Career Planning

• Must Reads and Listen!!
• Workshop

I am very enthused to provide my perspective on the career development process. I’m not so brazen to think there is only one path to long term success. However, over the course of the last 30 years, and having interviewed, mentored, and recruited hundreds of candidates, I have developed insights and perspectives which are time tested and proven successful.

I hope whomever uses the materials highlighted at the top of the page fully appreciates its value not only for generating and succeeding during interviews, but also for growing and developing one’s career. My perspective is centered on the simple fact that in any transaction — be it a hiring, negotiation, or settlement — there are typically two entities, a buyer and a seller. In dealing with one’s career, you are always in the position of being the seller, and the product you are selling is yourself. How do you go about developing your product? How do you refine your product? How do you test market your product? How do you respond to critiques about your product?

In addressing all of these questions, you will become a polished salesperson and your sale will become increasingly more successful. Thus, prior to having a formal interview, I believe it is critically important to have an extensive number of ‘informational interviews.’

By the time you do have a formal interview, you will hopefully have had so much practice, met so many people, and will know so much about the market, that your product—that is YOU— will shine. As with any great salesperson, though, you can’t take rejection or negative feedback personally. Learn from it and move on.

While I am fully supportive of taking prudent risks in a career, the one risk for which there is no premium high enough is the risk of a tarnished reputation. With word of mouth being the most powerful form of advertisement, you never want to run the risk that your product is viewed as impaired by a questionable reputation.

If you are reading this, I am glad that our paths are crossing. I hope you will also avail yourself of all the other resources here at Sense on Cents. Please also let me know what you think of the Career Planning material or any of the other information. Ultimately, business is about relationships, so I hope I can develop a deeper relationship with readers.

I hope you find the suggestions at Sense on Cents Career Planning to be helpful. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes in your test marketing. Learn from your mistakes and remember one thing: “If a product can make it big, there is no reason why it can’t be my product.”

Have fun with this!!

All the best,

Larry Doyle
Sense on Cents