Ask seasoned working people how they feel about their jobs and more than half will tell you how they hate their bosses, feel unappreciated, or are just plain bored to death or trapped in a dead end. Internet based companies and the New Economy was supposed to change all that until things fizzled earlier this decade. So now what? While you’re waiting for that dream job to come along, you need to make the most of the career you have.
Know the difference between jobs and career opportunities. What’s the difference? Probably very little when you’ve just left school and need to start paying off those student loans. A “job” keeps you alive; a “career” can make you feel alive. I’d be the first to admit that when you’re looking for your first job and have little or no experience, just about any job in your chosen field may seem like a career opportunity. When you’re starting out, it’s far more important to validate yourself in the workplace than it is to worry about whether you’re doing your best for mankind or pushing back intellectual frontiers. Besides, during the first several months of a new job, you’re usually busy learning the ropes of business etiquette, such as how to answer a telephone properly, or how to communicate with your superiors, colleagues and others in your office.
Consequently, time spent at virtually any job in your field is probably time well spent—for awhile. However, if you’re in the wrong position, it won’t take long for the “honeymoon” to end and for you to lose your infatuation with the idea of being gainfully employed. Suddenly, getting up in morning is a little more difficult, the workday drags, you’re bored, and you’re downright annoyed to be asked to work weekends.
So now what? The good news is that whether you’re working yet or not, you’re still holding all the cards: you’re young, educated, personable and eager to start working! Now, all you need is a strategy. Don’t believe that every move you’ve made since elementary school makes a profound or irreversible statement about who you are and what you’re all about. Careers are durable and flexible and don’t need to be precisely calculated every step of the way to be successful. The marketplace is somewhat forgiving of a background that meanders a bit at inception, and sometimes sees some diversity as beneficial to a well-rounded professional in these times of smaller, leaner organizations whose members must wear many hats.
However, careers need to be managed, and preferably with some strategic focus that guides you toward some long-term goal. Also, the meandering that may be favorably viewed when you’re 25 can be viewed as a lack of focus or commitment by the time you reach 35. By that time, a career floating with inertia can become much more difficult to navigate, and you’ll be spending a lot of time justifying your past and proving your commitment to your next job.
Suffice it to say that your careers are likely to be far more varied and volatile than ever before. Long gone are the days of feeling secure, confident and comfortable by honing a set of specific skills that you will use for your entire career. The career ride going forward is likely to be bumpy and risky. You’ll need to run faster just to avoid falling further behind on the job!
If you take the following steps to manage your career, you’ll be more satisfied and may actually end up doing something you enjoy.
Step 1. Know who you are. Carefully consider your personality, aptitudes, talents, skills, personal values, interests, and most importantly, your likes and dislikes. Few things in life will give you more pleasure than being paid for something you love to do, so it’s worth spending time to get it right.
Step 2. Strategize, don’t predict, your career. Set goals and objectives, identify the universe of possibilities, seriously consider your options, and go for it! Just remember to be flexible and open-minded; even allow yourself to dream. Few accurately predict where they’ll end up when they begin their careers, but those who act deliberately usually get ahead. Never rule out the possibilities that an uncertain future might bring, and be ready to capitalize on opportunities that might arise by chance or just plain dumb luck.
Step 3. Hunt eagerly (but efficiently) for opportunities. Take advantage of the full spectrum of publicly available sources at your disposal. Read, surf the net, network with contacts, and collect information and ideas. Temper your energy and enthusiasm with judgment and common sense and pursue only the most realistic and promising opportunities. There’s no shortcut for hard work and the inefficient process of trial and error that will be discouraging at times. Remember: nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Step 4. Sell yourself actively (if not aggressively) to employers. Begin with the paper chase of resumes, cover letters, and follow up letters; continue with telephone cold calls, making your sales pitches and attending networking meetings, and eventually you’ll get your share of interviews. Face the fact that your future employers won’t know why they need you until you tell them.
Step 5. Critically size up your opportunities. Consider all the basics: company growth, profitability, reputation, the job itself and how it relates to your goals and expectations, and your new boss and colleagues. Be diligent in your review. Ask hard questions and be satisfied with the answers. Take the time to determine if it’s opportunity or just temptation knocking. You’ll make well-informed decisions if you temper the facts with your gut instincts.
Step 6. Weigh all offers. Most people want employers to show them the money. Money is the easiest way to measure an opportunity’s attractiveness and it’s the most universally accepted method of keeping track of your career progress. You need money to survive, but money alone won’t keep you alive. Early in your career, you should select opportunities that build skills and experience, which will make you more valuable and marketable in the long run. Take a long-term perspective when making decisions.
Step 7. Frequently review your career options. Has your job measured up to your expectations? Is it the best use of your time at this point in your career? Is it time to move on? Is it difficult to admit you’ve either made a mistake or have outgrown your position? Sure, the truth sometimes hurts, but remember it’s the lies that leave the scars.
Like it or not, you’ll repeat this cycle many times during your 40 year career, but practice makes perfect. You’ll learn from your mistakes and remember the lessons you learn each time through the process. Eventually, managing your career will get easier.
Some things will never change. Industries, companies and technologies will come and go, but the nearly 7 billion people on the planet are still creatures of habit who won’t likely abandon their ways of relating to one another. The bad news is that the unpleasantness of working for a living will continue, probably forever. The good news is that employers will continue to seek out the traits and talents in each other that have served mankind well since the dawn of time: the ability to think, apply oneself to learning, a willingness to work hard, and a cooperative attitude. If you’re willing to adapt to and embrace change, the future will be a very exciting place to be, especially considering the alternative; if you’re not, my advice would be to marry well, enjoy early retirement, and let the rest of us get back to work.
There’s no job like the right job. Some say the hardest job you’ll ever have is looking for one, but eventually everyone who wants one finds one. Finding the right job may take a lifetime, but having the wrong job can feel like an eternity. For more on the topic, readers are referred to Training Wheels: A Candid Guide to a Career in Business, available through www.Xlibris.com.
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