It occurred to me while reading the new bookI Will Teach You To Be Rich by blogger/author Ramit Sethi, that many of the reasons why people fall into personal financial trouble are very similar to why people end up 19 years into a bad job. They've been unhappy for so long, but the thought of all the perceived effort to look for a new job paralyzes them. When in actuality a strategic and properly planned job search is quite easy to execute.
I've talked to countless candidates who rate their current state of fulfillment in their job as anywhere between 0 and 7 out of a possible 10. But when they begin to think about looking at something else they get so overwhelmed that they are willing to accept being unhappy, unfulfilled, and content to suffer further. Why is that?
It's my hope that this simple list can help ease some of the stress on that process and motivate people in truly unhealthy (physically and professionally) jobs to start the process of making their life better. OK, let's head to the kitchen table with paper and a pen.
Step 1: Stop and think about your current situation. Rank your current situation on a scale of 1-10 based on how fulfilled you are in your job. If you rank yourself anything less than an 8, list out all the things you wish you could change if you had the power. How much of your life are you sacrificing currently and how much better would it be if you could alter that situation? Take the time to do this, the results might surprise you and make you a little mad at not doing anything sooner. That's ok, and that energy will help carry you to the next step.
Step 2: Explore where you want to go. First, take stock in where you are in your career and your life (talk to your spouse too) and figure out what you and your family is willing to give up to make a change for the better. Longer commute, less money, relocation, etc. This is the part where most people get overwhelmed, but push through it, and give yourself a realistic chance at happiness. Sometimes just a 15-20 minute longer commute can make a major difference. As well, the perfect job may be in another state. Be open to as much change that you and your family can accept. At the end of this step give yourself a pat on the back, one of the hardest parts is over.
Step 3: Talk to who you know that can help. Don't do this alone. Now that you know what you are looking for and where you are looking for it, go and talk first to your closest friends. These are the people that you trust to give you honest feedback about your goals, and also can help determine if they are realistic or not (if not, repeat Step 1 and Step 2 on areas where you can compromise some). They are also the people who can also connect you to where that opportunity may be. If not directly, then maybe connect you to someone else they know. This is just good old-fashioned networking. It's amazing but so many people have nearly forgotten how to do this successfully.
NOTE: At any point, if you start to lose the momentum, review your list from Step 1 and remember how much different your life will be once you find that next better position. Think about that feeling of when you have time back with your family, or the ability to leave at 5 o'clock and not need 2 hours at home to "destress". Keep your original list in your wallet or purse if you need to help you stay motivated.
Step 4: Research the area. Contact a recruiter. Good recruiters can sometime be a wealth of knowledge. They work with many situations each day and can help you determine what might be a next step. Research the places you might like to work. Use the web to search message boards, blogs, Twitter, or any other source that might provide the insight you need to seek out better opportunities. That's the nice thing about the web, most of the time someone else has already done the research for you. You just need to type it into Google.
Step 5: Contact the staff or manager directly. (This one might get me in trouble. As a Recruiter I know that I can help some people, but not everyone. After Step 4 that will have alrady been determined, so I say this with the caveat that you are going it without the aid of one.) Here is the easiest way to figure out if "the opening you saw on Careerbuilder" is worth your time and energy to fill out the application: pick up the phone and call into the facility first. I know crazy, right? Most pharmacies will pick up the phone and not go to voicemail - opposite of HR sometimes. Once that person answers the phone, simply explain who you are and why you are calling. Since pharmacy is a field with a huge shortage most will be happy to give you some insight into why they enjoy working there (and many times not - which is still helpful) and also give you the best chance to connect with the manager. Once you've connected with the manager that gives you the best chance to be on the top of the stack among all the people who applied on-line. Then simply, repeat this step until you have found what you are looking for. And in the process you are expanding your network at the same time.
NOTE AGAIN: There may come a time when you find the perfect place and the perfect job for you, but they don't have an opening right now. If you can wait it out, just regularly keep in touch with the manager there and when a spot comes open you'll be right there and ready. Patience will reward you in that situation. If you truly are not in a position where you can wait, then make the hard decision and move on but ask the manager where might a similar opportunity be like his or hers. That could steer you another direction to make a quicker change.
These are just 5 steps in a long post about making change happen. Oftentimes, the hardest part is just getting started. That's what I learned about personal finance. Take it one step at a time, realize it's ok to make mistakes, and commit to making a change for a better and happier outcome. You can, we all can - "just do it" as Nike would say.
Great advice. A nice reminder of just what recruiters can do for people. Thanks.
Posted by: Jeff Long | April 24, 2009 at 12:16 PM