want to go, then you see the gap. When you see the gap, then you begin to plan. Am I going to skill myself? Am I going to look for a mentor? Am I going, then your goal will be very specific. I'm looking for a mentor who is already a CA for to work with me and show me the ropes, how they have gotten there. All right. So it has to be specific. If you're changing careers, also, where am I going? Who in that industry is an industry leader? So that I can see what they have done before and emulate after them so that I can get there faster. You don't have to make the same mistakes that other people have made. So when you talk about career goals, I believe that for a person at the entry level, and someone who has been probably in the career or in a certain job for five or seven years, these people are literally in different levels. So how now do we do? How does a person starting up distinguish on how the setting there goes so that you don't go and start setting goals that probably someone who has worked for 10 years is supposed to be setting? So how do these people evaluate themselves in goal setting based on the level where they are? What I would say is, every time, whichever level you are in your career, it doesn't matter. There are those things that limit you from going for what you want. Like, for example, when you're setting your goal, you might start thinking to myself, oh, I don't have a degree. And they want someone with a degree. And these are what people call mindset limiting beliefs. These are the things that you tell yourself or other people tell you about yourself that may be true or may not be true. For example, people tell you, and now you begin to, people tell you, you need to have a master's. So you start chasing the master's. Or you see a job. And even you want to go somewhere, but you start imagining in your head, no, I don't have a degree. I want to apply. Or they're asking for three years of experience. I have one. I will not apply. So for wherever you are, you have to be aware of the limiting beliefs in your mind that stop you from planning goals that are, you know, I mean, if a goal is not making you uncomfortable, then it shouldn't be worth your time. OK, as you said last time, dream big. Yes. So if you're at entry level, you can just begin to plan in terms of, where do you want to be in the next three years? Because when you know where you're going, then you begin to, you begin to see, how will I skill myself? Which organization do I want to go for? Remember, you're at entry level. You must have an idea of which organization you want to work for. And then how do you get an idea of what the organization you want to work for? It's by evaluating also your personal values. Do I enjoy being praised for my achievement? Then you look for an organization that recognizes people and acknowledges them. Do I want an organization that gives me work-life balance so that you know, you must be clear in your mind whichever organization you want to work for. You are at entry level. Set your goals just knowing that my not having experience should not stop me from going for what I want. So set a goal. If you want to work for a certain organization, begin to think, I don't have experience. Can I volunteer? Can I intern? To gain that experience that I don't have. If you're at middle level, of course now you've got an idea of what the industry looks like. So how do you set your goals at that level? Definitely your goals should be around accelerating your career. So how do I accelerate my career? How do I skill myself and make myself an expert in my industry? Yes. So at middle level, you're working towards making sure that you are growing your skills, you're becoming an expert in your field. All right. We all know, no one is perfect. Every person has strengths and you have weaknesses. So when you talk about career development, how do you now capitalize on your strength? What role does probably your strength get to play in career development? Because I believe there are people who have certain strengths, but they're kind of like not aware of that strength and how to capitalize it to benefit them. So how can someone watching us tonight, and they feel they have a certain strength, they have something that they believe they would offer? So how are they able to identify that and make sure that it works to benefit them in their career development? Okay. One easy way of knowing what exactly your strength are is if you're already in the workplace, there is usually the annual performance management. During that meeting, even your boss will tell you this, you're good at this. And even another place where you can know what your strength is, is by asking your colleagues, your peers will be able to tell you, sometimes even in lose conversations, you can hear you're good at, you're good at that. That's another way. And the other way is by some organization even ask their customers, how was your experience? How do you feel, some evaluation is 360, they ask all stakeholders, including your customer. That's another way. And the other way is just by being aware of yourself and how do you become aware? By seeing what are these things that I do naturally that it would take somebody else more time. You know, there are those things, when you're given that role, you'll say, I'll do that in my sleep or it'll take me 30 minutes and the presentation will be ready. Yet for another person, they need more time. Yeah, probably. So just knowing, you know, what is that thing, one thing that you just do with effortlessly. Or even if it's with effort, with minimal effort, that's how you know your strength. Okay. We take a very, we'll be taking a very short break here on Y254, but when we come back, we try to look at job hoping. Have you even ever heard of that word before? And if you have, we are here to really try and break it down for you. We take a very short break, we'll be right back. Thank you for staying with us on Y254 updates. If you're just joining us tonight, we're talking about career development. Talk to us across our social media platforms that is at Y254 channel. You can also reach me at Patricia Muriochi. So far we've talked about setting career goals. We've also talked about understanding one's strength. And I would like us to talk about job hoping. And this is where you change your career at least below two years, probably since you started. So I want us to look at it in a way that can that hurt your career? Because there are people, if you talk to them, today they are here, after six months, they have moved, after one year they have moved. There might be opportunities here that are availing themselves. And that is a reason as to why you're moving. And probably the offer on that other side is better than the offer of the current employment place that you are. But how hard for that to be to your career? Just before we went on the break, we were talking about strength. Let me just add a point, then I will go to job hoping. Another way you can know your strength is the number of years of experience you have in an area. Of course that gives you a strength because you've got field experience. Then another way that you can know what your strength is is also like you went to school for what? What did you study in university? Because it gives you a deeper depth in terms of knowledge than anybody else who hasn't done that particular course or two years. So that is one way of identifying where your strength is, experience in terms of education, in terms of the things, you know, gifts and talents that you've been naturally given. Okay, let's go to job hoping. Now, millennials are very well known for job hoping. What has happened is that people in the workplace have begun to understand how millennials work. So it can hurt you if an organization is looking for someone to keep in a long-term position. Definitely when someone sees you're not a keeper, you just come into the organization and then you leave, then definitely the organization might not want to invest in you because remember, recruitment takes a lot of money for the organization. By the time you settle in, it's time and then before you deliver, you're out. So it does not add value for most organizations. It will hurt you if that organization is looking for a position that is long-term. But these days, organizations have also become clever in terms of dealing with millennials. So what do they do? They create jobs that are project based. So you just come to the organization, you have your deliverables and millennials like to work like that. They come, you deliver your deliverables and you're out of that place after you have achieved and it's win-win for both the employee and the employer because you're here for a short time, we know you're here for two years, these are your deliverables and then after that you're out of the organization. Or if there's a new project, then they renew your project. But you're hoping most of the time, more often than not, it will hurt your career. Okay, so now you've talked about millennials and probably their way of doing things. So for someone, if I work, for someone who has the tendency or feeling that I want to work into an organization and they have a project which is gonna last like one year and probably there's going to be no renewal. How can such a person prepare themselves? Because I feel you might go in and you feel that this is how I want to do, this is how I want to work. And the one year comes and it lapses and there is no any other project for you to work in that certain company and then there are no opportunities. It leaves you in a space where you're now back at the jobless pool, which we know as a country is so, so, so much crowded, especially by the young people. So how can young people watching us tonight probably, why would you think, what advice would you give them brother to choose from getting something that is at least long term than just hoping and feeling like, let me just work on this project for one year and then it gets to affect you later. Okay, it just depends also on your personality and then the other thing that I think is key for when you're a job seeker, like I said, you need to evaluate yourself. What are my values? Where, what sort of organization do I want to work for? Because now when it comes to searching, then you will search for jobs in organizations that employ people on more long term basis, that short term basis. And then you begin also to groom yourself so that you're a good fit for that organization that gives longer term jobs. But based on our employment in this country, it is very important for you to be aware that in the short term, while I'm looking, if a short term project comes, I will take it because it allows me to grow in terms of my skills. It allows me to, it reduces the gaps that I'm going to have in my resume for being in the job field, in the job list, being in the labor pool and employed. So if you are looking for that kind of an organization, just keep looking. Be, in fact, for me, what I tell job seekers just be aware of which organization you want to work for. Because when that organization is in your order, you're always aware when there are vacancies, you will follow them on LinkedIn, follow them on their social media pages, try and get, connect, when you're in LinkedIn, connect with people who work for this organization because somehow you might be able to see when there are job openings. Oh, right. If you're a job seeker, you must be. Stay, work, you know? Stay, work. Just know what's going on, yeah. As a stay, work, that something has career stagnation. And most of the times, I don't know if people probably, you get in and the terms are so good and you're now comfortable as if you have a good salary and all that and all that. But now, how do you identify probably that your experience here, you're going through a career stagnation and how can you overcome it or how do you get to deal with it? Because I believe if you, for the time that you're going to be going through the situation of career stagnation, it could also limit your chances of promotions, your chances of probably getting more opportunities. So how do you deal with that? Okay, one, you need to ask yourself, why am I stuck? Why am I facing stagnation? Is it because my organization does not have a way of career progression? Because from the organization level, even when you're joining an organization, you should be able to see how you're going to grow in your career. At entry level, you're getting as maybe, if again, if I'm going to use, let me use HR, you're going to be a human resource assistant, you need to see how I will grow within the ladder. So will I become the next senior HR person? I will grow up to be like the human resource manager. That must be steps like you're growing from this stage to this stage to this day up to there, like the most senior position in that organization in your area of specialization. Because if the organization also does not have that, you'll get stuck. As a person, if you're not a person who takes initiative, you are going to get stuck. Because how will you grow? If there are 10 of us doing the same job, if I'm not taking initiative, other people might grow and then I'm still left out. And then the other thing is that also as a person, you must be a lifelong learner. That means you're continuously improving your skills, you're always looking for opportunities to grow and learn, because unless you're learning, you'll not grow. I mean, in fact, the core of you growing is by you learning, either by upskilling yourself, by going back to school, reading books, or even shadowing somebody. You're learning either in terms of skills, in terms of how you handle yourself. So how do you know you're stuck? You're frustrated. You're sick and tired of your job. You're sick and tired of being sick and tired of your job. Then you begin to know that you're stuck. The money can be there, but you're not growing. And as a human being, you're always looking for the next challenge for the next challenge. And if you're not getting that next challenge, it's time to make that move. Okay, as you talk about career stagnation, you cannot talk about career change or career transition because sometimes someone will feel like, I'm stagnant in this field and they feel like, probably if I challenge myself in a different area, that is going to help me out, becoming a better person or growing my career. So for someone who's looking at changing careers from one industry to another industry, that is something totally probably different. For example, you're in the media and you feel like, okay, now I think that I want to still probably practice media and communication, but maybe at a teaching level or as a lecturer or that, how do you now prepare yourself for that? And what is the main thing that you're supposed to look out for as you plan on career change? In fact, I think also the place to start is, ask yourself, why am I changing my career? Is it because maybe, you know, how you could have gone to college because your parents said, I want you to go to the University of Nairobi and I want you to take this course or your family wants a doctor and a lawyer in their home. And inside you is a DJ who is so passionate about music. Yes. It's time for you to, you need to understand, why am I changing? Is it because I am not passionate about what I do? And sometimes even because of technological changes, your skills could become more, less marketable. So it's harder for you to grow in that regard. So maybe it's time for you to consider a career change. Or there's so many reasons. And also you've got a passion like you're saying and that is what I want to pursue now. So once you are aware of the reason you're changing, the next thing you need to think about is do your research on the industry that you're moving into. Who are the industry leaders? Why have they made it? Do I have what it takes? And then you come back and take account of your transferable skills. And it's okay to change your career even when you're 50 years, 60 years. Some people get their breaks when they're 60 years old. Yeah, maybe you've been working, you've never had an opportunity to try out something and voila, you're acting. And the next time you're the biggest star. So you need to evaluate your, in terms of what are the transferable skills that I have now that I can use in my new job. Because many people feel the fear to change their careers thinking in terms of our new, many other people are be doing this. But what will make me successful? What will make you successful are these transferable skills? And when I say transferable skills, I mean things like leadership skills, communication skills, those things will set you apart. So that you go and learn the core skills that are required in the new industry that you want to move into. Okay, we have very few minutes left, but I want you to find a way that you can balance it, answer these last two questions. The impact of networking in career development, how much weight does that have on career development? And then the other one is how do we track career development, that's that my director does not like come at me. So let's do the first one. How, what is the impact of good networking in career development? Let me tell you, the truth is, most jobs before they are advertised, people have already circulated within their networks. Do you have this type of person? We are looking for this type of person. When they don't find that person within those networks, it's when now they go and advertise more often than not. As much as it's competitive, but first they find people within their networks, our organization is looking for this type of person. Who do you be knowing? And then now when we can't find somebody within our networks, then you go advertise. All right. So it is very important for you to network. Don't network for the sake of just networking, network with an objective, because it's not the number of people you're networking with. It is the quality of your network, of your network. As they say, your network is your network. Yes. So it has to be within. Meaning full connections, that's what I see. Not just connections. All right. That is second. How do you track career development? How do you really tell that my career is growing? It is developing. I can see growth. How do you do that? That is second as you wind up. Okay. How do you know that you're growing? Is that you are able to do things that you are not able to do before. And you can actually see progress. Like you're growing from this position to a more senior position. You're able to do more than you would have done. And then you're also growing as a person. You're able to make better decisions when it comes to that industry as compared to what decisions you'd have made 10 years back. Okay. Yes. Thank you very much. That was very informative to my viewers and to myself. And thank you very much for finding the time to be here with us. And this is what I tell you. You've heard from Lea. She's a career coach with a lot of experience. It is never late to change a career. If you feel that probably in a certain industry and these are not working out and you feel like you want to challenge yourself, go for it. And the last one, your network is your network. So don't just have networks so that you can say, oh, I know this lecturer. I know this banker. I know this lawyer. Have networks that can benefit you and you can also probably impact on your networks. Thank you very much. My name is Patricia Muriochi. And I hope this is a very good night.