Passion and talent are equally important
Speaking to CNBC Make It, entrepreneur and Shark Tank judge Kevin O’Leary shares three steps to finding your passion and building your career. “That’s the magic when you find what’s right for you”. The hours worked would then no longer feel like work. But not everyone immediately finds their passion, in which they can achieve professional success at the same time. O’Leary shares some tips along the way.
First of all, one should be aware that a strong interest or passion in something does not immediately promise success. You also have to be good at what you do. His stepfather gave him this advice when O’Leary was still dreaming of becoming a musician. Although he had developed a great passion for it, according to his stepfather, he was simply not good enough at it to make a career out of it. So you have to find something that you are very interested in on the one hand and that you are good at on the other.
According to O’Leary, to find out what that is, you should look at it broadly. This could be done at university, for example, by initially setting a broad focus until you find what you are interested in. Courses in various fields or online programs can help. Meanwhile, one should observe for oneself what one performs well in. “To be successful, your passion should also match your skills and talents. Evaluate and say, okay, where am I putting my time? Where you put your effort is usually the things you’re good at And if you give yourself enough time, you tend to get really good at it,” says O’Leary.
These skills are currently in demand
According to O’Leary, if you don’t yet have an idea of what your passion might be, you can start by acquiring new skills that are currently in demand in the market. Even in the corona pandemic, the demand for certain professions continued to rise. “What’s remarkable about the pandemic is that the arts are back: writing skills, editing skills, everything social media-related has become really, really important now,” O’Leary told CNBC’s Make It. Social Media As a result, management, communication and digital image and video processing are becoming increasingly important.
Self-marketing on social media can open doors
Once the passion has been found, you should draw attention to yourself and your skills via social media. If O’Leary has his way, preferably via all available social media channels. It’s about networking with experts, finding attractive job offers and presenting your added value. Part of that is a “strong” resume on LinkedIn. According to O’Leary, the ideal LinkedIn resume has a profile summary of no more than three paragraphs.
Also, marketing yourself on social media can open doors: “Get out on social media and showcase yourself. Talk about what you are good at and how you can help people run their businesses better and more efficiently. That’s how you get in the door,” advises O’Leary on CNBC Make It.