Most of the time we think of our career VERTICALLY. We perceive our job search as moving up (or down) the same ladder. But this can put us in a serious career bind.



For example, Hal graduated from college with a Liberal Arts degree. His sense of independence and the need to make money required him to find a job. His choice of job was further limited by other important priorities -- getting married and raising a family.

Hal went to work for a local steel fabrication firm. His job skills became identified exclusively with the steel industry, its procedures, requirement and contacts. This identification, of course, ran deep in Hal's own mind. Consequently, he unwittingly excluded all other job opportunities. He saw no need for career diversification. He became a specialist.

It all worked well together for Hal. He was a hard worker who gradually moved up the line and eventually found himself a well-paid senior manager.

Until the steel industry collapsed. Hal was suddenly left without long-term resources and the desperate need to find another job.

Now, Hal eventually found another job. But it was for a lot less money. He was forced to look in an industry where he had little knowledge and no experience. It didn't have to be that way.

If Hal had invested in exploring career diversity early on . . . if he had started out by thinking horizontally . . . he would be prepared for the 21st Century job marketplace where he could be ready to put his talents to work in a variety of job opportunities.

Thinking horizontally means learning how to become a career generalist. It means thinking of ourselves as multi-careered. The 21st Century is changing how we must look at ourselves. If we can't adapt we're putting ourselves into a career bind. where we're destined to settle for jobs that offer no future career or financial growth.

You see, the job search needs and expectations of both employers and employees are changing. It's time to think HORIZONTALLY! It's time to diversify our outlook and re-arrange our career profile to match the needs of the current job market.

The talents and skills we've grown up with aren't the product of vertical thinking. They reflect, instead, ideas, preferences and pleasures we have derived from a vast horizon of family, educational and personal experiences.

This is where we can look to broaden our understanding of the diversity of our talents and experiences. It's the way out of a limiting career bind. It's time for you to open the door a future where you can realistically look for jobs that take you well beyond the limitations of a vertical job search.