However, most people rush into accepting a job, only to find that it isn’t quite what they were looking for. How else then should you be going about finding what you are looking for? The answer is finding the perfect fit for you as an individual.
Marno Boshoff, Executive Coach and Culture Evangelist at King Price Insurance shares some questions and answers that area aimed at helping you become a better career seekers. He calls them the ‘21st-century career hunters’, they don’t look for any job, they look for fulfilling careers, which help them build skills to move into higher employment opportunities later.
Here are a few questions to consider before making that career change:
What are the most important question you should ask yourself when career hunting?
Firstly, you shouldn’t be hunting for a ‘job’. You should be looking for a career; a position that’ll support your financial commitments, nurture your long-term potential and enable you to do what you’re good at, always with a smile and fulfilment. You need to ask yourself 3 things: What are you able to do better than the rest? What do you want to be doing 5 to 10 years from now? In addition, what working environment, or culture, best suits you?
Should culture be a prerequisite when searching?
Every company has a culture, whether it’s consciously created or not. Some cultures are what we call ‘enabling’, while others are ‘limiting’. Some cultures will make you more effective, more engaged and a better person or employee, and some will suffocate you, strangle your creativity and not support your drive of being ‘the best version of yourself’. However, not everyone is the same and some people might thrive in a culture that others would find limiting. When you go for an interview for a position, get a ‘feel’ for the prevailing culture and be objective about whether that company is somewhere you feel you could be happy. Inevitably, the way you fit in, or not, will have a big influence on your engagement and longevity in that position.
How big a role does my personality play in being hired?
Your personality plays a big role in the environment you live and work in. However, don’t use your personality as an excuse for not being able to do something. Resilience is a learnt skill, a habit even, and being resilient can enable you to make a success of many trying circumstances.
How would you know when you’ve found the ‘perfect fit’?
If you find a position and a culture in which you can use and enhance your skills, where you’re passionate about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, where you feel purposeful and fulfilled, and where you’re satisfied and still smile when you pack your bag at the end of a long day, then you’re in a good place. Studies show that people feel most engaged when they feel they are adding value to their team, company, and community. So, figure out how you can move the needle, wherever you are, once you have figured that out, everything else seems to fall in place.
Now that you have all these tools and a better perspective, pause for a minute, figure out what you want and need, then go for it! Remember to keep your goals in mind, this will steer your career to progress.
