Some soul-searching can help job-seekers find what they really need.
By Wendy Cornett
You spent months combing the classifieds and surfing the Web for
that "perfect" job. You nailed the interview. The potential
earnings and advancement sealed the deal. You accepted the offer
with earnest enthusiasm.
That was six months ago. Now the pairing you thought was kismet
has turned out to be catastrophic. Meanwhile, a colleague in the
next cubicle thrives. What did you do differently? Chances are,
it's what you didn't do that cost you your job satisfaction.
Before opening the paper, logging on to the Internet or running
off 200 copies of a resume, job seekers should strike a lotus
position and do some serious soul-searching--literally.
"People spend too much time evaluating potential opportunities,
and not enough time evaluating themselves and what's important
to them," says Celia Crossley, career strategist and owner of
Celia D. Crossley & Associates in Columbus, Ohio. "A little
reflective time speeds up the job search because you know what's
important to you." Self-discovery not only saves time, it also
helps to reduce a job seeker's chances of making the wrong
decision.
To help clients determine what brings them professional
satisfaction, Crossley uses an exercise in values. Supplying
clients with a list of 15 common values, Crossley asks them to
pinpoint their top five. The list includes friendship, location,
enjoyment, loyalty, family, independence, leadership,
achievement, self-realization, wealth, expertness, service,
prestige, security and power. The client must determine which of
their top five, if any, are supported by or shared by the
employer. Where Crossley witnesses alignment, she sees a
potential for career satisfaction and success.
People dissatisfied with a recent job move or those adversely
affected by a merger or change in management can use this
exercise to help determine whether or not their situation is
salvageable.
Crossley recommends that, at the very least, an employee needs
to find an alignment among two of their top five values.
One recent values assessment that Crossley conducted with
executives from a small, growing Columbus company revealed that
each manager aligned five out of five values. The company,
Crossley says, is growing by 17 percent.
"I keep seeing this pattern," she says. "When you see four, or
five out of five values in alignment, you see successes."
Conversely, Crossley recently assisted someone whose values were
in alignment with those of the company, but who still considered
moving on because of a recent management change. A decision of
this kind, she noted, should not be taken lightly.
"If you're two or three years from being fully vested and
there's a management change, just recognizing and acknowledging
the facts can help you find ways to work it out," Crossley says.
Crossley refers to her process of values assessment and
self-discovery as "doing your due diligence."
"This means doing your own personal homework to make sure the
facts and figures align with what's important to you," she
explains.
As in personal relationships, occasional periods of discontent
do not constitute a mismatch. This is when it's time to refer to
the values assessment for reassurance.
"Never change jobs on emotion," Crossley adds. "Do your due
diligence before deciding upon any transition."
Consider time spent on introspection as a valuable investment
toward building a satisfying professional future.
"A job paying $50,000 annually turns into a $1 million
investment in 20 years," Crossley says. "No venture capitalist
would give you $1 million without a plan."
Once you've done your due diligence, it's time to make sure the
potential employer has done the same. Crossley recommends that
all candidates ask about expectations.
"Once the job has been offered," she says, "but prior to
accepting it, ask the hiring manager the following question:
'Let's say I've been on the job for six months. You're telling
me I'm doing a wonderful job. What would I have accomplished?'"
If the question isn't answered to your satisfaction, it might be
best to pass this one up. "You can't deliver unless someone has
well-defined expectations," she says. And likewise, "Unless you
have your own criteria, you're likely to make another mistake."
Whether you achieve self-discovery privately through meditation
or by seeking help from a professional career adviser, what's
important is that you define your values, refer to your list
from time to time and update it when circumstances change.
The secret to any successful relationship is determining exactly
what you want, and then finding it.
"We spend a lot of our week in that (work) relationship,"
Crossley says. "If it doesn't make us happy, we're not
productive."
Wendy Cornett is a freelance writer based in Columbus, OH. She
worked for the Columbus Dispatch for six years after a four-year
stint in corporate communications. She is a member of
YourWriters.com.
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