When it comes to our careers, 2021 has been a year like none other. The job market changed almost overnight as new jobs became rapidly available and employees fled to different companies. After throwing remote and hybrid work into the mix as well, even workplace culture has seen a drastic shift. With all this movement throughout the job market, many individuals have used this opportunity to truly dissect their career goals and decide if a particular industry, company, or position is the right fit for them. So whether you are in the job search process or weighing your options at your current company, here are some components to evaluate and determine if you are in the right career path.
Day-to-Day Activities
When reading a job overview for a position, many of us find that it sometimes differs from what the day-to-day tasks of the position may actually be. On a high level, you may be managing a team of individuals and their success within their positions. However, on a daily basis, this may include more in-depth team strategizing, or maybe several employee performance reviews and difficult conversations throughout each week. While you may have liked the general idea of this position or industry, you may be finding that the day-to-day work just doesn’t fit your interest.
To truly decide if the daily tasks meet your needs you should consider the focus, value, and pace of the tasks you are completing. Reflect on what aspect of your past positions you enjoyed, and look at your searches through that lens. That way, you won’t end up doing daily tasks you dislike doing.
Focus and Value
The focus and value of a job can be the same but they don’t necessarily have to be. The focus is referring to the reasoning for each task to be completed and the value is defining who the end result is for.
Some jobs have production-based focuses that aim to achieve as much output as possible in order to hit any set goals and their value may be in providing client success. For those of us that love a challenge and consistently hitting a goal, this may be perfect. Other positions have a qualitative focus and aim to provide value to employees through managerial support. For all the natural mentors and leaders out there, this type of focus and value may be more ideal for you. By aligning your own personality with the focus and value of your job, you can certainly find the right fit.
Pace
Determining the pace of a position is also important in understanding if a career path is for you. Some people enjoy the structure and expectation that comes with repetitive daily tasks whereas others may be looking for a rapidly changing work environment. To figure out which is a better fit for you, you can pull from other aspects of your life. Ask yourself, in your personal life, do you find enjoyment in the start of a new task or project? This may suggest that you prefer something new every day at work. If this is not the case, you may find enjoyment in the completion of a task regardless of its repetitive nature; allowing you to feel fulfilled in a structured position.
The best way to decipher your preferences in job focus, value, and pace is by understanding how you work. Even taking a quick personality test can give you some definitive results to confirm your assumptions.
Culture
The culture of a company or industry is becoming an increasingly popular point of consideration for employees as their needs have changed. With greater exposure to several different types of cultures and benefits within companies, employees can be more selective in what culture is most fitting to them.
During the pandemic specifically, many individuals have been on the search for companies that value their personal needs alongside any professional ones. Whether you are battling health issues, balancing your family while working, or simply in need of a mental health day, it’s important to align yourself with a company that is willing to work with your needs. A company like Hootsuite, for example, carried out a week-long, paid shut-down to give their employees time to decompress. By prioritizing their employees’ needs, they are not only improving company morale but they are also giving prospective employees a preview of how much they value each individual’s wellness. So during your job search, be sure to ask your recruiter about the company’s plans for effective work-life balance and employee wellness.
Similarly, employees are looking for increased transparency and communication throughout organizations. In prior decades we’ve seen many companies keep all decision-making and controversial information confidential within their leadership teams. However, as much of these decisions are affecting employees, there has been a greater push in recent years for company information to be relayed to all employees. If this is something you look for in a workplace culture, ask your interviewer about the company’s communication strategy and compare that with your impression of how things should be communicated internally and externally.
By observing and asking questions about a company’s culture, you can get a clear picture of their values and determine if they align closely with yours.
Leadership
The leadership and executive teams of an organization can be powerful tools for determining if a company is the right fit for you as well. It’s always helpful during your job search to evaluate the makeup of a leadership team as it often reflects the values of the organization.
Start by doing your research on each member of a company’s executive team. Truly dissect their professional achievements, personal backgrounds, and their rise to success within the organization. Each of these points of research can be tell-tale signs of whether or not the organization is the right fit for you.
For example, companies like Target that showcase clear diversity within their leadership team reflect that within their entire company’s values. Target is one of the few companies today still making consistent statements about their diversity efforts in their general employee base. This shows they are willing to hold themselves accountable for where they may have fallen short in the past. So if diversity is something you are looking for in a career, seeing it first-hand throughout an executive team is a good sign that a company values it throughout the organization as well.
Similarly, by researching founders, Rafael Ilishayev and Yakir Gola of Gopuff you can get a deeper understanding of how they turned a college idea into a multi-billion dollar company in less than 15 years. With humble beginnings as first-generation Americans, you can see the alignment between their go-getter attitudes and their company’s rapid growth and success. And as they say, with more growth comes more opportunity. By starting at the company’s leadership, you can truly see the root of the growth and decide for yourself if the team will be driven to sustain it in the future.
Passion
Lastly, without having a passion for a particular industry, company, or position it will be difficult to feel fulfilled over time. Passion goes beyond any day-to-day task, culture, or leadership and is truly the driving force that allows us to continue in our careers long-term.
The first signs that will show you that you are passionate about your career are joy and fulfillment. You may be excited to go to work every day or willing to go the extra mile when given a project to complete. You may be proud to discuss your accomplishments and share your knowledge with others. All of these are signs that you are truly passionate about what you do.
However, even if you aren’t feeling that joy just yet, that doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t passionate about a company or industry. Some individuals may be working in unfavorable or mundane positions that lead to where they want to go, but they aren’t quite there just yet. Even if you don’t feel the excitement to do your current job, ask yourself, are you disciplined to do it? In layman’s terms, discipline is the willingness to continue doing something you don’t necessarily enjoy in the exact same manner as you do for something you absolutely love. In regards to our careers, this is driven by passion. If for example, you aren’t in love with the idea of cleaning up after people but you have a passion for hospitality and helping people, that industry may still be a passion for you, it just takes a little more career growth for you to experience complete fulfillment.
Finding the right career, company, or job for yourself is no easy feat. For many, it can take years of the wrong job to help you understand what’s actually right for you. However, when you do find the right career path for yourself, you will certainly know. The day-to-day production, the culture, and leadership, as well as the general passion you have, will all just click into place and like a dream, you will be paid to do what you love. Take your time and remember it’s a journey. Before you know it, you’ll be in the perfect place for you and your career goals.
