Attitude is everything: Do you remember the singing toll collector? Somewhere in metropolitan New York, a man who collected tolls for a living sang to those who came through his tollbooth, and commuters tried to get to his line so they could be entertained on their ride home or to work. On the other hand, some tollbooth operators are downright surly, and obviously hate their jobs! Same job, different people….
Customer service reps offer even more telling glimpses into job satisfaction and ability to deal with differences in people. Some who work in IT should be writing code in their cubicles and not answering the phone to help end users.
Each of us is different, and what may be perfect for me might be the worst job ever for you! If only we could know that in advance!
Bob worked in an internal distribution center in a large organization. He delivered materials to individual internal customers in various buildings on a daily basis. When he saw a next-level position open up, he decided to apply for it and asked for help with his resume and application.
During the resume review, conversation touched on the job he was leaving, and what, exactly, he most liked about it. Bob enjoyed the one-on-one contact with the individuals he saw on a daily basis, and realized that the new position would have limited contact with others, since he’d be delivering his product by truck to a loading dock instead of to twenty or thirty people at their desks.
Bob decided that having work he liked and intereaction with end users outweighed the small salary increase and the next-level position, and he decided not to apply for the new job after all!
What do you expect from your job? What would make it most meaningful? What are the deal-breakers for you?
Do you need contact with colleagues and customers?
Do you prefer to work alone and be autonomous or do you want to be part of a team?
Do you want variety in your work, or do you prefer to do routine tasks that you can easily remember and master?
Spend some time in reflecting about just what constitues satisfying work for you. Make a list of what you need, and what you want. Be sure to include those things you have now, that are important, even if they are things you seldom think about because you already have them!
Know Yourself Before You Take a New Job
Attitude is everything: Do you remember the singing toll collector? Somewhere in metropolitan New York, a man who collected tolls for a living sang to those who came through his tollbooth, and commuters tried to get to his line so they could be entertained on their ride home or to work. On the other hand, some tollbooth operators are downright surly, and obviously hate their jobs! Same job, different people….
Customer service reps offer even more telling glimpses into job satisfaction and ability to deal with differences in people. Some who work in IT should be writing code in their cubicles and not answering the phone to help end users.
Each of us is different, and what may be perfect for me might be the worst job ever for you! If only we could know that in advance!
Bob worked in an internal distribution center in a large organization. He delivered materials to individual internal customers in various buildings on a daily basis. When he saw a next-level position open up, he decided to apply for it and asked for help with his resume and application.
During the resume review, conversation touched on the job he was leaving, and what, exactly, he most liked about it. Bob enjoyed the one-on-one contact with the individuals he saw on a daily basis, and realized that the new position would have limited contact with others, since he’d be delivering his product by truck to a loading dock instead of to twenty or thirty people at their desks.
Bob decided that having work he liked and intereaction with end users outweighed the small salary increase and the next-level position, and he decided not to apply for the new job after all!
Spend some time in reflecting about just what constitues satisfying work for you. Make a list of what you need, and what you want. Be sure to include those things you have now, that are important, even if they are things you seldom think about because you already have them!