Stop the Insanity! 5 steps to go from job hunting to job-FIT
hunting
Surveys indicate that three out of four of you don't like your
job. If you think the answer is simply switching jobs, think
again.
Today's job market is like a revolving door. Let me explain...
* The average person has 3 careers and 10 different jobs in his
or her lifetime. (source: Department of Labor) * Employee
turnover shot to its highest levels in nearly two decades last
year. (source: BNA) * 60% of the workforce plans to change jobs
in the next 12 months. (source: Workforce.com) * 75% of workers
surveyed say they are dissatisfied with their work-lives.
What does all this mean? It means that turnover is high and
satisfaction continues to be low. It means that people are
hopping into jobs that they dislike as much as the one they
left. It means that something needs to change.
What's going on?
The fact is that people basically don't know their natural
talents and where they fit in the working world.
Finding meaningful and satisfying work is not normal. There's
nothing wrong with it, it's just that it's tragically rare. The
fact is that you simply are not likely to blindly walk into a
career that excites and satisfies you. Finding the right career
for YOU takes a lot of analysis, introspection and research.
Amazingly, however, the average person spends more time
researching a home computer purchase than a lifetime career!
Instead of understanding their natural, trademark talents and
their full "vocational identity", they play the odds and job-hop
with the increasingly unlikely expectation that the next one
will bring happiness - only to become disenchanted, again, and
start planning the next hop.
What are you doing to help your odds?
Start by focusing on the cornerstone of job satisfaction - "job
fit".
Because you are a living creature like any plant or animal, you
have specific environments that you thrive in. The key to
breaking the vicious "job-hop" cycle is to identify the type of
environment you fit into.
I have pigeonholed job hunters into 4 general categories based
on how enlightened they are to the importance of job fit.
Knowing what group you are in can help you understand what you
can do to improve your chances of finding a profession that you
will thrive in.
The Freshmen
The freshmen are clueless. To them, people are supposed to
dislike their work and "grin and bear" the misery. You probably
know a few freshmen.
The Sophomores
They feel the pain but have no idea where it's coming from. They
either change jobs to make more money, or they make a lateral
change in responsibilities, hoping the new position will cure
their ailments -- it rarely does.
The Juniors
This group is enlightened enough to know they're in the wrong
career. They want to make a change, but don't know to what or
how. So they surf the web for cute personality and career
quizzes and look for quick, free answers to life's greatest
inquiry. They usually end up stuck in their career or simply
resort to the tactics of the Sophomores.
The Seniors
Plain and simple, this is the group you want to be in.
They understand the importance of job fit. They have their
natural talents tested and know what they like and what they
don't like; what they want and what they don't want; what they
do well and what they don't do well; and what will give them a
sense of "meaning." Before switching jobs, the seniors really do
their homework. They know what comes naturally to them, what
work environment they need, what fascinates them, what motivates
them and how it all fits with their longer-term goals. These
folks have the greatest chance at finding an extraordinary
work-life.
5 steps to becoming a 'Senior Job Hunter
1. Get Committed
In finding one's "right livelihood", there is no room for couch
potatoes. Don't be slow. You have just one life to live and then
you're worm food. You had better live your one life doing work
that completes you because you are meant to do it.
2. Focus on JobFit!
The foundation of career joy and real success is built by
matching your innate talents and the other 6 factors of your
vocational identity with the nature of the profession. Ignore
this truism and you'll be wandering the desert for a long time
to come.
Finding ideal work isn't really as complicated as people think.
Just use a systematic, holistic process to find out (a) who you
are and (b) what your best possible options are.
Analyze your past work experiences and find the common elements
that you loved and elements that you detested. Choose a
reputable aptitude and personality assessment that comes with
individualized, career-related interpretation and/or guidance.
In other words, avoid any incomplete approach, such as career
books, or tests, or counselors alone.
3. Research
The day-to-day work of a given career is rarely like what the
public perceives it to be. Before choosing a career, find out
what it's like. Websites, such as WetFeet.com and
YourVocation.com offer you the chance to get the inside scoop.
4. Take the Risk
I'm often amazed at the number of my clients who, through our
work, have found a profession that suits them perfectly but are
unable to take the leap to the new career. Human instincts and
the nay-saying voices in our heads try to keep us in a "safe",
risk-free state of inertia. But you must get on the playing
field if you are to find your beautiful place in the working
world.
5. Get a Coach/Counselor
Maybe it's not as dangerous as performing brain surgery on
yourself, but orchestrating and then navigating through the
complex process of career choice without a qualified and
passionate external party is tricky at best. They can help
ensure the success of each of the above four steps.
Summary
The demise of company and employee loyalty has encouraged
workers to begin searching for their next job the moment work
dissatisfaction rears its ugly head. If you desire fulfillment
in your worklife, make an effort to find a job that not only
pays you, but, more importantly, fits you.