Win the Job Search Game with Three Steps - The Golden Guide to the Workplace

Author: Qian Shijin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: If the expectations are not met after putting in effort, you can revise your goals and lower the threshold appropriately. Here’s a reminder: never lose the expectation of trying again. Li Weimin studied electronics and, after graduation, found a job at a small electronic components factory. He couldn’t stand the monotonous and unproductive work and had no idea when he might get a break. He was determined to work at a multinational company and jumped ship to a large electronic component manufacturing firm. Less than half a year later, he felt it wasn’t the place he wanted to be. Because his income was relatively high, he stuck around until his two-year contract expired. He summarized his experience: "The technical work itself felt okay, but the factory was too closed off, with little interaction with the outside world. The factory wasn’t the work environment he liked. He believed his personality was introverted, making him unsuitable for sales. However, his colleagues thought his gentle and approachable nature would make him a great marketer!—Maybe his own perception was wrong? Instead of pursuing sales, he joined an advertising company as a businessperson for three months. The manager said, 'I think you’re too introverted for business, so I’ll have you write copy.' He was very passionate about business at the time and refused to accept it, so he joined another advertising company as a businessperson. After six months, he felt the advertising industry was too difficult to make a name in. Later, he discovered the real estate industry was booming, and after searching for three and a half months, he finally found a famous real estate company to work in marketing and planning. Li Weimin found that his planning skills were far superior to theirs, but coordinating with developers, his superiors, and the sales department was challenging. He left the company after just three months.
At a high school class reunion, one of his classmates, a lawyer, hosted the event, projecting an air of success. Li Weimin thought, 'Lawyers need to have an accurate understanding and grasp of legal statutes—maybe he’s even more suited for it than me.' So, Li Weimin joined a law firm as an assistant. For a while, his daily work involved collecting debts from creditors. He would call them daily, threatening, "Pay up, or you’ll be waiting for the cleanup crew!" in such a tone to pressure them for payment. He joined as an assistant hoping to learn, but no one taught him anything. Li Weimin realized this wasn’t sustainable, so he dedicated a year to hard study and passed the bar exam. Once he became a lawyer, he realized the bigger question: Where would his cases come from? That was the real key. Looking at other lawyers, he realized that a lawyer is essentially a high-level salesperson. Every time we switch jobs, we think we’re suited for it, but when we actually start, we find out we’re not. So we often lament, "Why is work never satisfying?" Therefore, before taking on a job, we must first gain a general understanding of it—what the job entails, its nature, and what kind of personality and talents are required for such a role. In other words, we need to know ourselves and the profession—understanding both our own strengths and the demands of the career.