Spring brings out the job seeker in people: the curious, the bored, the conflicted, the “anywhere but here” and the intentional.
The curious: “I’m not really interested in looking, but if I were to run into something that’s too good to be true, I’d have to consider it.”
The bored: “Since I don’t have anything to do and nobody’s watching, I’ll check job openings on-line. That should occupy me ‘til closing time.”
The conflicted: “The job with the XYZ Company looks good, but I’ve got it good where I am. Yet, no one appreciates me here. I’ll talk to the ABC Company. But we have better benefits than they have. Maybe I should talk to a recruiter. But what if my boss finds out?”
The anywhere but here: “I don’t care where I go and what I do as long as I’m not working here.”
The intentional: “I’m committed to finding a better match than the job I’m in now. I’ve considered the options and consequences, done my homework, updated my resume, cleaned my suit, polished my shoes, gotten a haircut, I know what I want and where I want to go.”
I guess you’re not surprised that the “intentionals” are the most successful of the five job seeking types. Yet, why are the majority of job seekers congregating in the other four categories? Beats me. And rather than have a job search beat you, let’s get it straight and do it right.
Be intentional. You’re ready to conduct a job search when you’ve done your homework. That means completing an assessment of what you do best, what you enjoy most, what others have rewarded or acknowledged you for having achieved, and what you see as having potential for professional growth and development.
An honest, objective self- assessment requires that you examine your curious, bored, conflicted, or “anywhere but here” modality. To do that, ask and answer these questions:
Why do you want to change jobs? What are the barriers that keep you from making a contribution? Being fairly compensated? Promoted? Matched to your strengths? What’s getting in the way of your success? Who’s responsible for moving the obstacles?
I don’t ask these questions to discourage you from leaving if that’s the right thing to do. I do ask that you take the time to answer them honestly, so that you know the right place to go.
Nadia (not her name) was a competent sales professional, doing a competent job, earning a reasonable salary. She was bored stiff and had been for at least a year. She wanted out but she didn’t know what she wanted to do next. “Anything”, she said, “as long as it’s not here.”
With that mentality she’d get another job, in another place, and odds are, she’d have the same problems. She knew the symptoms (“I’m bored stiff”) but she didn’t know the cause.
Once Nadia answered the questions I’m asking you to consider, she realized that she didn’t believe in the product she sold (“you can do better across the street”), her boss was impossible to read (“ I never know what he’s thinking”) , she had no future (“I don’t care enough to try”) and she didn’t enjoy the camaraderie of a team (“I spend my days in my car, alone”).
Nadia came to grips with the problem by identifying what she needed that her current employer couldn’t provide: a product she believed in and wanted to sell, a boss who clarified expectations and acknowledged success, a team that shared common values and goals, and an opportunity to use her creativity, leadership and drive to advance in her career.
Why are you looking? How will you know that what you find is the right job for you?
