Just too much trouble

Since 1978, we've been helping people find the right job, the job they can really enjoy and do best.

You'd think that, by now, we'd have an easy 45-minute method to help people get that job. But we don't, and we never will.

The hard fact is that there is no easy way to find the right job. There's a process that needs to be used, and it's a long, difficult process that requires energy, dedication and lots of time. The process starts with self-knowledge, calling for an honest look at what you have to offer, what you love to do, and what kind of life you want to live. The next step is doing serious research into the professions, businesses, and organizations that interest you, and finding out what kind of employees they need.

Making a solid match between your skills, interests, values, talents, goals and dreams and the needs of an employer is the hardest step. Job interviews tend to be like dates, where each party puts his or her best foot forward and glosses over potential problems and disharmonies. It's only when you actually have a job and work at it for a year or two that you can even know if it's right for you.

For most people, we've found, this process is just too much trouble. Often our clients start off with good intentions and enthusiasm, but get bogged down in the middle, when they begin to understand the complexities of finding a job you can really enjoy. It's tempting, at this point, to take whatever comes your way, with the idea that you can always quit.

Maybe. But as you get older, each failed job relationship becomes more bothersome. What you can walk away from at 20 is not so easy to shed at 40, or 50. At the same time, your choices become more limited--you're not young and fresh anymore, and you may not have the relevant experience to be considered for a job that's slightly different from what you've done in the past.

So I contend that it's not just too much trouble to approach the job search using a proven method that works, one that is rational and realistic. The "21st Century Jobs" seminars offer just such a method. They demand commitment and thought from our clients, but the time put into the job search always pays off in self-confidence that comes from having a reasonable perspective on what you offer an employer and what you need to be happy in your next job.