Job hunters are often told they should never settle for less than
what they want. We hear the mantra again and again: Go after your
dreams! If you don't absolutely love a job, it's not worth your
time. No compromises!
The problem is that in today's economy, any job, even one that's
less than ideal, is a scarce commodity. And the dream-job
imperative puts a lot of pressure on people who don't yet know what
their dream job is. That's why some job seekers are now rejecting
that wisdom and singing a different tune: Get a job as soon as
possible, and look for the dream job later.
If you find yourself in this predicament, trying to decide
whether to accept a less-than-perfect opportunity, here are
several reasons why (temporarily) settling can be a good move for
your career:
Settling can build confidence. Working at a job
you don't particularly love is difficult. But here's the good news:
Discovering, in a hands-on, five-days-a-week way, that you are
capable of doing difficult tasks--and maybe even doing them
well--is a tremendous confidence booster.
[See Can't Find Work? Get a "Survival Job".]
Settling keeps your options open. It's
important to maintain the distinction between giving up on your
dreams and taking a job to pay your bills. Paying bills is
important. Debt is one of the biggest dream-killers around. Debt
boxes you in, and may even make you less employable. So look at
taking a job to pay your bills as another way to work toward your
goals.
Settling makes you better at whatever you do.
Even a position that seems light years away from your dream job is
an opportunity to learn important transferable skills. Look for
those opportunities, because those skills will come in handy later.
If you're new to the work world, chances are your "how to work"
skills like functioning in a team, meeting deadlines, and following
through could use polishing.
Settling allows you to be flexible. The problem
with the no-compromise approach to careers is that it doesn't take
into account shifting priorities, setbacks, time outs, acts of God,
and the economy--in other words, the fluid nature of life. When
faced with the unexpected, the last thing you need is to struggle
with the "thou must not swerve" mantra.
[See 5 Reasons Your Co-Worker Makes More Money Than
You.]
Settling puts you in a position of strength.
It's cliche, but true: Finding a job is easier when you have a job.
Accepting a "lesser" opportunity while continuing to search for
"the one" may be challenge, but it can be smart, too.
Settling is only bad when you allow it to kill your
dream. If you look at each job as a stepping stone, as a
strategic move designed to enhance your employability, expand your
network, fine-tune your skills, and pay your bills, it may just
turn out to be the smartest career move you've ever made.
[For more career advice, visit U.S. News Careers.]
Let's face it: every life path involves a detour or two. Or
three. While it's useful to have a road map, we can't predict at
the beginning of our journey exactly how we're going to get to
where we want to go. All we know for sure is that there will be
wrong turns, flat tires, bumpy roads, happy accidents, lucky
breaks, and triumphs. Use flexibility and resilience to your
advantage. And who knows? Someday, looking back, you may realize
that "getting there" was the best part.
Besides, is there really such a thing as a dream job, one that
makes you jump out of bed every morning singing tra-la-la? Most of
us find that every job is a crazy mixture of what we love, what we
like, and a few undesirable tasks that remind us what's really
important for our next job hunt.
Karen Burns is the author of the
illustrated career advice book The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life
Career Advice You Can Actually Use, recently released by
Running Press. She blogs at www.karenburnsworkinggirl.com.
Source:
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/Why-Job-Hunters-Should-Settle-usnews-3136430120.html
