How can your priorities guide your career?
Developing and fulfilling career goals can be daunting tasks given all of the jobs that currently exist, plus the opportunities that are evolving as the world constantly innovates. There are many ways you can combine your skills and interests to fit with work opportunities. To set the course for a successful job search, it’s important to determine your priorities. Priorities vary, and it’s critical to identify what is most important to you. When it comes to professional priorities some things to consider include job title, company mission, work culture, location, salary, and benefits.
Job title can reflect the skills and professional abilities you possess, serve as a status symbol, or allow you to access a higher pay grade. If you are trying to move up the ladder, you may want to move into a role with a job title that clearly illustrates your advancement. For some people, making a lateral move is desirable due to a focus on other priorities while others value job title as most important. There’s no one right answer. It’s up to you!
Company mission can set the tone for your work. Do you want to work for a highly innovative organization that focuses on technological advancement, or would you prefer to work for a nonprofit organization that supports a specific segment of the population? Or something completely different than those two things? A company’s mission is closely tied to its values. If you want to work for a company or organization that has a mission that resonates with you, start with that priority.
Work culture is a priority that is gaining in popularity as workers navigate modern-day demands and strive to balance both professional success and personal satisfaction. If you have a job that features duties you enjoy, but you work in a culture that’s not a fit for you, it can impact your long-term satisfaction in that role. How important is it? Consider that in some cases, you spend more waking hours with your coworkers than your family! Well, at least pre-Covid that was more prevalent. Work culture is about the environment you work in (casual versus formal, plus other dynamics), the structure at your workplace (collaborative versus independent), and the people you work with. To determine an organization’s work culture, it’s important to do your research during the job search process. Network with professionals at that organization or in the same industry and ask questions related to work culture in your interview.
It’s all about location, location, location, right? Well, that’s the priority for some people! Location can mean the distance from work to home, or the ability to work remotely. It can also relate to the location of the workplace such as urban versus rural. Do you desire to work at home, or do you want to commute into a big city each day? A focus on location may change over time as you balance it with your other priorities, especially family obligations. It may seem acceptable to commute two plus hours each way to work right now in order to serve in that dream job, but consider if it will be sustainable given your other priorities and factors such as inclement weather and travel-related costs.
Salary and benefits are factors of overall compensation, and can be significant priorities for some professionals. Salary is the amount you are paid to perform in a specific role and benefits are other elements of compensation such as insurance, a signing bonus, and educational reimbursement. Many professionals are concerned with earning as much as possible, while others are willing to work for a lower salary if there are other valuable benefits involved or another priority takes precedence. Be careful when considering these priorities. If you accept a job for a less than desirable salary and expect to be better compensated at a later date, know that in most cases bonuses and raised are not guaranteed.
Once you’ve identified your priorities, use this information as a blueprint to follow as you develop your career goals and conduct a job search. This will allow you to stay on track and identify the opportunities that will be the best fit for you. Don’t forget to revisit this activity in the future, as your priorities may change as your career and life unfold. When you do, adjust accordingly in order to maintain a high level of professional satisfaction and fulfillment.
