I’m one of those lucky few people who can proudly say “I LOVE MY JOB”. I’m serious about this. Let me tell you how it happened. After too many years working at jobs that I didn’t love, I finally discovered my passion was marketing. It felt like such a revelation when I realized this that I wanted to shout it from the rooftops “Hey, people, I LOVE marketing and it’s what I want to do for the rest of my professional life!”
Unfortunately, my transition into a marketing role wasn’t as easy as proclaiming my desire to work in that field. After much hard work, which included earning an additional degree while working full time, I was finally able to find the perfect job. What made this job perfect for me was more than just the description of my daily duties. 
The culture at my new employer inspires me. I feel valued for the contributions that I make to the organization. People ask for and respect my opinions. When I ask for help, coworkers are quick to lend a hand without mumbling about it. My boss challenges me to come up with new, creative ideas to address issues. People genuinely care about each other and the work that we do. It’s hard to walk into the office and not smile.
This may sound impossible to you, but I promise, it’s not. I finally got it right—and this is how. Finding the perfect job is about more than perfecting your resume and practicing answers to common interview questions. It’s about knowing yourself and what motivates you. Finding an employer who values the same things that you do and demonstrates this through its actions such as staff development and community involvement is priceless.
Culture is HUGE! I think too many people lose sight of “fit” when interviewing for job opportunities because they are too focused on getting the job offer. This can be a very dangerous thing. The culture of an organization has such an impact on your job satisfaction. Culture drives how decisions are made and how business is conducted. If you have a bad fit with the company culture, you will often find it difficult to understand or agree with management decisions. This can create a lot of stress for you and affect you both professionally and personally.
It’s important to note that just like in fashion, you can’t force “fit” in your career either. If your clothes are too tight, you will look uncomfortable (and probably be uncomfortable too). You will either try to adapt to fit your clothes, or more likely, buy a better fitting outfit. It works the same way with your career. If the employer is not a good fit, you will be uncomfortable. You may try to change yourself to fit. But this is very difficult to do– and you may find yourself looking for a new place to work.
Think about this when you interview for a new opportunity. The hiring manager’s sole purpose is to look for someone who will not only “fit” the job description but will also “fit” the company. If you want to be able to proudly say “I LOVE MY JOB”, you should take a cue from that hiring manager and ask questions about the company culture and management styles. Then, determine if those qualities mirror your personal values and find a way to convey that to the hiring manager. Good luck!
Steve Borek
June 2, 2012 at 1:25 pm
While reading your post this morning, a big smile came over my face.
Companies need to hire for attitude, behaviors, motivators, culture, in addition to personal talents and skills.
We typically hire for experience and fire for attitude. I say flip this statement.
The solution to hiring better candidates is do a Job Benchmark. We ask, “What does the job want?”
This is not a job description. We describe the key accountabilities for the job. Then we assess candidates vs. the benchmark.
More on the benchmark process at my site http://ow.ly/bjGZT
Last, it took courage and sweat equity to go in the direction of your passion. You’re the minority. Congrats to you Jaime.
Jaime
June 2, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Steve,
Glad my post made an impact. I agree with you and think that companies would experience less turnover if they focused on hiring for the soft skills that are harder to teach such as attitude and communications skills rather than the technical skills– which could be taught to someone with the right aptitude and attitude.
Your benchmark process sounds like a great tool for employers to use to find better candidates! Thanks for sharing that. I hope other people who may read this post also checkout your website.
Change isn’t easy for a lot of us, but when you finally have that epiphany and know what it is that you want to do, I think you owe it to yourself to work as hard as possible to turn your goal into a reality. The payback is amazing! Thanks Steve.
Steve Borek
June 2, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Management doesn’t like to focus on soft skills. They’re afraid of the subject matter only because they don’t understand it. If only they knew what would happen if they stepped deeper into soft skills for themselves and their team. Everything would change. Quickly.
My next post will outline the benchmark process. I was wondering what I’d post this week? Thank you J.