Surveys indicate that three out of four of you dont like your job. If you think the answer is simply switching jobs, think again.
Todays 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.
Whats going on?
The fact is that people basically dont know their natural talents and where they fit in the working world.
Finding meaningful and satisfying work is not normal. Theres nothing wrong with it, its just that its 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 its 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 theyre in the wrong career. They want to make a change, but dont know to what or how. So they surf the web for cute personality and career quizzes and look for quick, free answers to lifes 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 dont like; what they want and what they dont want; what they do well and what they dont 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 ones right livelihood, there is no room for couch potatoes. Dont be slow. You have just one life to live and then youre 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 youll be wandering the desert for a long time to come.
Finding ideal work isnt 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 its like. Websites, such as WetFeet.com and YourVocation.com offer you the chance to get the inside scoop.
4. Take the Risk
Im 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 its 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. |
