Don’t Wait For The “Perfect Job.” Do These Three Things Instead.

Are you a soon-to-be college graduate, or a more seasoned professional, and feel like job postings, or even job offers, don’t appear to meet your expectations? Do you always seem to find a reason not to apply for a job? A reason not to accept a job offer? Do you find it difficult to choose between competing offers? Are you in the habit of always waiting for something better to come along?

What’s going on here? 

You’re waiting for the perfect job. 

How’s that going for you?

Seriously, do you feel stuck or paralyzed about applying for a job or choosing a job offer because you feel like the job in question isn’t good enough, or something better has to be out there? 

While being selective and matching yourself to a good-fitting job is ideal, waiting for the perfect job to come along may not be. Because you’ll be waiting a long, long time. 

If waiting for the perfect job has you feeling stuck or paralyzed, I’d like to suggest a simple three step process for moving forward in your job search:

1.      Recognize there is no “perfect job.”

Just as companies come to understand that they shouldn’t hold out for the purple squirrel (perfect candidate), job seekers need to understand that they shouldn’t hold out for a perfect job. There is no perfect job! [Fun Fact: the median employee tenure with a current employer is 4.1 years.] But there are many wonderfully imperfect jobs out there. Jobs that will meet most, although not all, of your wants, needs or preferences. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. A perfect job shouldn’t be your goal. A good-fitting, healthy employment relationship should be.

2.      Prioritize AND choose the better problems

To help zero in on your wonderfully imperfect job, you need to outline your must haves and your preferences. When considering among two or more jobs, I suggest using a weighted decision-making matrix that includes job criteria factors important to you, such as pay, benefits, commute, schedule, company culture, opportunities for advancement, training, and development, impact, and leadership style. Prioritizing your job criteria will help with you properly evaluate your job opportunity, or opportunities, and lead to a more fully informed decision.

If prioritizing doesn’t help and/or you want to include another decision-making tool, try choosing the job with better problems. That’s right, choose better problems (this is inspired by Mark Manson’s concept of solving better problems in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck). For whatever job you are thinking of applying for and/or accepting or choosing among, think about what problems (i.e. sucky duties/responsibilities/compensation/schedule) you’d be faced with and choose the job with better problems, i.e. less horrible problems.

🧠 Think best of the best AND best of the worst.

3.      Take Action

Don’t let paralysis analysis keep you from moving forward. Waiting forever and not choosing isn’t the answer. Once you understand there is no perfect job, and you’ve outlined the characteristics of a healthy employment relationship, it’s time to take action. Network. Apply. Interview. Evaluate offers and choose one. There isn’t a wrong choice since there is no perfect job. You won’t be able to go back in time, relive your life and select the other job. Choose a job offer and move forward with confidence in your decision. Look at whichever job you choose as an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a positive impact. Get started on your journey. There will be plenty of off and on ramps ahead, so you are never stuck. Unless you wait for perfect.

Don’t unnecessarily stress yourself out by waiting for the “perfect job” to come along. It’s not coming. It’s an illusion and doesn’t exist. You need to go find a good-fitting, wonderfully imperfect job that meets most of your wants, needs, and preferences. By adjusting your mindset, choosing your preferences and problems, and embracing a take-action attitude, you’ll get unstuck and move forward in your job search and career.  

[Originally published on LinkedIn on 4/25/21: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dont-wait-perfect-job-do-three-things-instead-bill-leonard-mhrm/]