How technology can increase your chances of accelerating your career?

In a recent study done by the University of South Wales, 69% of 772 college and high school students indicated that chance events in their lives influenced their career path. Does this mean that being in the “right place at the right time” is why you do what you do today?
Most of us “fell” into our current careers by chance.

After years of recruiting and working with numerous professionals in Central Florida, I truly believe that “chance” does play a role on how many of you ended up in the career path you have selected. Sure, many people grow up wanting to be a doctor or fireman, but if you ask most people, they found their jobs by accident. Many people find industries and jobs that they had no idea existed just by meeting the right person at the right time.

So if chance is playing such a big role in getting you into a certain industry, what can you do today to increase your “chances” of accelerating or changing your career path? To have a “chance” to win the lotto, you must have a ticket. The same is true for your career. Here is a way to increase your chances by knowing what is going on in your career at all times:

LinkedIn Groups. Many of you are members of LinkedIn.com. By joining groups around your career you will see many discussions on what is going on in that industry. You may find a discussion that really can help your career that you didn’t even know existed. Search Groups Here

News Feeds. Set up Google alerts that can scan the internet and bring you back industry stories. Use key words that describe your industry. For example, if you are a Chef, set up a Google alert for “new restaurant designs”. Google will scan the world and bring you interesting stories about what others are doing in your industry. These are delivered directly to your email. Set up Google Alerts Here

Blogs. Just like talking to your neighbor about careers. Blogs yield tremendous information about your career and will present opportunity. Search Blogs Here
Technology has made the opportunity for “chance” to become more of a reality. The information you gather about your career will allow you to find out more about your career and make great decisions about your future.

I still remember the meeting I went to in 1995 in Atlanta. By chance, I met a great person named Jay Rollins. He was the person that told me about the next big thing before most people…the internet.