The ICT Job Hunter Blog

Sometimes when we are struggling with a particularly thorny question which has us going round and round in circles, the best way to approach it is by using a bit of lateral thinking and turning it on its head.  Choosing a career direction, for many people, is one of those issues which can leave them scratching their heads and where this technique can be quite helpful in ruling out whole areas of consideration.

Of course, the business of selecting the right career to match your passions and your personality is of such importance that attacking it from one single angle is not sufficient on its own, but alongside other methods, considering what you don’t want can help to narrow down the field.

Try brainstorming some general career areas and see what your gut tells you.  Some, for example, will be able to rule out whole areas because of certain aspects of their personality, and others because of certain dislikes or strongly-held values or beliefs.  Somebody who is very shy, for example, might want to discount any career which puts them in the spotlight and this could rule out anything from the entertainment industry to sales.  Those who cannot stand the sight of blood might want to avoid some of the areas of the medical, and even the law enforcement professions, while those who strongly uphold the value of conformity may wish to steer clear of any environment in which individual self-expression is positively encouraged.

Often when we start from the position where we are trying to ascertain what we do want, our feelings can be somewhat bland or non-committal and it is difficult to rule anything out.  Looking at what we don’t want, however, generally raises stronger feelings which give us some excellent clues and help us to see a way forward.