Have you ever heard people say things like, “I am busy looking for a job”? I have. Many times people have decided that they can do just anything to get by in life. They can work in the areas they would, in their sane minds not to. The next thing you know, in two minutes after getting that job, they hate everything about it.
Self-assessment and job market research are foreign to large masses of job-seekers. It seems the two concepts are preserved for the “too uptight” amongst us. Who, we suppose, don’t have a lot on their plates.
Then, it is as Charles Dickeson said, “There is a wisdom of the head, and…a wisdom of the heart”.
What does it take to get a satisfying career? How come, only a few individuals seem to be enjoying their lives? Is it good fortune? Is it luck?
Well, Arlene S. Hirsch in Job search and career checklists suggested what are called, ‘The ten commandments of career satisfaction and success’, namely:
- Honor your talents, interests and values.
- Choose a career that matters to you.
- Build more competence every day.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Seek out mentors whom you admire and respect.
- Be an individual performance and a team player.
- Strive for visibility.
- Accept responsibility for your successes and your failures.
- Keep things in balance and perspective.
- Cultivate a supportive network of people for the good times and the bad.
The truth is, for a great majority, these are foreign. Very foreign. But, the good news is that all can be changed. All it requires is unlearning some things. It also means we have to show a little more dedication in life. You know, give due respect to both ourselves and our careers.
For some, this may mean reducing time we spend with friends. For some it may mean being more careful on our social media. For some it may mean even reducing the amount of time we spend watching TV. This will mean business. It will cost us much. Like all valuable things in life, your career success won’t come through on a one night of intensive effort.
Think of it as a hidden treasure. How much effort, do you suppose it’ll take to find it? Think of all the toil that miners have to go through in order to bring minerals to light. Now your career is worth far more than rocks such as diamonds. This means a successful career will require nothing less than what miners give. That determination, backed up by the actual work of preparing and digging.
Take time to figure out, just where you belong out here in the job market. Pursue that, and everyone will be glad you did.