All of us here are pretty familiar with the term BYOD.  That’s “Bring your own device”. Depending which side of the fence you’re on, the arguments for or against will go on for this one. However, we cannot ignore the trend and the behavioural changes it’s brought along.

Recently, I’ve noticed a similar change in the way we look at our own career. It seems that we are getting a lot savvier in the way we manage and make decision around our careers.

My job in talent acquisition allowed me to interact with many candidates. A common observation I’ve made is, they all seemed to know what they want and have somewhat of an idea of where they need to be at what stage of their life.

I guess the hours spent with their career coach paid off. However, when asked the question of “why are you looking to leave?”, I’ve always got answers that would fall into the “Grass is greener on the other side” category.

However, the point I’m trying to make is, the rationale behind the candidates thinking that the grass is greener on our side of the fence, seemed to had came from the fact that they’re not talking openly with their managers on what they want in their careers.

On one hand, they had a grand plan in what they want to do and achieve, and on the other hand, they don’t openly engage with their managers and organization in making their job a dream job.

I hate to think that if this is the mindset of the general workforce, does this mean that this is happening to everyone of us?

In a recent article published on the “The New York Times” – “Hone the Job You Have Into One You Love” By SHANE J. LOPEZ, published on May 25, 2013, by studying people who love their work, he came to realize that almost none initially landed the jobs they loved; rather, they landed ordinary jobs and turned them into extraordinary ones. (Ref: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/jobs/honing-the-job-you-have-into-one-you-love.html)

This can only happen when you are open with your managers on what you have in mind regarding your job and career, and work with them to fine-tune what you’re doing now to what you like to be doing.

It does takes two to tango, so keep an open mind and know that it does takes time and patience to make things happen. The world is not perfect, and as much as your managers would like to, you may not always get your way. Work on the incremental steps on how to get there.

Even if you fail, you know you’ve tried. And there’s no shame in failing, but more shame in quitting. I like to believe that everyone enters into a new job with a sense of passion, hope and excitement that this is the job of a lifetime, you are going to make it happen.

The truth is, just like in any relationship, it never is as simple as it seems. Keep that passion in mind and with the right amount of effort and communication with your manager, I am sure your job will be a engaging one!

Now, if you have difficulties talking with your manager, here’s some tips.

• Bring up your outlook calendar, and put in an invite for an hour of 1:1. The rest will fall in place.
• Be precise with what you are looking for. It helps to write it down.

You can structure your discussion as follows:

• Start with what you want, but don’t let this dominate the whole discussion. I would spend not more than 5 mins on this. Keep it short and sweet
• Talk about what you like about your role now, and how that aligned with your wants. I suggest 5 mins, but10 mins tops.
• Talk about the gaps. It can be something that you want to do, but is not doing, or something that you would like to do but is not there yet. Try to be concise about what these are and be realistic about aligning this to business needs. You can’t be saying that you want to be able to bake a cake for the team every month, unless if you’re a baker. But, what’s stopping you? J
• Next, talk about how you think you can work on getting to where you want to be. Call out your assumptions. It’s ok to sound silly. I told my manager I wanted his position one day. The idea is to work on a plan together to get there.
• Reach a closure. Sometimes it’s ok to disagree. It’s not the end of the world. Remember, things change. You can always revisit your plans in future. Setup milestones in which the both of you can connect again. Usually, a 6 months interval is ideal. This would give you time to work on what you need to work on.
• You may find it useful to document this and I would suggest logging this in on your company’s performance management tool.

You may also be looking at moving across functions into a different role. I always suggest talking to your manager first, but if that is not possible, there is always the friendly HR person you can reach out to.

Also, you may also find it useful to setup time with the manager of the department you are hoping to move into. This will give you insights into the role. Share your plans with them, and you can get a good picture of what is required. One thing to note is that, moving across functions is always tough as you many not have all the necessary skillsets. However, there’s no better place than your current organization to “try” out a new role.

Be realistic about your expectations, and know that you may need to start early to work on some of those developmental areas before you make the move. I would suggest planning this at least 1 year in advance. Ask for projects that you can be involved in to gain the experience required for the move. This would also allow you to “show off” what you’ve got and earn the strips

Have you spoken with your manager today? I know I had!

Cheers

Eric