I've been taking a poll lately. I was curious to know how people found their way to their particular careers. So far, most people told me they "just fell into it", or that they were simply "in the right place at the right time."

After hearing the details of thousands of career stories, I'm convinced that the series of jobs that make up anyone's career path is not always random or based on luck.

Take Susan for example. As a child, she was very sociable and loved to be wherever people gathered. Susan was fascinated by people's behaviors and their different approaches to life. In college, she unwittingly majored in anthropology, which allowed her to extend her observation skills beyond her classmates to cultures and groups all over the world.

Strongly extroverted, Susan was consistently drawn to opportunities that were dynamic, vibrant and abuzz with people. While she did not have a particular career path in mind at graduation, it's not surprising that the field of advertising caught her attention.

Even though advertising was a great match for her personality, natural abilities and curiosity, Susan eventually became disenchanted with her work. After six years, in spite of consistent promotions, Susan often thought of quitting her job. Admittedly confused, Susan did not know if her discontent had more to do with her employer or her career field in general. Like most people, she believed that she had stumbled onto a career path and now wanted to make more deliberate choices for her future.

Having developed a marketable set of skills with which she had achieved success in the work world, Susan was increasingly aware of her desire to make a greater difference in the world. She realized that her values were becoming more important in the overall scheme of her work and were influencing her lack of satisfaction with her current job.

With that clarity, she began to think of ways to redirect her marketing and advertising expertise toward the emerging field of cause marketing that seeks to create collaborative ventures and branding between a for profit organization and a non profit cause.

With Susan's story in mind, what connections might you make between what seemed to be random and unplanned jobs and your personality, interests, natural abilities and values? These connections might help you understand your career path with more insight, as well as assist you in making more conscious choices in the future.

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Barbara is currently accepting applications for her ninth annual Women's Retreat in Provence. Click on the link for photos and more details!
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Barbara and Heart At Work associate, Amy Jaffe, will co-present a workshop:
"Averting Quarterlife and Midlife Crises in Your Workplace: 5 Key Retention Strategies" at the 2008 Annual Human Resources Convention in Rockport, Maine on May 8.

Skills, talents, and abilities…everyone has them, but who can actually name their best qualities? Furthermore, how many people are in positions where they consistently use the skills they enjoy?

Individuals with years of work experience may have developed a résumé of skills and abilities that they take for granted and which have not been evaluated since their last job search.

In assessing what you bring to the job market, think about those tasks you do well and for which you have received some type of recognition. But, don't stop there. Go a step further and hone in on those skills that give you satisfaction and pleasure.

This may be a new concept for some people who view skills assessment simply as a way to determine what they do well, regardless of whether or not they enjoy using the skill set. This is short sighted in a marketplace where boredom and lack of job satisfaction extend to more than 45% of the population. Knowing what you enjoy doing well and having work that calls on those skills are key to being productive and satisfied.

Here are a few steps to help you recognize the value you bring to your work and the skills that might keep you motivated and feeling good about your job:

1. Create a timeline of your work history from your very first job. Identify positions you've held and the key tasks you performed. Beside each entry, list a skill, talent, or ability that you exhibited. (If you have difficulty naming your skills, go to: the riley guide.
2. Put a check next to each skill that you enjoyed using.
3. Review the timeline and note patterns of skills as well as those that you have checked. Create a separate list that includes only the checked skills.
4. Consider your current job. In any given week, how often do you use the skills you most enjoy? Does your response fit with how satisfied you feel about your job?
5. If there is a major discrepancy between the skills you use in your job and the ones you truly enjoy, it could be an indicator that it's time to move on to another position.
6. If you decide to change jobs or you are already in the job market, be sure to look beyond your ability to do the key job tasks and take into account whether or not you'll be happy doing them.

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One space remaining! Women's retreat in southern France, led by Barbara for the eighth year. For info, application form and photos go to: www.yourprovenceretreat.com.

In case you are in denial about how much you like your job, you can go to this quiz to determine the level of your overall job satisfaction.

If your score was low, you are not alone. It is estimated that less than 45% of Americans feel satisfied with their jobs. Why is over half the population dissatisfied and what do YOU need to tip the scale in favor of work that you enjoy and find fulfilling?

First of all, it's important to consider the factors that influence a person's job satisfaction and figure out what is true for you. The following are seven categories that contribute to job satisfaction. Consider what you need in each:

1. Overall responsibility: Do you want to lead and take charge of situations, or would you rather provide assistance and support?
2. Work environment: What conditions allow you to do your best work? This list can be as specific as "natural light" and "orderly surroundings" or as nebulous as "a safe environment". It is important for you to know they type of setting that elicits a positive, "can do" attitude in you.
3. People contact: Describe the types of colleagues with whom you want to interact. What is the extent and type of interpersonal contact you want to have in your work?
4. Salary and Benefits: What do you need? What do you want? Be prepared to justify any salary requirements by the value you will bring to any position.
5. Skills: What are the talents, qualities and abilities you have AND enjoy using? Be able to articulate them along with brief examples of each.
6. Interests: Are there specific topics that intrigue you and which you'd like to be a focus of your job?
7. Reasons for working/Values: What do you want to get out of work? List the values that inspire and motivate you.

Sometimes it is when a factor is missing in a job that you realize how very important it is to you. Take stock of past jobs for clues about what factors may have influenced your decision to move on.

Create a list of questions to ask prospective employers based on your own job satisfaction categories to determine how close a position comes to meeting what you need and want. Doing that may save you a premature resignation.

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Just one space remaining in Barbara's annual Women's Retreat in Provence 9/23-29/07. For more info, go to: www.yourprovenceretreat.com

Good idea? For some perhaps, but not for me. My reasoning may shed a light on the option that many people consider from time to time.

I admit it; I am a fine paper fanatic. I look for shops and stationery boutiques wherever I travel and get goose bumps if I happen to find one with more than just a corner dedicated to paper. When I find the time, I make paper keepsakes for friends and family--from personalized journals to cards and little books. It's a hobby that is satisfying and can put me in the zone for hours on end. People have even suggested that I start a business and sell my paper creations. After I remind them that I already have one business, I think about the possibility of shifting my leisure time pursuit to a moneymaking one. Immediately, I start to tense up at the notion of having to fill orders and create according to someone else's timeframe. It's not appealing, but why?

In my last blog, I wrote about the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), an assessment tool based on the personality theory of Carl Jung. The framework of the MBTI helps me understand why my hobby is a perfect part-time outlet for me, but not necessarily a great idea for a business venture. Essentially, by looking at my work and my hobby through the lens of the MBTI, I see that my "day job" calls on one of my favored functions, that of intuition. In my career counseling practice, I strive to see the big picture of a client's situation and help them consider their work within the context of their entire life. My hobby, on the other hand, relies on the opposite of that function, sensing , where attention to detail is key. According to Jung's theory, it's everyone's challenge in life to develop the lesser-known parts of themselves. As we progress through life, we seek out opportunities to become whole, often through hobbies and leisure time activities.

I recall once working with an investment advisor who, at midlife, thought he might want to shift into another career. It was interesting to hear that one of his recent and most rewarding experiences was chairing the board of his child's private school. An admitted introvert, he surprised himself with the level of enjoyment he had for this role, which involved working with groups of people much more than he was used to in his employment.

However, to assume that his enjoyment indicated he should be in a more extraverted job, would have been off base. I think that it was precisely because his board experience was voluntary and short-term that it allowed him to feel secure enough to try something different. After all, neither his salary nor his professional identity were at risk.

Then there was a woman client who had a developed a career in the non-profit world. She was clearly ready for a change and eventually decided to go back to school and focus on a long-standing interest of hers: organic gardening. While the decision did reflect a "hobby-turned-to-job" type of situation, it was one that clearly aligned with her personality, interests and values—a winning combination.

So, if you are considering whether to make your hobby your job, don't dismiss it because you fear you'll tire of it or because it's not practical. Consider if this option fits with who you are, what you most enjoy, and what energizes you. If the answer is "yes", it may be just the turn in your life you need to make.

Yesterday I attended what was supposed to have been an advanced workshop on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a personality inventory I often use in my career counseling practice to help people establish a good fit between who they are and what they do.

While I was disappointed with the slow pace of the presenter and rather basic concepts he addressed, I was glad to connect with old and new colleagues from a variety of professions who use the MBTI in their work. Even though over 2 million copies are sold annually and it has been translated into 37 languages, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is not always well understood for its depth and usefulness. To some people, unfamiliar with Carl Jung's personality theory upon which it is based, the MBTI is nothing more than a parlor game that "types" people into categories and invites judgments about others different from them. Even though a person ends up with a four-letter "type" after taking the MBTI, judgment of self or others is the exact opposite of Jung's intent in creating this inventory. Rather, the MBTI is meant to be a way to better understand ourselves and develop greater appreciation and tolerance for other's differences.

Because the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is so popular and applied in many contexts from marriage counseling and college roommate matching to management team building, I routinely ask my clients if they have ever taken the inventory. It is not uncommon for someone to say, "Yes, I've taken it, but I don't remember my type", or "My score was 'in the middle' and I was told that I'm part one type and part the other", or even "I've changed type every time I've taken it". Those responses most likely reflect a lack of knowledge of the person who administered and explained the inventory. According to Jung, a person is born with a certain type and that type does not change over time. However, a person's score, which measures the development of certain preferences, may change. While the MBTI is a reliable instrument, it is not foolproof and therefore needs a well-trained professional to discuss the outcome and help the individual come to a decision about their "best fit type".

The context in which I use the MBTI is work and career, and I consistently find it to be a useful and practical addition to the career counseling process. Some of the positive outcomes I've noticed include: increased understanding of the significance of the person's "type" in past jobs that were negative experiences, a greater appreciation of personal characteristics and traits once seen as "less than", an acceptance of personality differences between co-workers and supervisors, and insights into more effective communication strategies to try at work.

For those who have taken the MBTI and want to explore its relevance to work, read Do What You Are, by Paul and Barbara Tieger for an in-depth view of how knowledge of one's type can help clarify appropriate options and shape career decisions.