how to read this book

Well, we got the job! Guess we'd better write all those words now (hehe).

If you read the HR memo on the previous page, you know we're here to help you build a career you love.

So, let's do just that.

Glen in the driver's seat

Think of this book as your career handbook. It's just as much for career newbies as it is for those looking to optimise their current career situation. The system we've created is applicable to all career situations because it's driven by strategy first, and practical activities second. At the beginning of each chapter we've included a TL;DR (too long; didn't read) to provide a summary of what to expect in the chapter so you'll know before you dive in.

I write this as a business owner, an employer of people, someone who has had to change their own mindset and break away from societal norms. As Shell lives and breathes all things careers, has managed plenty of people of all ages and has almost seen it all, she will offer her own strategic and practical insights that will enable you to apply what you learn right away.

In my book, Sort Your Money Out & Get Invested (I will refer to it as SYMO moving forward), I shared an illustration of building your financial life like a house: starting with solid foundations before you worry about the walls like your lifestyle goals or investing. While SYMO could be read in any order, it is highly recommended that you read this book in chapter order.

I honestly believe this book is the prequel to SYMO as the best investment you can ever make is in yourself. That's investing into your mindset, your confidence, your health, your relationships and of course your career (the list does go on .. can you think of anything else?). The best investment return you'll likely make will be in your own career and ability to earn an income.

It is also so important that you're moving in the direction of a career you love. We all have bad days, so ask yourself: on balance, do you like your work or career? Whatever the answer is, this book will help you. If you love your career or job, you will be able to learn strategies and one percenters that will take you further, faster. If you love your career but hate your job, you will get the tools to make that move. If you have just left school or commenced university, this book will equip you with setting things up in the right order.

To get the most out of this, lean into the exercises, challenge your own thinking and write all over it. It's a workbook and a space for you to brain dump. Only feel guilty about writing all over this book if you have borrowed it from the library!

And, just as we have here, we will make it clear at the start of each chapter or section who is writing.

Shell in the driver's seat

This book was born out of a career crisis .. mine.

I'd worked in human resources (HR) for over a decade, mainly in large, not-for-profit organisations. After having my second baby, Bowie, I decided to quit my full-time role leading an HR team, and start a new job as an HR specialist in a small business. Despite being in the same industry, it was a very different role from anything I'd done previously.

It was about 4 months in when I realised the job wasn't right for me. I'd always been such a confident and decisive person when it came to work. I was hosting a successful careers podcast. I was the person who solved everyone else's weird work problems. And yet here I was completely lost, stuck and confused.

I had no idea what the heck I was doing with my career. But I knew I couldn't stay where I was. So I quit my job.

No job lined up. No plan of where-to next. No cards up my sleeve.

Well, except for one. I called my friend Glen James.

Shell: Hey, I quit my job.

Glen: Yeah right. What are you going to do now?

Shell: I'm winging it. I have no idea. I'll probably take a few months off to figure it out. Maybe do my own thing, freelance. Who knows?

Glen: *long pause* .. I've got an idea .. Let's write a book.

Shell: On what?

Glen: On careers. We'll call it Sort Your Career Out. The prequel to SYMO.

Shell: Hahaha. But, I'm unemployed and having a complete career meltdown right now.

Glen: Perfect time to write it.

Glen was right. It was the perfect time to write this book.

It was born out of a real-life career crisis. I was the first beneficiary of the book. Through the process, I sorted my own career out. I can't wait for you to do the same.

Maybe you've picked up this book because you've got a career problem you're trying to solve right now. You want to land a promotion, need to earn more money or you're looking for a totally new career. Wherever you're at, we'll help you sort it out.

Over the years working in HR, and through the my millennial career podcast, I've helped thousands of people win at work and build a career they love.

This book is your career guide. Each chapter is jam-packed with practical advice to help you clarify your strengths, brainstorm your goals and map out your next move. It isn't about finding a job that doesn't suck?-?we've got big goals?-?it's about building a career you love.

I'm excited to be a part of your journey as you Sort Your Career Out. Forget what everyone else is doing: this is about you, your life, your goals, your version of success.

The career car

Glen in the driver's seat

Many of us are visual learners and the educators out there understand this all too well. That is why I developed the 'sound financial house' to illustrate the importance of doing things in the right order. There is no point investing if you have not paid off your personal loan, nor if you have some goals in the short term that you need money for, as investments should be for the long term. Therefore, foundations are things like being consumer debt free.

Shell and I wanted to do a similar type of illustration for our careers and the best way to think about it is the concept of the 'career car'. You park your career car next to your sound financial house. And just like you journey your way through your career, you head out on a career road trip. Driving off into your career is also what provides you with the money to bring back home to your sound financial house.

The best road trips require some planning. There are foundational parts to your career road trip you need to prepare for before you hit the road. You need to pack your bags, find your route, service your car and make sure you've got fuel ready to go.

This is part I of our approach: the strategic decisions you need to work through. What do you value? What's your mindset? What are your strengths and skills? What risks are you prepared for?

Once this stage is complete, we hit the road. This is part II of our approach: the tactical aspects of building your careers. We can drive forward, left, right, around the roundabout, backtrack, re-route, u-turn?-?there are so many directions we can go. These practical things are centred around building career opportunities, goal setting, mastery in resumes, interviews and networking. And getting that pay rise! But we also talk about tackling the more difficult aspects of your career journey, like career changes, career crises, burnout and redundancy. Learning how to process what's happened, get the car towed to a mechanic for repairs and get back on the road.

Then, in part III, Shell will walk you through how to know if it's time to leave where you are, and do it well.

The book is sectioned into these three parts, and it's best to read them in that order.

The importance of the sound financial house and the career car is that the logic can work at any age or in any situation. This isn't just for Millennials: this is for everyone who wants a career they love.

Here's a run-down on the three parts.

Part I: Planning your career road trip

Preparing for your road trip is where any great journey begins?-?we have to start with your career strategy. By skipping this step we risk just changing the font on your resume and ending up in yet another job or career you hate. If your strategy isn't set to the right route, you'll end up in the middle of the desert. Again. These areas are the preparation you need to know yourself. Know what you're looking for in a career and have your career car refuelled and ready to go.

Values

Your values influence the way you like to work. They are a crucial aspect of building a career you love (and are hugely beneficial to understanding life outside of work too!). When we are not aligned with our values, our life and career can quickly get out of sync.

In chapter 1, you'll figure out your own values and reflect on your job, workplace and career to see how they align (and potentially change course, if needed). This may be the first time you have heard or considered values as part of your...