Whether you’re happy in your job, seeking your next promotion, or just coming out of college, we’ve all felt directionless at some point in our career journey. All too often, it takes years of labor and a midlife crisis to seek some career advice. The only problem is that one-size-fits-all advice doesn’t recognize your inner value.
Enter CareerGPS founders Cicely Simpson and Dawna Qualls (pictured). With backgrounds in politics and business, the partnership believes they have identified where current career development strategies could be more effective. Their philosophy differs from the pack: career mentoring and training should be a career-long endeavor, not a last resort.
Their coaching and mentoring career community called CareerGPS, which has now launched, reflects the duo’s experience and beliefs. Career advice should be bespoke, not general, mentoring needs implementation, and your value should always come first.
Here are three of the recommended keys these experts offer to unlock your career potential:
1. Champion Yourself
It’s the career development revelation that will change the way you think. Every time you reconsider your work life, there’s a good chance your current job comes to mind first. But what if the best career advice was to separate your worth from the daily grind?
“Champion yourself by asking, ‘What do I bring to the table that no–one else can?’” the founders state. “Your value has nothing to do with your job—it’s only about you. Know your value.”
Most people struggle to identify their value because we are conditioned that who we are is tied to what we do. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As Simpson explains in her best-selling book “Pull Up Your C.H.A.I.R.: 5 Strategies To Change The Trajectory Of Your Career”, articulating your value is the secret sauce to your career.
If you’re struggling to achieve your career goals, seek out mentoring and training that recognizes you as an individual. Avoid one-size-fits-all courses. CareerGPS will meet you where you are with training tailored to your needs.
2. Impact, don’t influence
If you think becoming an influencer in your industry is the answer, think of any influencer who has lasted longer than a year at the top. You’ll struggle to find one. Those who shout the loudest might earn a day in the sun, but creating a meaningful impact will lead to prospering career development.
“Seek to be a person of impact, not influence,” Simpson and Qualls say. “Influence is episodic, but the impact is lasting. Championing yourself gets you to the table—being a person of impact ensures you stay there.”
If you crave significance in your career but don’t know how to get it, a good mentoring program can help you carve out a permanent voice in the conversation. Within CareerGPS, Qualls’ impact is her corporate vision which provides valuable perspective to others on their professional journey, while Simpson’s business and political experience brings a new brand of leadership.
3. Communicate your confidence
Numerous mentoring programs promise to level up your self-confidence. But few recognize the reality: that confidence is nothing if not put to use.
The two founders coach and teach that confidence can be helpful in many instances, but it is not everything. Throughout many of life’s situations, people will automatically look to your level of confidence in order to assess your capabilities and greatness. We assign too much importance to someone’s personal level of confidence, and that is the problem.
Simpson and Qualls have learned that confidence does not mean anything if you are not able to execute and push forward successfully. Confidence won’t get you to next level – confidence can’t advocate for you and your career. “Confidence is not enough,” they proclaim. “You can be a confident person, but if you never open your mouth to advocate for yourself, you won’t achieve your goals. Confidence plus self-advocacy about your value is the winning combination.”
Many of the duo’s clients and community members come to them with limiting beliefs of fear and self-doubt. A lack of clarity about how to achieve your career goals can often contribute to inaction, neglecting your internal confidence. In the CareerGPS community, you will learn the exact tools and strategies on how to express your values without compromising yourself as part of your success roadmap.
Career development can be a dizzying maze for many. But it’s precisely because of this subjectivity that you shouldn’t waste your time and money on generalized career advice. In today’s competitive job market, act confidently, impact the community, and put your value first to get ahead. If you don’t know where to go next, check out the CareerGPS career community. They don’t just give you the tools and strategies you seek, but they also take a “done-with-you” approach so you can implement the information you are learning.
