After graduating from college and law school, Jim Shumacker became a Unitarian minister. It was during his ministry that he realized his calling was to be a career coach.

Shumacker now owns Careerperfection, a company that helps people figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Like Shumacker, many professionals decide to change careers or pursue lifelong dreams after spending several years in a job. This is especially true for baby boomers that are at the crossroads of deciding to retire or continue their professional lives.

Shumacker's role as a career coach is to make sure people have a clear picture of the direction to take their careers.

"I want people to have a good in-depth knowledge of what makes career happiness before searching for a new job," Shumacker said. He offers advice for those contemplating a career change:

PUT THE JOB SEARCH OUT OF YOUR MIND

The job search should be the culmination of a study of yourself. Few career advisers are qualified to do the in-depth analysis that is required, but if you do not go through this process, you will only scratch the surface. Think about it this way: Only you can make yourself happy. Why avoid exploring who you are?

Don't rely on the Internet for your job search. The Internet contains millions of job advertisements and tens of millions are looking at them. Why spend your efforts doing what everyone else does? Your chances of standing out are minimal at best.

REVIEW YOUR LIFE STORY

With the help of an astute career counselor, you can look back into childhood and search for clues about your influences, dreams and passions. A good career counselor should be in the role of an investigative reporter, asking you pointed questions and taking good notes. There is value in having an outside observer as you attempt to isolate these clues.

Don't try to reinvent yourself. The truth is, you can't. Do not do a job search based on the "new you." Not only will you likely get confused, but you will confuse hiring managers as well.

KNOW YOUR PERSONALITY TYPE

Your personality dictates how you relate to people, how you process information, how you make decisions and what organizational structure makes you perform at your best. With the help of a career adviser, you can become an expert on everything that affects your personality in the job environment. This knowledge not only will help you in making career change choices, but also in how to conduct your job search.

Don't rely on your interests. They may give you the motivation to change fields, but that doesn't mean you will be happy.

LEARN HOW YOUR VALUES IMPACT YOUR CAREER

Beyond personality, values play a surprisingly important role in career success. In fact, you may be motivated to change careers because of a disparity between your values and those of the organizations you work for. Just as every individual has unique values, so do corporations. Explore what you need in a corporate environment in order to be happy. Before accepting a position, make sure the company's values match yours.

"People are leaving large organizations for smaller ones to have a better stake in controlling their destinies," Shumacker said.

KNOW YOUR MISSION

It is not enough to understand your history, personality and values. Before changing careers, you need to be clear on what you are trying to accomplish. Success is not based on what you are paid, but rather on understanding how you want to be known and relied on by others. The perfect career demands that level of clarity, and it is fruitless to begin a search until you obtain it.

Not clearly knowing your mission may lead you to a position that doesn't fulfill you professionally and brings you back to square one in the process.

Join our discussion: http://forums.hawaiimoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=2544">Switching careers.