IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A JOB, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

by Paul Cormier, President, Cormier Strategy Advisors Inc.

January 2014

With the turn of the New Year, and recent surveys suggesting that 80% of Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs, many have started the year resolving to look for new positions.  While many of these resolutions will go the way of the “I will lose 30 pounds” commitments, some will start looking in earnest.  A key to success will be to start by knowing what you are looking for.  I don’t mean the type of position, but the type of employer.

I am a consultant so I look for clients instead of full-time employment but the same principles apply to either.  When I look into entering into a new partnership with a client I look for six attributes.  Usually only a few discussions will tell me whether there is a fit.

1. Will I be considered a member of the team?  I want to share in the successes (and failures – though hopefully few of them) of my clients.  I want to support my new team and work with them to deliver results.  I don’t want to be considered a “hired gun.”
2. Are my principles culturally aligned with the potential client?  Are they results-oriented?  Do they believe in honest feedback?  Are they willing to invest time in disciplined, comprehensive, insightful thinking?
3. Do they have a sense of purpose?  Do they really understand what they are trying to achieve?  They don’t necessarily need a detailed strategy yet (sometimes that is what they want me to help them build), but they do know why they want one?
4. Will I have a chance to learn and grow through this relationship?  Doing the same thing all the time is boring.  We always need to be growing.  Will I learn something new I can apply to other endeavours in the future?
5. Do I get a sense the client will value me?  Recognition and appreciation is extremely important to me and many others.  I do great work for my clients.  I want them to recognize that.  In a recent study by Forbes, companies that scored in the top 20% for building a “recognition-rich culture” enjoyed a 31% lower voluntary turnover rate.  I believe this.  I much more highly value clients that clearly value me.
6. Will I have a trusted relationship with those I work most closely with?  This is huge.  I was extremely lucky to work with my father for the first part of my career and he exhibited enormous trust in me and others in his organization.  I never appreciated it sufficiently at the time but now know how truly special it is when your closest colleagues are pulling together as a team with common goals and are unafraid to share their ideas, aspirations and hardships knowing that they are safe to do so.  Trusted relationships make work a pure joy; lack of such relationships makes it an onerous chore.

This is just my list and everybody’s list will be a bit different.  But if you put together a list like this, odds are you are going to find a good spot to exhibit your talents and find true happiness at work.

Paul Cormier is President of Cormier Strategy Advisors Inc., a firm which provides clients with strategic consulting, project management and short-term management services.