Search in book...
Toggle Font Controls
Create new playlist

Name your new playlist

Playlist description (optional)
Sign In

Email address

Password

Forgot Password?

or

Continue with Facebook

Continue with Google
Sign Up

Full Name

Email address

Confirm Email Address

Password

or

Continue with Facebook

Continue with Google

how to read this book

Well, we got the job! Guess we'd better write all those words now (hehe).

If you read the HR memo on the previous page, you know we're here to help you build a career you love.

So, let's do just that.

Glen in the driver's seat

Think of this book as your career handbook. It's just as much for career newbies as it is for those looking to optimise their current career situation. The system we've created is applicable to all career situations because it's driven by strategy first, and practical activities second. At the beginning of each chapter we've included a TL;DR (too long; didn't read) to provide a summary of what to expect in the chapter so you'll know before you dive in.

I write this as a business owner, an employer of people, someone who has had to change their own mindset and break away from societal norms. As Shell lives and breathes all things careers, has managed plenty of people of all ages and has almost seen it all, she will offer her own strategic and practical insights that will enable you to apply what you learn right away.

In my book, Sort Your Money Out & Get Invested (I will refer to it as SYMO moving forward), I shared an illustration of building your financial life like a house: starting with solid foundations before you worry about the walls like your lifestyle goals or investing. While SYMO could be read in any order, it is highly recommended that you read this book in chapter order.

I honestly believe this book is the prequel to SYMO as the best investment you can ever make is in yourself. That's investing into your mindset, your confidence, your health, your relationships and of course your career (the list does go on .… can you think of anything else?). The best investment return you'll likely make will be in your own career and ability to earn an income.

It is also so important that you're moving in the direction of a career you love. We all have bad days, so ask yourself: on balance, do you like your work or career? Whatever the answer is, this book will help you. If you love your career or job, you will be able to learn strategies and one percenters that will take you further, faster. If you love your career but hate your job, you will get the tools to make that move. If you have just left school or commenced university, this book will equip you with setting things up in the right order.

To get the most out of this, lean into the exercises, challenge your own thinking and write all over it. It's a workbook and a space for you to brain dump. Only feel guilty about writing all over this book if you have borrowed it from the library!

And, just as we have here, we will make it clear at the start of each chapter or section who is writing.

Shell in the driver's seat

This book was born out of a career crisis .… mine.

I'd worked in human resources (HR) for over a decade, mainly in large, not‐for‐profit organisations. After having my second baby, Bowie, I decided to quit my full‐time role leading an HR team, and start a new job as an HR specialist in a small business. Despite being in the same industry, it was a very different role from anything I'd done previously.

It was about 4 months in when I realised the job wasn't right for me. I'd always been such a confident and decisive person when it came to work. I was hosting a successful careers podcast. I was the person who solved everyone else's weird work problems. And yet here I was completely lost, stuck and confused.

I had no idea what the heck I was doing with my career. But I knew I couldn't stay where I was. So I quit my job.

No job lined up. No plan of where‐to next. No cards up my sleeve.

Well, except for one. I called my friend Glen James.

Shell: Hey, I quit my job.

Glen: Yeah right. What are you going to do now?

Shell: I'm winging it. I have no idea. I'll probably take a few months off to figure it out. Maybe do my own thing, freelance. Who knows?

Glen: *long pause* .… I've got an idea .… Let's write a book.

Shell: On what?

Glen: On careers. We'll call it Sort Your Career Out. The prequel to SYMO.

Shell: Hahaha. But, I'm unemployed and having a complete career meltdown right now.

Glen: Perfect time to write it.

Glen was right. It was the perfect time to write this book.

It was born out of a real‐life career crisis. I was the first beneficiary of the book. Through the process, I sorted my own career out. I can't wait for you to do the same.

Maybe you've picked up this book because you've got a career problem you're trying to solve right now. You want to land a promotion, need to earn more money or you're looking for a totally new career. Wherever you're at, we'll help you sort it out.

Over the years working in HR, and through the my millennial career podcast, I've helped thousands of people win at work and build a career they love.

This book is your career guide. Each chapter is jam‐packed with practical advice to help you clarify your strengths, brainstorm your goals and map out your next move. It isn't about finding a job that doesn't suck — we've got big goals — it's about building a career you love.

I'm excited to be a part of your journey as you Sort Your Career Out. Forget what everyone else is doing: this is about you, your life, your goals, your version of success.

The career car

Glen in the driver's seat

Many of us are visual learners and the educators out there understand this all too well. That is why I developed the ‘sound financial house’ to illustrate the importance of doing things in the right order. There is no point investing if you have not paid off your personal loan, nor if you have some goals in the short term that you need money for, as investments should be for the long term. Therefore, foundations are things like being consumer debt free.

Shell and I wanted to do a similar type of illustration for our careers and the best way to think about it is the concept of the ‘career car’. You park your career car next to your sound financial house. And just like you journey your way through your career, you head out on a career road trip. Driving off into your career is also what provides you with the money to bring back home to your sound financial house.

The best road trips require some planning. There are foundational parts to your career road trip you need to prepare for before you hit the road. You need to pack your bags, find your route, service your car and make sure you've got fuel ready to go.

This is part I of our approach: the strategic decisions you need to work through. What do you value? What's your mindset? What are your strengths and skills? What risks are you prepared for?

Once this stage is complete, we hit the road. This is part II of our approach: the tactical aspects of building your careers. We can drive forward, left, right, around the roundabout, backtrack, re‐route, u‐turn — there are so many directions we can go. These practical things are centred around building career opportunities, goal setting, mastery in resumes, interviews and networking. And getting that pay rise! But we also talk about tackling the more difficult aspects of your career journey, like career changes, career crises, burnout and redundancy. Learning how to process what's happened, get the car towed to a mechanic for repairs and get back on the road.

Then, in part III, Shell will walk you through how to know if it's time to leave where you are, and do it well.

The book is sectioned into these three parts, and it's best to read them in that order.

The importance of the sound financial house and the career car is that the logic can work at any age or in any situation. This isn't just for Millennials: this is for everyone who wants a career they love.

Here's a run‐down on the three parts.

Part I: Planning your career road trip

Preparing for your road trip is where any great journey begins — we have to start with your career strategy. By skipping this step we risk just changing the font on your resume and ending up in yet another job or career you hate. If your strategy isn't set to the right route, you'll end up in the middle of the desert. Again. These areas are the preparation you need to know yourself. Know what you're looking for in a career and have your career car refuelled and ready to go.

Values

Your values influence the way you like to work. They are a crucial aspect of building a career you love (and are hugely beneficial to understanding life outside of work too!). When we are not aligned with our values, our life and career can quickly get out of sync.

In chapter 1, you'll figure out your own values and reflect on your job, workplace and career to see how they align (and potentially change course, if needed). This may be the first time you have heard or considered values as part of your employment. Your values guide how you work, whether you are aware of them or not. They can help you make great career moves, and avoid the bad ones. We'll walk you through a step‐by‐step process to define your values.

Mindset

Nailing the mindset piece to your life and specifically your career and career goals will honestly change your life. In chapters 2 and 3, I will share some of my experiences and challenge you to assess your own mindset, and how it could be affecting your career. Mindset is the origin of a lot of our career problems.

Strengths and skills

Working to your strengths and building your skills means your chances of performing better in a role are much higher — you'll be aligned to the right kinds of careers and roles. Working to your strengths makes your job more engaging and energising, but often people don't know their unique strengths. By discovering them, you'll find your genius zone where you perform best. We'll also share how to build skills that make you stand out.

In chapter 4, Shell will help you uncover your strengths and develop your skills, so you can hit your goals.

Risk

Taking risks is an inherent part of your career journey. And maybe it's the reason you aren't where you would like to be in your career: the fear of risk. Usually our minds associate risk with loss — that taking a risk means that loss could occur. Either financially, physically, emotionally or in any other area you can think of. However, this isn't always true, and we'll highlight that with risk comes the reward you've been hoping for.

In chapter 5, Shell and I will help you prevent the risks of owning too much real estate in your head, and we'll help you reframe how you assess risks (whether they're ‘good risks’ or ‘bad risks’). We'll look at taking a risk with your career because it's a muscle that many people seldom use, and it could be the only thing preventing you from finding a career you love.

Part II: Hitting the road

Once we've nailed your strategy in part I it's time to hit the road! We get super practical here and focus on the things you can do to make your career journey meet your definition of success.

Creating career opportunities

Want big career opportunities to come to you? Here we talk about the habits that create career opportunities. It's the practices you do on repeat that bring opportunities to you. In chapter 6, Shell will outline the key habits that act as an opportunity magnet. Do these things and watch the doors swing open.

Success and career goals

So many people measure their own career success based on what other people think. This is a sure way to end up in a career you hate. You need to define what success means in your life, and it may not mean always moving ‘up’. And that's okay. In fact, that's perfect. We don't want you living your life according to someone else's goals. Your life and career goals need to be yours and yours alone. This is your journey, not someone else's.

In chapter 7, Shell will help you tease out what on earth your goals actually are! She digs deep and prompts you to own your career with both hands on the wheel.

Resumes, interviews and LinkedIn

In chapter 8, Shell will outline exactly what you need to include in your resume, and everything you need to save for the script of your biopic (no life stories please). She will explain the recruitment process, what to expect and how to prepare and practise now. And she'll highlight why networking is a thing, what it achieves for you and others, and how to master it (in person and online using LinkedIn).

Making more money

Doesn't everyone want a pay rise?! In chapter 9, I will highlight the key ways you can make more money by increasing your earnings, and how to approach your manager for the pay rise you have earned with your performance track record. I'll also spend a bit of time talking about negotiation from a macro level and Shell will share her top tips for how to ask for a pay rise.

Career crises, career changes, burnout and redundancy

The number of people who listen to our podcasts and have hit one of these speed bumps in their career is huge. If you've hit one of these, then take heart: listeners of the my millennial money and my millennial career podcast community are right there with you. Shell explains what to do if you find yourself on the side of the road, waiting for the career tow truck to turn up, along with some great community testimonies which show you that you are not alone and you will find a way forward.

Part III: Reaching the end of the road

So you've reached the end of the road in your job. It happens. Sometimes it's a toxic workplace or it's just not the place you feel is right for you, right now. Shell will walk you through how to know whether it is in fact time to leave your job, and how you can develop an exit strategy that allows you to depart on the best possible terms.

Apply now

Stories from the community

We've also harnessed the power of the my millennial money and my millennial career communities by including first‐person accounts from listeners of the shows. People who have been in your shoes and found a way forward. We love our community, and they love us back by sharing their experience, guidance and advice. So please enjoy what they also have to share! We will also make comments on these stories.

Downloads and resources

Throughout the book we'll provide some additional content that you can download by visiting links connected by QR codes at the end of some chapters. There are templates, further reading and links that can help you journey through the stages of this book.

So what next?

With the help of the words we've written, and the experience of the my millennial money community, we want you to be able to prepare your career strategy, before mastering the practical things that will help you craft a career that you'll not only love, but thrive in — and give you the best shot to make more money, if this is a goal of yours!

Get in. Buckle up. And hold on.

Let's go!

..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.