If the Job Market Is Taking Off...

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If the Job Market Is Taking Off...

Author: Brent Wood

If the Job Market Is Taking Off...Why Am I Still Circling the Runway or 4 Common Career Related Mistakes
Bill is a 46-year-old technical writer with an electronics firm who was recently laid-off. Although he has never liked technical writing, rather than explore new career options, he has decided to stay in that field because it’s “all he’s ever done”. Sara, a 38-year-old attorney hates Sunday nights for she knows she faces another dreadful week practicing law.

Although Bill and Sara seem to be at different stages in their career, it’s obvious that they both have made poor occupational choices. For many, today’s job market has provided a number of exciting opportunities for professional advancement, successful job or career change. However, according to a recent survey, 65% of today’s American workers are experiencing job dissatisfaction. Yet, as important as this decision is, how much thought is really given to our chosen occupation as well as deciding career goals? The lack of planning can be quite puzzling when you consider that careers are significantly responsible for our personal satisfaction and will influence many aspects of our life including finances, neighborhood, children’s education, quality of life, health and retirement.

Lack of career planning or a career goal is a very common phenomenon in today’s work world. Below are four common career mistakes, which can severely influence your career and your life. The first two mistakes have to do with our selection process, the latter two with our career direction.

Career by Circumstance. How many people do you know who just “fell into” a job? The typical scenario is someone graduates from school and decides to look for a job. In most cases it would be “nice” if the job related to a major field of study, however, other considerations become more prevalent such as compensation and benefits.

The danger of this approach is we never develop a true passion for our career and fail to fully utilize the talents we possess. The consequences of this are people will drift in their career until they are stuck in a dead end job with no more real challenges.

Another dangerous consequence of selecting a career by this method is that individuals risk doing their job in a very routine fashion. This creates a lack of awareness concerning the skills and abilities needed to perform the tasks. All jobs require task that command skills and abilities to complete. If we become oblivious to those skills, we may “undersell” ourselves at review time or during a job interview.

Career Fails Our Expectations. There are some individuals who do have a strong sense of a career choice. A problem arises when their choice is based more on their perception rather than reality. The perception of a career being glamorous perhaps fostered by television, the movies or the influence of others can lead to major career dissatisfaction if it does not coincide with the real world.

Consider the following findings. According to a recent survey by the American Bar Association, 80% of all first year law students have never visited a law firm. Couple this finding with another recent survey of attorneys in which 70% of all respondents stated knowing what they know now they would not have chosen law as a profession.

Before deciding on any career, especially one that involves additional education, care should be given to investigate the career choice, which includes interviewing individuals currently in that field.

Much of today’s career dissatisfaction has to do with feeling trapped or stuck in one’s career. People experience a sense of loss or lack of control in their career or life. They experience a career paralysis, as they do not take the proactive measures needed for career success. The following two scenarios address those situations where individuals become a “career ostrich”

Becoming a Career Spectator. This individual becomes a non-participant in their career. They do not have a real sense of taking responsibility of their career. Instead they depend on their organization, other individuals or even fate to determine their career path.

The trap these individuals fall into is that there is minimal or no effort made to learn new skills or competencies. They take no real interest in their career growth and therefore are not able to seize control of their career. Many times, this career apathy can reflect in an individual’s job performance, which could lead to undesirable consequences. Career apathy can also lead to a strong sense of hopelessness when a job is lost due to reduction in force. It becomes difficult to convince an employer of “marketable qualities” when no notable career objectives were achieved or learning has occurred.

Wearing Career Blinders. In today’s busy business world, it is very easy to become so involved in the daily activities of the job, we become oblivious to the ways that job is changing. For example, one of the most important changes in the last few years has been the advent of technology. It has redefined what we do and how we do it. Yet, there are a number of people who do not take the time needed to learn of the new technologies or techniques that may affect their career. Even worse are the individuals who resist the changes and refuse to stay current.

Although it is quite easy to focus only on the day to day task, that should not negate the overall career picture. Each individual needs to stay current to the changes in their job or chosen profession. Those that demonstrate a resistance to change will wake up one morning wondering where the parade went.

Achieve Career Satisfaction. As the old saying goes, the trip of a hundred miles begins with the first step. Your first step is to assess where you are in your current career. What do you like about what you do? What do you feel you are best at? What type of skills, abilities, competencies experience and education do you possess that could assist you in a career transition. Develop a plan. Identify your career goal and devise a way of getting there. Talk to people who are in the career or job you want to be in and never forget to join professional associations.

Remember it is your career…take control of it. Then watch your career take off.

Brent Wood is co-founder and CEO of BC/Career Strategy Associates a company with offices in Fullerton and Newport Beach. BC specializes in corporate outplacement, career management, sexual harassment prevention and cultural diversity programs. Brent can be reached at 714 871-2380 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .