Career Planning Finding The Right Job

Career Planning – Finding The Right Job

Background

One of the roles I play as a project manager is the introducing technology changes into the organization.  On several occasions I have been asked by team members for some help on career planning and finding the job that best fits their needs.

The following quote is why I want you to have a tool to assess the right job for you: “Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”.  

Today’s blog entry will introduce a model that can be used to serve as a guide when you are considering a job or career change. 

Selecting A Job or Career Path

Experience tells me that there is no simple equation to plug in your interests and the outcome is the ideal job for you.   But rather it takes some experimenting and reflection to determine what might be the path to follow.  There are a lot of things to consider when you are looking for a job.  I have previously written about completing a Strengths Finder assessment. 

There are three main factors that can be looked at when looking at a job or a career path:

• Organizational Need – this determines the need of a skill or service.  The need can be within an organization or within the overall market for those considering self-employment.
• Competency – this is the set of skills or talent that you have or would bring to a job.  This competency can be from training, education, or job experience.
• Passion – this is the list of activities or subjects that you like to do or really have a deep interest in doing.  This is the type of activity that gets you out of bed each day.

At one of the training sessions that I participated in years ago, I drew up this diagram during a training session.   I believe it was originally referenced in the book “Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders”.   I find this diagram easy to use and explain and it takes just seconds to draw.  The following diagram to help assess a job and find the “Sweet Spot” or the intersection of all the circles:

The Intersections of the Circles

The three large circles intersect to identify a trait amongst the three circles.  The following will describe those three traits:

• Chore – This is the intersection of a job that is needed in the organization and you have the skills for the job.  You will find this job to be a chore because it is missing “Passion”.  This is a common trait that may also develop after you learn the job or have been in the job for a few years your passion or interest is waning.
• Hobby – This is the intersection of a job that you have a passion for and you have the skills.   In this instance the missing part is “Organizational Need”.  There is not a large need in the market or organization for this job.  In this situation it will become a hobby. 
• Rookie – This is the intersection of a job that you have a strong passion for and there is a need in the market or organization.  In this situation you are missing the “Competency” for the job so you are considered a rookie.

The Sweet Spot

The central point of the circles is what is referred to as the “Sweet Spot”.   This is the point when your passion, competency, and the needs of the market/organization meet.   Ideally this should be where you find the job that is the best fit.  There is a need for the job, you have the skills for the job, and you most of all have a passion or interest in the job.

Conclusion

I have found this diagram very easy to use and while it may be somewhat simple it is really a powerful tool and valuable model to use when assessing the type of job that would be a fit for you.  I hope that find this helpful.