If you were happy in your current job, completely and totally satisfied, you wouldn’t be reading this in the first place. The fact that you want to improve your current circumstances is the only reason that anyone considers a new gig.
In spite of the crap you might read about active and passive candidates that’s just the way employers look at the problem. From the candidate (prospective employee) view, it’s two simple questions: “Do I want more than I have?” and “Does this opportunity deliver the ‘more’ that I want?”
The ‘dream your job’ part of the equation involves understanding the difference between what you have and what you want. More likely than not, this involves the things you really hate about your current engagement. Few things sharpen your desire like the things you hate. The more you dislike them, the clearer your view of the alternative.
When it’s fresh in your mind, make a long list of the things you hate about your job.
- Do you want your next boss to have better oral hygiene?
- Do you expect your next employer to have a bathroom cleaning service?
- Fed up with the bureaucracy?
- Tired of kissing the owner’s son-in-law’s bottom?
- Filled out your last form in triplicate?
- Hiked past the reserved management parking spaces on your trek from the back of the lot for the last time?
- Never going to work for another arrogant ivy-leaguer again? Finished submitting innovative ideas to a non-responsive suggestion system?
- Certain that the primitive social media policies are going to be the death of your operation?
- Tired of having to get a signed hall pass for your trips between buildings?
You’ve got a list and it’s a precious resource. Keep it handy for those moments of clarity. You can always add to your “things I hate about my job” list. For example, an ‘I hate my job’ list might look something like this:
- On the way out of a meeting and the boss says, “Um, we need to find ways to better leverage you.”
- Had a late night caused by someone else’s failure to plan.
- Performance review.
- Tried to get an extra pencil from the stingy office supply system.
- Spent 20 minutes of trying to find a charge number for the Xerox.
- Had to fudge another set of time card data.
- Had to spend night at crummy hotel because of current per diem.
You know the moments.
Here’s the magic. It is never possible to be clearer about what you want than when you are smack dab in the middle of what you don’t want. When you are finally ready to move to the next adventure, take out your list. Next to each item on the list, write a statement about what you want.
You are starting to dream your job.
