Your Job, Your Personality

First, close your eyes and think about what you want to do for work.

Not what your spouse wants or what your friends think you should do.

You.

Then, think about the best way to convince the employer of your choice that you have the skills he or she needs.

Those are two bits of advice from people who help people make career decisions and help them land the jobs they want.

Judy Collins is a Janesville, WI native who works as a life and career coach out of her home. Collins doesn't follow the traditional path of offering her job-seeking clients personality assessments and skill inventories.

"I primarily focus on helping an individual learn about their true self," Collins said. "What inspires them? What is most meaningful to them? What do you want at the deepest level as opposed to what other people think you should do?"

The first step for people who have chosen or have been forced to change careers is to face the fears that come from the loss of control, Collins said. Turn your fears into a sense of exhilaration for learning and growing, she said.

"We're designed as humans to feel fear to take action," Collins said. "The problem is most of the time the things that cause that fear are imaginary. The ones that are realistic, we work on strategies to mitigate those."

Next, Collins tells clients to write what they think is the perfect job description for themselves. Ask yourself what you want to be responsible for or what you want to contribute, Collins said.

Now it's time to communicate that to a potential employer.