Ask, Seek Knock

Ever went to Sunday school or spent some pew warming hours at Church? If you did, most likely you know the famous quote on ask, seek knock. For those of you scratching their heads wondering what I am talking about, here is the quote I will elaborate on, only not in spiritual sense – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

I got reminded of this recently when on a call with a customer care associate for my banking needs. Using any and all in between wait time during my form filling, this associate started asking me what I did for a living, how I got there, and so on. I had the attitude of getting my hurting tooth out and getting this over with quickly. Long story short, I ended up giving him lengthy counseling on how he could look at his career map and work to achieve his goals. His persistence gave him what he was looking for from me.

Thinking about this, it made me realize how it should not have surprised me. I myself have followed Ask, Seek Knock strategy to further my career. Since my request goes to mortal humans, it does not always get answered, I don’t always find what I am looking for, and doors don’t always open for me. Does it mean I stop asking, seeking and knocking? Ha! Obviously not.

Ask, Seek Knock Tips

Don’t be afraid to be persistent in pursuing your career goals.

• Think through your goal for next step in career, and write it down.
• Make the best use of opportunities (formal or informal meetings) for such discussions by asking right questions.
• Seek what you are looking for within or outside your department, within or outside your company.
• Understand your areas (skill, knowledge, experience) you need to build on to achieve your goal.
• When you have sought and asked, feel ready to get where you want to be, knock the doors you would like to be opened.
• Be patient. Keep a good healthy attitude while you knock and knock. You don’t want the door slammed on your face because you ran out of patience and took to grumbling and pouting.

I encourage you to give this some thought, and take charge of your career reins. Talk yourself to ask, seek knock and move forward in your career path.

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