6 Things I Learned About Job Satisfaction From Interviewing More Than 500 People

6 Things I Learned About Job Satisfaction From Interviewing More Than 500 People 6 Things I Learned About Job Satisfaction From Interviewing More Than 500 People Through these conversations, Thach has gleaned six crucial insights about what makesa successful and genuinely fulfilling career.1. Be CourageousAfter conducting interviews with more than500 professionals, Thach estimates thatmore than 50 percentchanged the direction of their career path at some point.Thach himself never created a video until after graduating from college. Initially, he planned to enter the teaching profession. This led to him working at a community college, where he was given the opportunity to shoot and edit his first video. His newfound passion quickly blossomed into a viable career path.If you discover a new interest or an unexpected opportunity later in life, be open to pursuing it. Its never too late.2. Dont Just Work for the MoneyThe average person spends more thanone-thirdof their life working, s o its imperative that you spend your time doing something that means more to you than just a paycheck.A six-figure salary might seem like it should be at least one major driver of career satisfaction, but in the long run, it really isnt.According to the Harvard Business Reviews list of thetop five career regrets, the biggest regret people report is I wish I hadnt taken the job for the money.3.You Have Many, Many OptionsDid you know that you could make a living as a professionalbeekeeper? Or as ahot air balloon pilot? You are likely only aware of a tiny fraction ofthe hundreds of careers that might be the perfect fit for you.As a professional interviewer, Thach has seen the myriad opportunities that are available to people of all skill levels and educational backgrounds. For instance, maybe you dreamed of one day becoming a doctor until you realized that you couldnt afford the time and money such a goal requires. Whatyou may bedrngnis have realized is that there are multipleopportun ities in the medical profession aside from being a doctor that offer you the chance to help others. You could instead becomea nurse practitioner,a physicians assistant, or ahospital administrator.Start investigating the vast world of career possibilities. Pretty soon, youll find the job thats perfect for you.4.Consider Being Your Own BossThroughout his career, Thach has observed that the individuals who aremost enthusiastic about their work arethose who started their own business or were working to bring their own ideas to life. Venturing out on your own can seem risky, but according to the U.S. Census Bureau,400,000 new businesses are born each year in the U.S.In the end, seeing your own vision bear fruit can be an incredibly rewarding experience.5. The netz Is Your FriendThere are many resources available that are just a mouse click away. Thach himself learned many of his video production skills through tutorials onLynda.com,YouTube,andCreative COW.Some sites even provide courses that offer degrees or certificates upon completion. For instance, if you want to pursue a career in marketing, but lack formal marketing education,UC Berkeley Extensionoffers online certificate-earning courses like Introduction to Marketing, Creating An Advertising Campaign, and Implementing a Brand Vision, all of which could help you break into the field.6. Follow Your Dream. Seriously.In every single interview, Thach asks, What do you wish you had known when you were first starting out in your career that you know now?By far, the most popular piece of advice he hears is to follow your dream. While this advice may seem clich, that might be because it is simply the best way to achieve true job satisfaction and success.However, if your appetite for risk-taking is low, thats okay, too Not everyone is able to take financial risks such as starting their own business or chasing their dreams of Broadway stardom. Many people dip their toes in the water by freelancing in their spare time. O thers have found lucrative outlets for their creativity on sites like Etsy or eBay. In reality,there are many ways to test the waters.Whatever your dream, someone has probably already made it a reality for themselves. Now its your turn.-Rubina is marketing manager atPathSource, a career exploration company that aims to transform lives by connecting people to their ideal career paths. She enjoys hiking, traveling, and all things food-related (including cooking it, eating it, and watching reality shows that revolve around it).*Brandon is a senior at the University of Minnesota, where he studies strategic communication and Spanish. Following a string of odd jobs, including waiting tables at not one, buttwoIndian restaurants, he now finds himself interning forPathSourceas their social media and marketing intern.

HR Terms and Jargon You Need to Know

HR Terms and Jargon You Need to KnowHR Terms and Jargon You Need to KnowEvery profession has its own language or jargon, and Human Resources is no exception. Here are some of the HR terms you might hear coming out of an HR managers mouth and what it all really means. To communicate effectively with HR, whether or not youre in the department, its important to understand and speak the lingo. A Seat at the HR Table Imagine a group of decision-makers sitting around a conference table making a decision. Anyone who is there at the table has a seat, meaning they were invited to the meeting. HR managers often talk about having a seat at the table to emphasize that someone from HR needs to be at a company meeting to make sure the departments perspective is taken into consideration when decisions are made. Additionally, the term refers to a seat with the executive leadership in the executive conference room. This is where HR really wants inclusion, making sure its input is heard when decis ions are made that affect the companys strategic direction, particularly when deploying people is involved. HR wants that seat to participate as one of the companys strategic decision-makers. Balanced Scorecard The term balanced scorecard comes out of Harvard Business School, and as such, can be explained in either a very complicated manner or in this way everything matters. You cant just ignore your people and focus on the numbers. You cannot expect people to produce quality products if they are judged by the number of parts they produce. The scorecard looks specifically at four different areas Learning and Growth, Business Process, Customers, and Finances. Often, the HR business partner is heavily involved in the learning and growth portions of determining this scorecard for each senior person. In some organizations, the administrative and customer-focused jobs in the organization also report to HR. Competencies or Core Competencies These are generally the skills needed to do a particular job, but the reference is often a little fuzzier. Skills imply something concrete, such as, must know how to do financial modeling, while competencies can also include soft skills, such as problem-solving abilities. When HR managers talk about core competencies, they are referring to the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are absolutely critical to the job. So, while its nice to have an accountant with good interpersonal skills, all accountants must first have the ability to work with numbers. Corporate Culture Every company has its own culture. Cultures can develop naturally without any effort, but often the HR department will attempt to build a specific culture. Youll see mission statements and team-building activities and a number of other activities that are designed to create a specific culture within the organization. Good HR departments make weeding out bad managers (or training bad managers to become good managers) a priority when creating a good corp orate culture. Bad HR departments focus on mission statements and then wonder why the culture is still toxic. Downsizing, Reorganization, Restructuring, or Rightsizing As a general rule, these terms all mean that a company isgoing to lay off a number of employees.Its possible to reorganize and restructure and keep all of the employees, but in reality, if you hear discussions about company-wide reorganizations or downsizing, freshen up your resume, because you might need it. Family-Friendly Businesses often claim that they are family-friendly when they have policies that are meant to support working parents. Benefits such as flexible schedules, on-site daycare, and generous sick leaves to care for yourself and your sick children are often cited as important aspects of a family-friendly business. HR departments are usually the ones who develop and implement such family-friendly policies. Good HR departments recognize that what their employees want from their benefits is the mo st significant factor when determining what employee benefits to share. The benefits play a significant role in employee retention. Gross Misconduct If you do something that is so bad the only consequence is for the company to immediately fire you, your actions were gross misconduct. For instance, if you set fire to the bosss office, it doesnt matter that you had a perfect performance appraisal the week before, the boss will fire you. Gross misconduct is generally determined by company policy rather than by law. But just because the employee handbook doesnt say no arson allowed doesnt mean that the company wont fire you - and have you arrested - for that action. Hitting another employee is another example of gross misconduct, as is stealing the companys products. Let Go Let go is one of many euphemisms employers and employees use to say that an employee was fired. Now, of course, there are two main types of fired. The first is when an employee is terminated for business re asons unrelated to performance. This is generally known as a layoff. The second is a true firing - when the employee has done something wrong. That something wrong can include poor performance as well as something more terrible, such as stealing. Another common term for firing an employee is employment termination or terminating the employment relationship. Onboarding When youre hired, you have a lot of paperwork to fill out. This is the very basic step that is done for all new employees and, in some cases, this is the entire onboarding program. Some companies have elaborate onboarding programs that involve cultural integralrechnung and building a general company knowledge base. The goal of all onboarding programs is to bring new employees into the company and get them working effectively as quickly as possible. The ultimate goal is to build a positive relationship that enables you to retain the employee. Talent Management When HR people talk about talent management, they a re really just talking about making sure they recruit, train, manage, develop and retain the best people. Sometimes talent-management programs dont include everyone in the organization, but only the high-potential employees and current leaders. Both management and HR departments are involved in developing and implementing a talent-management system. 80/20 Rule This terminology is used in many different situations, but in HR, it typically means that 80 percent of the problems are caused by 20 percent of the employees. HR departments may also speak of frequent fliers. These are employees who seem to have problems with everything and everybody and take up a great deal of HR time. They take up HR time disproportionately to better-performing employees- the employees that the HR staff would rather spend their time developing.

United States Air Force

United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force