Great Career Expectations

#12 - Bonsai Beginnings, a photo by JohnONolan on Flickr.

I’ve noticed lately that something dark happens when mid-career people bring up their job dissatisfaction within their circle of family or friends. Five or ten years ago, the conversation would have led to comments like “What do you really want to do?” or “Here’s what I think you need to do to get there”, with the added bonus of support and a few possible networking leads.

Those conversations still occur, but more frequently they are peppered with comments like “I know a woman whose husband was a CEO but now he works at Lowes”, or  “Be glad you’ve got one breadwinner in the family; I know a couple that…”

You fill in the horror story. Apparently i is not cool to bitch about your job when you're lucky enough to have one.

Are mid career job seekers being guilted out of an open job search? Even if you keep your job search to yourself, I hope the the dismal unemployment numbers don’t compel you to level-set your career expectations.  Instead of feeling guilty about wanting more, move forward by focusing on these points.

Hone in on your career needs versus your wants.  Have you really thought about what’s missing from your current job? Don’t get distracted by fancy job titles you see in an online job posting, or the premise of a management role with a juicier salary. Switching jobs for those reasons will leave you feeling empty four months after  the honeymoon of the new role is over. You’ll probably end up feeling worse than you did before.

Instead, identify five authentic career needs that you absolutely can’t do without.

Do you thrive in a collaborative environment? 

Do you prefer autonomy? 

Do you work best creating processes from scratch, or completing existing ones to perfection? 

Is a matrixed environment your comfort zone, or is a small company your best fit? 

Yes—we all believe we want more money or autonomy. Figure out what’s lacking in your current situation and separate your needs from your wants.

Decide what it takes for you to feel engaged in your career. This is harder to identify, but necessary in order to sustain a new job in the long haul. While employees are driven by a variety of things, research tells us that working for a strong, supportive manager, feeling that you're supported by a strong team and doing meaningful work are most responsible for feelings of engagement.

Once you’ve figured out what specifically drives you to feel engaged, make sure you are honest with yourself about the new roles you are exploring.

Is the Hiring Manager painting a pretty picture during the interview, describing only the most attractive parts of the job? Don’t be afraid to ask about what a bad day might look like in the new role.

After you’ve done a great job of selling yourself to the Hiring Manager, do an interview post mortem and consider everything you’ve been told about the job. Be honest with yourself--were you blindsided by a sexy title? Were you flattered that the competition wanted to talk to you? Be honest about how the role would or would not be an improvement to your career path.

Meaningful job searches start with an honest conversation with yourself about what’s really important. Everything else is a distraction to your ego, disguised as a job opportunity.