Using Analytical Thinking To Advance Your Career
It is said that law school teaches you how to think. Before I went to law school I didn’t quite understand that saying. But several years out of law school, this saying makes sense to me.
Cultivate analytical practices to increase comprehension
As a law student, every week I faced reading assignments that amounted to hundreds of pages — or at least it seemed like it. I learned the importance of actively engaging with the material to help increase my comprehension and retention. I used a variety of methods to soak up the information — highlighting, making notes in the margin, creating succinct summaries on notecards, typing summaries with visual cues, and more.
My professors and advisors helped me learn some analytical practices that enhanced my effectiveness as a law student. And beyond law school, these practices help me in my work as a career coach.
Understand what’s important to employers
As a law student, the following system helped me absorb, understand, and apply large amounts of content. You can replicate it to understand what your target employers are seeking.
Skim the overall content/document (e.g. job posting) so you have a sense of the full picture
Do a “brain dump” of keywords (.e.g. words that were used multiples times, such as problem-solving, analytical, strategy development, cross-functional teams, etc.)
Zoom out and write down emerging themes (e.g. client-orientation, collaboration, mission-driven, etc.)
Group like items into lists by theme (it can help to imagine that the themes are buckets into which you’re placing the items)
Make observations about your lists — do any of the themes seem to be especially important? Do you notice any overlap?
By identifying themes, you can better understand the message, more effectively communicate with your audience, and focus on what’s most important. Applied to a career pivot, what this looks like is understanding what your target employer is seeking and tailoring your message to resonate with them.
This approach has supported improved flow and ease for my clients, helping them save hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. By understanding what the employer is seeking, they can identify their relevant strengths. This self-knowledge sets the stage for building a bridge from their experiences to their target employer. This practice speeds up career advancement because when employers understand how someone creates value, they are more likely to want them to join the team.
Receive support to attract your target employers
Are you ready to learn how to deconstruct and analyze job postings so you can understand your target employers? Are you ready to learn to communicate how you can help them advance their goals?
