Career fulfillment should be the dream of a career person. The utmost happiness and satisfaction you derive from your career should be the motivation you need to give your best in your career or professional space. Indeed, our career is an auspicious channel through which we can derive happiness and fulfillment in life. On the other hand, a person can experience a career crisis when such an individual can no longer find happiness and satisfaction doing the job or profession he or she has been trained for and intend to do for several years.
The Three Big Questions
In this post, we shall explore three pertinent questions you must answer if must have the happiness and satisfaction that comes with career fulfillment. In dissecting the topical issue of career fulfillment, I will model my approach after Warren Buffet’s three big questions on investment. Before investing in any organization Mr. Buffet usually carries out a careful analysis of the such organization. He will try to know the people in charge of the business, the philosophy behind the business, how it is run, how they handle the welfare of their staff, and how they treat their customers and suppliers.
After the intense analysis Mr. Buffet will ask himself these three questions; “Do I like them? Do I trust them? Do I respect them?” And if he gets ‘Yes’ in all the questions he will invest in the organization, but if he gets a ‘No’ answer even in any one of the questions he will not invest. This is one of the investment secrets of one of the richest men in the world today.
Similarly, you must do a careful analysis of your job or the organization you intend to work in. You must do a background check on how the organization operates. Ask insiders; sample their opinions and the feedback you get will give you insight as to whether you will have a fulfilling and rewarding career working there. By asking yourself these important questions you are taking the bold step to mitigate the challenge of a career crisis. In fact, any question that is negative is a red flag to your career fulfillment and must be eliminated.
Do I Really Like This Job?
Do you really like what you do? Are you happy with it? You cannot be happy when you don’t like your job. There is no career fulfillment in doing what you don’t like or in not doing what you like. This is a pure clash of values and a career crisis at its extreme. And to derive a sense of happiness and satisfaction from your job or profession you must have passion for it. What do you have a passion for? You will find happiness and satisfaction in carrying out a job description that revolves around your passion in life.
Doing what you are told and not what you want to do may result in a conflict of roles. This arises when someone does a role that is in conflict with his or her training. It may result in redundancy a situation where one falls below expectations and is unable to meet targets or achieve set goals. Another reason why people may not like their jobs is a lack of interest. It is one of the manifestations of a career crisis. You cannot derive happiness or satisfaction from a job when you don’t have an interest in such a job. There are so many reasons that can make people lose interest in a job. One of them may be the monotony of duty. This is a situation where one has to do a particular role for a long period of time to the extent that it becomes so boring.
Underemployment Negates Career Fulfillment
Career crises may also emanate from underemployment. Underemployment is a situation where someone is overqualified for a particular job position. There is no job satisfaction in doing such a job. However, many people will still go ahead to do such jobs just to keep body and soul together. They are not doing it because they love it but because they did not find the best job befitting their qualification. Under this kind of circumstance, the employee cannot be truly dedicated nor can such a person give in his or her best.
The truth is that there is no career fulfillment in underemployment. Many people are neck-deep in career crises because of underemployment. In this era with an alarming surge in the unemployment rate, many will easily settle for even the meanest job just to bear the ‘employment’ tag. And the craze for the highly elusive ‘white collar’ jobs is not helping matters. Many are busy pursuing the few or no existing jobs out there. I have seen a case where more than a hundred thousand applicants applied for only twenty job openings. The only remedy to this kind of career crisis comes the moment people begin to look inward to tap into the creative content and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit. You will become a job creator only by doing what you like.
Are you in Agreement with the Business Philosophy?
Another important question you must ask yourself is whether you fit into the business philosophy of the organization. What are the values and beliefs of this organization? Are you in sync with the core values, vision, and mission statement of the organization? You cannot find career fulfillment if there is a conflict or friction between your values and that of the organization you work for.
The business philosophy of the organization does it promote a win-win situation where everybody both the management and the staff is happy and satisfied; or does it encourage a win-loss situation where the winner takes it all? Does the management have a genuine concern for the staff that they win as well as they do? Does the management have a good welfare plan for the staff? Do they owe their staff or pay as at when due? All these things form part of the organizational philosophy. And there is career fulfillment and job satisfaction when a good welfare plan is incorporated into the business philosophy.
Understand that you can only find fulfillment in your career when you fit into the organization’s philosophy. Another way you can fit into the business philosophy of the organization is when you can set and achieve your personal goals. Ask yourself whether you can achieve your goals and objectives in such an organization. Take a closer look at your present job or profession. Does it allow you to achieve your set goals? If it does not then a career crisis is inevitable. Achieving your personal goals is one way you can find career fulfillment in your career. Hence, any job that does not allow you to achieve your personal goals and objectives cannot give you the fulfillment you desire. Consider letting go and moving on with your life.
Culled from my book “The Threshold of Life “. Get your Copy and Learn more about Career Fulfillment.
Imagine, Believe, Dare the Impossible.
TO BE CONTINUED…