Pointless Positioning
Dig deep or live a life that is misaligned.
I’m preparing for a workshop this week at the Vienna Job Fair. The subject is “Your Next Career Chapter”, but the concept is relevant for other areas of our lives.
The inspiration for the workshop was a conversation that went like this:
“I’ve got an interview,” a friend told me.
He’d mentioned previously that he wasn’t loving his current role. He’d realised this early on but had persevered.
“Well done. That’s great news!”
“Maybe. I’m not sure it’s right for me.”
“What made you apply for it then?” I didn’t ask this with much confusion; this wasn’t the first time I’d had a conversation like this with a friend or coaching client.
“My profile fits,” he answered.
He made the profile sound like something that had created itself, but, of course, he had put it together.
We’re taught to present our best selves to ensure success, and we do so by optimising our job search materials. However, true satisfaction depends on knowing what success means for us, not just appearing polished.
I’ve been guilty of highlighting the impressive companies, positions and qualifications on my CV, even though these weren’t always the genuine highlights for me. I then selected vacancies that matched. I’ve been invited for interviews and have even started jobs, only to realise they weren’t right; I told myself that the interviewer knew better. The conditions, perks and salary were so good in one position that I consoled myself on my commute home each day with how much I had earned. I was miserable, and I had no one to blame but myself.
I’ve learnt from my experience, and I’d like to help others do the same.
I use this photo in my workshop. This was my garden in spring. With summer just around the corner, my husband and I knew we would soon have to undertake a twice-daily, long and tedious task of watering the lawn. It’s hot in Austria in summer. After trying to palm the job off on each other, as all happily married couples do 😉, we chose to take it back to basics and do what we should have done a long time ago. We dug it up and installed an irrigation system. It was exhausting, but we both enjoy home improvement projects (not mindless, daily tasks), and this one got us fit: my arm muscles were bulging afterwards. We laid the foundations for something that would benefit us going forward, and the grass grew back in time for summer, and looked better than before.
A bit of a cheesy comparison, but the aim is to motivate workshop participants to dig deep in their CVs and think about what they want to highlight before selecting jobs, and then to apply only to those that are a true fit. I prompt participants to think about their preferences:
What have I enjoyed so far in my career?
What didn’t I enjoy?
Why/Why not?
What aspects played a role in this experience?
Once that is clarified, we move on to competencies:
What am I good at?
What am I not so good at?
What do I want to improve on, or what am I happy to remain as a weakness?
Conclusions are reached where these overlap, enabling a clear definition of what the next career chapter should look like. If we discover we want to make improvements, the questions help us to identify these areas, which may also include learning something entirely new. This isn’t a quick and easy exercise, but it’s necessary for the next chapter to be our best and happiest yet.
This same method can be applied elsewhere. Those seeking love often focus on attracting a partner. How the relationship should be and what type of person might suit them is frequently neglected. Again, I learnt the hard way on this front, falling for a fitness-obsessed, sunbed junkie in my younger years. He didn’t reveal this while we were dating, and I may have embellished on points I thought we had in common. Once we moved in together, he was disgusted that I couldn’t manage the eight minutes that he did each day on a sunbed (I lay there for two and only once), and when I admitted to preferring burgers and chips to salad leaves, it was a deal-breaker for him.
Our experiences are there for us to draw on, not just to sell ourselves, whether in a private or professional context. I’ve completed the exercise I give my workshop participants and have since found fulfilling work that makes me happy. I also married a man with a nice, normal skin tone who accepts that I am pale and have unhealthy eating habits; he even joins in on occasion (when I cook 😅).
Positioning only works if you’ve done the groundwork. Polishing the surface without digging beneath it is pointless. The deeper you dig, the more truth you uncover. Try it; maybe the questions above will help you break some ground. That truth is what draws in the right people, guides the right career moves, and ultimately helps you live your best life.