How to keep focused on your career objective
Many of you, when you first come to us, think you know what you want to do. I have written about that before – how, in fact, often you don’t really know at all, but you have a set of received ideas that others have given you about what you “should” do… However, once you have done your thinking, your reflection, your tests, your brainstorming and more, you will get to the stage where you have a clear career objective. This may take many forms…
有很多学员第一次找到我们时都认为他们自己很清楚他们的职业目标，事实上，有时候你可能根本不知道你想做什么的，但是你会有一些关于你“应该”做什么的想法… 然而，只要你认真思考过并且尝试或者测评过，你便会有一个明确的职业目标，这可以有很多种形式来确立你的职业目标。
For some, it will be “seeking a role in investment banking, where I can use my analytical skills, especially with a focus on data and deals”. For some, it will be “seeking a general management graduate programme, in an international environment, where I will be culturally challenged daily”. And for yet others, it might be “wishing to join a longer management training programme, mainly about sales and marketing, where I can rotate through several different contexts before choosing the right one for me”. There is no “right” objective, apart from one that is right for you. And in some cases, that objective might be quite open: I can think of some of my clients who are looking at roles in Operations, in Marketing, in Sales, in General Management, and this is quite coherent. Every single different objective is right, when it feels right to you.
对于有些人来说，他们的职业目标是：“在投资银行领域寻求一个可以运用我的分析技能的职位，特别是数据和交易方面的分析技能”。对于另一些人来说，则是：“寻求一个国际化的管理的毕业生培训项目，使我可以每天寻求文化上的挑战”。而对于其他人来说，可能是“希望加入一个管理的培训计划，主要是关于销售和营销，我可以在不同岗位上轮岗，然后选择出最适合我的岗位”。没有“正确”的目标，只有最适合你的目标。在某些情况下，这个目标是比较开放的：我可以想到一些我的学员，他们在同时搜索运营、市场营销、销售以及综合管理等方面的职位，这些都是比较具有连贯性的职位。只要这个职业目标对你个人来说合适，那不管是哪个领域那个公司那个只能，它都可以是那个对的职业目标。
Sometimes, you may find it difficult to define the objective at the outset. And that is OK. You may have some vague feelings, but not be sure. You may not yet be comfortable with this idea that in the UK, you can choose to work in a field for which you have not specifically studied… that can feel uncomfortable, as it is not what you were raised to think, but if you look around you, you will certainly see history students applying to be M&A analysts in Investment Banking, and you will see physics students applying for Marketing programmes. We have this idea that study broadens your mind, teaches you to be analytical and critical in your thinking, and then the theory is that you can apply those things to a new career, by learning the context and the content quickly.
有时候，你可能会发现在一开始就确定目标是比较困难的，这很正常。也许你有一些模糊的概念，但不确定。比如，在英国，你可以选择在一个你没学过的领域工作，你可能对这样的想法不太确定，但是如果你看看你周围的人，你可能会发现学历史的学生申请了投资银行的并购分析师职位，或者学物理的学生申请了市场营销的项目。你的学习其实是帮助你拓宽了你的思想，教你如何去理性地以及批判性地分析和思考问题，那么你就可以应用这些技能到一个新的职业，并且快速学习到该学习的内容。
If you are not yet sure, you need not panic! Think of what you would do if you suddenly “needed” to find a boyfriend or girlfriend, having never yet had one! Would you know exactly what you were looking for? Probably not, right? So, what would you do? If you had some common sense, and a little bit of courage, you would start dating, wouldn’t you? You would have coffee with a few potential candidates for your heart, and you would see how you felt about each one. Having a coffee does not kill you, and nor does applying for a job or exploring a career area that you are not yet convinced about! Try a few different ideas, test them out, have fun with them, and do not be worried if they do not all feel right! They will not all be right, but you can learn as much about what you want if you can identify what you don’t want! In fact, many of us have managed our entire careers by eliminating the factors we don’t want, rather than actively knowing what we do want!
如果你还是不确定，不要慌张！这么想一想：如果你突然“需要”找一个男朋友或者女朋友，你会想要知道你要找一个确切什么样子的吗？不一定吧？那么，你会怎么做？如果你有常识，加一点点勇气，你会开始约会，不是吗？你会与几个潜在的对象分别喝咖啡，看看你对每个人的感觉。喝杯咖啡并不会要你的命，同样，申请或者探索一个你不确定的工作或者职业领域也不会要你的命！尝试几个不同的想法，测试一下，不要担心如果你觉得好像某些方面不是那么满意、没有那种“特别对就是这个”的感觉。你的所有想法不一定都是对的，但是你可以从中分辨出哪些是你想要的，哪些是你不想要的。实际上，我们大部分人都是通过排除法来排除我们不想要的，从而找到我们想要的职业目标的。
So, once you know, or you are approaching certainty about your objectives, then you have to figure out how to keep on course. First of all, you are obviously lucky if you have a coach who can help you do that! That is what we are here for, to make you accountable, both to us and more importantly to yourself! To keep you focused on what you are doing, making progress and becoming a better person.
所以，一旦你知道或者你正在接近你的职业目标时，你必须弄清楚如何保持并一直专注于你的目标。首先，如果有我们Mandarin Consulting的导师指导你怎么做，你显然是很幸运的！这就是我们在这里的原因，对我们负责，更重要的是对你们负责。帮助你专注于你在做的事情，取得进步，并且成为一个更好的人。
However, there are distractions, like academics, family, travel, activities and all the other things that you know you also need to be doing. How on earth can you fit it all in?
然而，会有其他的事情，比如学习、家庭、旅行、业余活动等等，会让你分心，这些当然也是你需要做的事情，那么到底该怎么把所有事情都安排好呢？
Well, firstly, make a plan! Planning is the key to so much of success, so I really recommend that you learn how to do it. If using an app makes you feel comfortable, then do that! If you like pencil and paper, that is fine too. The important thing is to be making the plan – with timelines and clear outcomes defined.
首先，你需要做一个计划！提前做计划是很多事情成功的关键，因此我强烈建议你学习如何提前做计划。如果你喜欢使用手机软件来做计划，那就这么做！如果你喜欢用笔和纸记录下来，当然也是可以的。重要的是制定计划——制定时间表和明确的目标。
Find a balance between your academic outcomes and your search. You may well think you want to get a top class grade in your studies, but if you can only achieve this by working 16 hours per day, then it might not be worth losing the opportunity to search and apply for jobs! A “Distinction” may well be of value in China, but in the UK, it is honestly not so important. A “1st Class” is not frequently much more valuable than a 2:1, so think carefully before dedicating yourself to so much study that you don’t have time for anything else! If you delay your job search, you multiply reduce your chances of success.
你需要做的是在你的学业和搜索工作之间找到一个平衡点。你可能想要在学习上获得一等的成绩，但是你如你需要每天学习16个小时来达到这个目标的话，那么在求职上花时间可能对于你来说就不值得。在中国，“一等”的成绩可能特别特别重要，但是在英国其实不是那么重要。“一等”成绩在大多数请跨国下不会比“2:1”的成绩好特别多，因此在你分配时间前仔细考虑清楚。如果你延迟了你的工作搜索，你成功的机会可能会加倍降低。
Do not be afraid to review and revise your objectives. Many start by wanting to work for a globally known brand, in the top 3, and then realise that might not be the most realistic way. Or your tastes might change, as you experience different possibilities. Feel courageous and make the switch if that is what is needed.
不要害怕修改你的职业目标。许多人一开始想为一个全球顶级知名品牌工作，之后意识到这可能不现实，或者因为你体验了不同的可能性，改变了你的喜好，这都是很正常的。因此，如果需要的话，做出一些改动当然是可以的。
Further, make sure you do a little bit each day towards your new career. It does not have to be a lot. When you have a chunk of time that you can choose to spend as you like, ask yourself the question: “will this be bringing me closer to my objectives?” If yes, then go ahead; and if not, then have a good think about your priorities, before you make your decision.
And finally, accept that there will be imperfection. You will make mistakes, and you will, for sure, be rejected. These are just life lessons, and should make you stronger, not sadder. This job search is an adventure, and will surely take you to places you did not even expect at the outset. Enjoy it!
此外，确保你每天都对你的职业目标做出一点点努力，不用很多。当你有很多时间可以拿来安排的时候，问问自己：“这个事情会让我离我的职业目标更接近一点吗？”如果答案是“会”，那么就去做这个事情；如果不是，那么你就需要在做出决定之前好好考虑一下了。
最后，记住，任何事情都会有不完美，你要接受这一点。你会犯错，你也肯定会被拒绝，这就是生活，你需要变得更强，而不是更难过。申请工作就像是探险，这一定会带你到一些你甚至没有想到的地方，好好享受吧！