063 The Number One Secret to Job Satisfaction

Understanding your satisfaction is within your control can be liberating. Scott and Andrew discuss the Top Secret, that #1 thing you can do, to ensure your job satisfaction.

Don’t miss these Topics:

  • Being an advocate for your own satisfaction.
  • The difference between fitting in and being in.
  • How language and identity can work together.
  • Consistency in your brand presentation.
  • The value of a cover letter.
  • Defending your own needs without being defensive.
  • Identifying Key Factors of Satisfaction.
  • Where to find support for your satisfaction.
  • How to communicate your areas of satisfaction. 

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00:00:06 – 00:05:13

welcome to job seekers radio. I’m Andrew and I’m Scott. This production is meant to provide you meaningful support defined great careers faster whether you’re working or not today’s episode. We’re talking about the secret to advocating for your own own satisfaction and this episode is brought to you by the anatomy of a networking conversation. It’s an e book that Scott I have put together. That walks you through through step by step along with companion audio which is wonderful by the way we’ve been so and that’s a free resource for you to download at job seekers radio DOT COM Tom. It’s a free gift for you. We want to talk about advocating for satisfaction because so often we send out lots of applications. We we have some interviews and we’re always trying to fit into what the company wants or what. The interviewer wants its natural right or want to to put our best foot forward. We WanNA make sure we’re we’re demonstrating to them or being considerate. There is a difference between changing how I appear and using their language. And so that’s what we want to talk about today is how does how do we avoid changing who we are appearing to change who we are just to to succeed in an interview requires a lot of preparation. Sure does okay but if we look at how you’re preparing now that requires a lot of preparation preparation of course because as they say it always takes a lot more energy to remember a lie because you have to wait the lie. It’s much easier to remember truth because truth is the truth. Well it’s on its own and you think about it if you’re sending out a lot of applications in your tailoring every single bit of the language language to that are you going to remember when they actually get back to you two weeks later which set up oh my goodness which which version of this language am. I supposed to us now. We want to help you avoid that problem and instead to really advocate for your own satisfaction on the job satisfaction within the interview. You know what you want you know what you like. Hopefully and if not that’s where your preparation is going to start. You know the kind of environment you want to be working in what your values are and again if not not find that out you should be looking for someone who meets your needs not just the other way around and you should know what feels like you and what doesn’t so if you’re using the right keywords to get through an automated system by all means go for it. Don’t change who you are. Don’t change your language to the extent that you’re changing changing everything about your presentation just to meet somebody else’s expectations authentic. Who Do you become when each time? You change that message to align with the job It’s almost like you’re a chameleon I’ve seen this have very negative repercussions sure. Psychologically we have identity confusion will not not only that but then you start to question when you see someone who is we say. They interviewed well. They were able to adapt to the interview. But then once they’re on the job for a while their true colors show and that’s true for all of us and so when they see that the person who shows up for work six months later isn’t the person who had interviewed. But now we’re wondering what’s going on and that sets you up for failure on some level instead. What we’re talking about here is when when you try to be all things to all people? You probably won’t be very good for any of them and instead what we’re looking for when when we are interviewing candidates ended its we’re looking for the person who is the right fit but for whom we will also be a good fit and if you’re really changing what you look like the way a chameleon would to meet all the criteria of your environment. You’re not actually helping me as a recruiter to determine whether or not your the right candidate ended and whether or not we’re the right company for you and that should come out in a dialogue even worse if you’re applying over and over again to the same company each time time you’re changing who you are and each time it’s going to the same. Recruiter is not doing you any justice you feel worse. Why well because because they’re now rejecting the crappy you right? You didn’t even put the good you out there. And now they’re rejecting the crappy you and how does that make you feel instead. What helps issue is for them to know how interested you are in working for them? That’s something else you need to prepare for and to communicate at some point I I know when I have seen means someone apply to my company repeatedly and I get the message okay. This person wants to work here now. I’m going to read the cover letter if I hadn’t before I will. Now why do you want to work here. That becomes a critical piece of information for that. Cover letter if there’s a way to say it in the application so much the better. Here’s an opportunity for me to actually see the same person showing up every time maybe tweaking a word here there to understand showing their understanding of the the needs for this role that actually would intrigue me now again.

00:05:13 – 00:10:13

This is assuming it gets passed the automated system but even so I wanNA know why and so if I see that this person shows up completely differently in the three or four submissions. They’ve made I don’t know which one is real. Well it’s like somebody saying okay. I’m going to apply for this accounting counting job in this sales job and this completely different of assistant young like Oh my gosh. Are you qualify for any of them. I don’t know I’m now confused and and frustrated with you as a candidate because I don’t know where you fit as we go through this if I know what I want from my job I know what my skill set is and how how my skills can transfer to this company how I would make them available to them and use them on the job and I stick to that and I defend myself so to speak not meaning. Yeah I get defensive. But then I’m advocating Danda my value. Now they’re getting here consistent message regardless of the positions I’m applying for and they can can have an idea of what to expect when they call in and then when you interview. Guess what it’s coming from your heart right right because that’s who you are it matters to you. Stick to your guns right B.. Who you are not what others want you to be brings up the question? How do I know if I’m doing it? Well well you feel it feels different and you you. Andrew have made the comment several times over the course of of these podcasts. About your personal brand when you are promoting your personal personal brand the value you bring to your work into your employer has a different feel you feel it. They feel it. And that’s when things you start to click and don’t think you’re wrong if you don’t have that yet it just means you haven’t got it down yet and that makes perfect you some discovery. Ask yourself some questions. When do I feel most fulfilled the idea? We have a bunch of episodes on this. I’m sure you could go find them on. Branding yes we’ve done and how to identify gentrify those things the most important part of this concept though is when you feel your brand and you’re talking about it with enthusiasm and passion and confidence that shines through now that doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the job but it does mean that you’re having debt sincere moment. You’re advocating for what you’re looking for for and you are far more likely to land the job that will bring you satisfaction. I being that good at communicating when you get to the interview step into the shoes of the hiring team. Let’s say they’re going to interview six candidates. How many of those candidates do you think are trying to fit? Every single box walks on that requisition they’re an auditor that’s a strategy insurance. Of course what happens when you do exactly the same thing. Well I’m GonNa do it better. Okay let’s hope but to me I’m thinking you’re probably going to sound like all the others we’re gonNA sound like parrots. I’m pleased to know that you have read. The job. Description internalized analyzed at. But what do you bring to the table. You’re leaving that question. Let me go through my laundry. List of every fifteen minutes. I’m going to tell you how I fit every single piece so this job. Yeah of all of those fifteen things. What really motivates you? What gets you fired? All of it really right. See see how. That’s a challenge orange. Yeah that you’re you’re now vulnerable because now each of those six candidates is selling the same story and you won’t stand out you’ll look exactly like a fool. Well well maybe not a fool you may be really still. It’s the idea of know your brand be able to promote your brand to stick to that and to be enthusiastic about got it because that enthusiasm is contagious. And that can work for you on the job too. So this isn’t just a conversation for the job seeker. Line okay. Even though there’s this job seekers radio radio once you’re on the job and you might be listening this because you’re dissatisfied with the job you have sure and this is a way for you to say well wait a minute I do have have value. I do have strengths. I do have these things and you know what I need to have a conversation with my leadership. Whatever that looks like even if they’re impotent that this is the stuff i WanNa do you sure and what’s really interesting to watch that leader how they respond because if they’re truly interested and and do everything they can to help you you? That’s where the loyalty really starts right. But if they keep telling you know that’s not going to work because and you can’t get past that it may be that there’s somebody else in your organization or somewhere else that you need to be talking to because it’s possible that your leader is not going to be able to help you. That doesn’t mean that your leader doesn’t like you or doesn’t care or doesn’t see your value value. It simply means that that is not the person that’s going to help you move forward. Don’t waste your time with that person start networking within your organization to see where else you might be able to have that satisfaction and talked to those leaders who could bring you into it or look outside your organization to find the company that is going to value you when when we think about advocating for our own satisfaction too often.

00:10:13 – 00:15:06

We are afraid to do that because of what we think. We’re going to lose. When in fact by getting something we don’t like like we lose a lot more? This is the litmus test actually for good leadership and what that means is if you share something like that with a good leader. They’re going to be so happy that that you shared that with them because they can’t read your mind they think you’re completely satisfied unless they hear otherwise or worse they see your productivity or or quality. Ready go down because now you’re entering more dangerous territory by giving them this information about what you’re passionate about what you really want to be doing. They can help you figure throughout your roadmap to your satisfaction to your success without that. They can’t help you if they refused to help you. For whatever reason. And we’re not making a judgment Richmond if they refused to help you then. That’s your cue that you need to take that conversation elsewhere. Be Confident in doing that. Let’s do a little. What if what if if you advocated for this thing that you love doing and they say wow this is great? We need more of that. Well you might get that job okay. Okay and if you’re working there you might get more that work. What if you stick to your guns in the interview? And that’s exactly what they need. Don’t be afraid to succeed succeed. Because that’s what’s going to happen is that you’re going to demonstrate number one. You have energy you have a you’re standing up for something that matters to you and it matters matters to them. Wow Wow that’s interesting. It’s an overlap. This is why networking is so valuable to by the way as you get to identify those things in advance. Maybe even create a position for yourself. Alf Love that highly valuable. So the secret for advocating for your own satisfaction starts with knowing what satisfies you too often. We both talked to the people who really haven’t done that kind of internal work. They haven’t really figured out what the key factors are what the foundations of satisfaction are for them. It’s usually I usually something that sort of unformed that oh well you know I want to help people and I want to help my company be successful and I don’t WanNa work tons ends of overtime or maybe I do but it ends up being vague. What is it about those things that actually keeps you satisfied knowing that gives you your talking points that only it happens through experience and a little bit of self awareness absolutely and so if you haven’t exactly if you have enough experience you’ve done things you didn’t like you done things you probably have liked and you’ve had jobs that were good and you’ve had once Soga and it’s looking at all of those experiences as unique and even though Oh you may have had a job that was eighty percent crap? They’re still twenty percent there. That was good. What was that? What was the document? How did it Saturday’s yeah? Yeah and how did it satisfy you. That’s a difficult thing to do if you’re working right now and everything is coming down on top of you sure you don’t like anything you’re doing and you have an impotent leader jerk for posser answer or whatever we have that place okay. I can’t seem to get ahead there at the job. Eighty percent of what I do not enjoying who can when you talk to about the twenty percent you do enjoy so you can start writing down or noting whether in your head or on paper you take note of what what is that satisfies you why it satisfy issue how it does so. Those are the things that you’re talking about when you’re working within your organization or when you’re networking working to get into an organization because that twenty percent is what you want to focus on. That’s even team meetings or presentation. Sure or a train. Part of the eighty twenty the theory. Yeah of course well the people here in front of you you may not be networking with them. But you’re you’re having a team meeting about what about a project you’re working on and so there’s nothing and it says you can’t advocate for the type of stuff you want to do in that project at Salt Lake that you want to volunteer for that. You want to jump right in and grab for yourself not that you want. WanNa be selfish. But you want to advocate for those shorts and an easy way to out is. Hey this is my experience. I really enjoy doing that. How can I help you with this project or is is there something I can do to support you? In these efforts and generally speaking they will see your willingness to support and help not necessarily. You’re trying to go after the things you enjoy and this might be a team or a group or a project where you’re you’re cross functional now and you didn’t know these people before and you’re presenting yourself to them and all of a sudden I’ve captured some of their mind space if you will they’re now associating me with this thing that I enjoy. And now they’re thinking maybe of other people in the organization organization that need that and when they cross up. You know so. We’re planting seed always planting seeds. This is how you become a champion for yourself and for for your own abilities and it’s not because you’re self absorbed and you’re trying to step on people to get into a higher position.

00:15:06 – 00:17:43

It’s that you’re advocating for the things that really bring you satisfaction ATIS faction in the workplace in your work and it’s not just a job. It’s what you’re bringing we will encourage you to push for. What brings you that satisfaction at work to talk about those things in ways that motivate others to think of you in that term and you will probably be feeling better better about the the the job that you get and as soon as you get all of those ideas put together you now have a brand and how beautiful is at that? You have a brand. That’s around the things you I love to do. You can start displaying that brandon a lot of different places and if you’re at a corporate place the first place I’d look is the signature block on my email right. Let’s put a little thing there. It says hey you know I love doing X.. Okay but let’s say your signature. You have to follow a certain format for the signature. If you’re fortunate your company will allow a certain the amount of personalization based on the department that you’re in or the work that you’re doing for example. I am able to show that I am certified in the pro. Cy Change Management Methodology as well as disks certified trainer and so these are things that can help me to sort of bring attention to the fact that these are tasks or duties that I really enjoy doing. There’s always based on an email. We even even even above the the corporate logo. That’s right that’s right tation. I love doing this work. Thank you for for talking to me. Sincerely your your your corporate trainer. Was Par excellence. Thank you for joining us today. You can find all the show notes and resources at job. Seekers radio DOT COM forward slash zero six three. Remember that you have a free free. Racehorse there at job. SEEKERS RADIO DOT COM. It’s called the anatomy of a networking conversation. It’s an e book that you can download right from our site and it has companion companion audio with it so if you’re somebody who likes multimedia diverse learning blended learning. I don’t know what they call it. Well if you’re listening to a podcast you probably like to hear us. Yes so awfully we. Also there is companion audio with that so I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your investment of time and attention is really appreciated. Whoever thought that people would actually listen to US Scott? I know we’re doing this just out of a Labor of love. We keep hearing from many of you. We appreciate you being here. We do for those those of you. Who may be new to our podcast? We want to suggest that you head over to I tunes and subscribe to get future episodes. And while you’re there please give give us a rate and review so we get your feedback because

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