Later in this chapter we will go over the three key portfolio habits
that will enable you to develop a Master Portfolio that becomes a very
rich and well-diversified employability fund. Job security may be a
thing of the past, but the confidence that comes from knowing you are
very employable can definitely be part of your future.MASTER PORTFOLIOS CAN ALSO HELP IF YOU HAVE A CAREER DREAM
So far we’ve talked about developing your Master Portfolio as protec-
tion against worst-case scenarios. A Master Portfolio is also an excel-
lent vehicle for realizing career dreams. We will talk about the specifics
of how this is done in a moment. But there’s an important first step,
and that is to have a career dream.
We are not talking here about your hoped-for next job, unless, of
course, the next job you have in mind is theideal job you were always
hoping to someday have. We are talking about your dreams for the fu-
ture, the career or job that you think would be ideal to have someday,
but you are not so sure is very likely to happen. Your Master Portfolio
can help you make it happen. But, again, a dream can only come true
if you have one.
If you haven’t done this already, you need to get some ideas as to
what you might want to do in your future work life. The process of as-
sembling your Master Portfolio is likely to have helped you identify the
things you like to do and the situations that bring out the best in you.
And this information in turn can suggest future jobs and careers that
might appeal to you.
If you are still having trouble deciding what your ideal job or ca-
reer might be in the future, we would recommend that you try some of
the self-assessments provided in the best popular career development
books, which include Richard Bolles’ What Color Is Your Parachute?
(Ten Speed Press, 2002), Mary Burton and Richard Wedemeyer’s In
Transition(HarperBusiness, 1992), and Edgar Schein’s Career Anchors:
Discovering Your Real Values(Pfeiffer, 1990).
Once you know what your career dream is, developing the three
key career portfolio habitscan make it become a reality.THE THREE KEY CAREER PORTFOLIO HABITS
Once you have assembled your initial Master Portfolio, you can easily
continue to develop it in ways that will prove extremely useful to you
throughout your entire career. If you can make it a point to follow three
simple portfolio rules for a while, the results will be so rewarding these
portfolio “rules”are likely to become your “portfolio habits.”The three
key portfolio habits are:- Keep learning about the P.E.A.K.S. you need.
- Always get documents for the P.E.A.K.S. you have developed.
- Pursue activities that will develop your missing P.E.A.K.S.
Chapter 8: Developing Your Portfolio to Protect and Advance Your Career 117