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From Job Hunting to Job-Fit Hunting
By Steve Bohler
5 steps to going 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% 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 what they need in their careers.
Finding meaningful and satisfying work is not
normal. There’s
nothing wrong with it, it’s just that it’s 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 doing "due diligence" research, 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 discomfort. 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 post questions like "What is my calling?" on expert-advice
sites, looking 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. Before switching jobs, the seniors
really do their homework. They know what they’ve liked
and disliked in other jobs. 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 best chance at leading 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.
2. Focus on JobFit!
The foundation of career satisfaction is built by matching your
innate talents and personality with the nature of the profession.
Ignore this truism and you’ll be wandering the desert for
a long time to come.
Use a systematic, holistic process to find out "who you are".
Analyze your past work experiences and find 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, understand what makes you tick.
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 risk we must if we are to find
our 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.
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