Career Myths You Should Probably Stop Believing Part 2

“There is one perfect job for me.”

“I will love everything about my “Dream Job”.

“Once I land my Dream Job and earn $x, I’ll be happy”

“I just need to find my passion”

These are the career myths we debunked last week.

They are just a few of several career myths that have stymied the progress of many a career professional.

The fact is, they don’t have to.

Let’s take a look at a few more career myths and why you probably should stop believing them.

Myth #5 – “I must know what I want to do with my life before I start my career”.

While this is preferrable, it’s common to find that a lot of people didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives before they started working. A lot still don’t. It’s something they will need to discover.

Having a career plan is great. However, some people don’t start off with having one. What is important is to have a career goal. Goals are shorter term, but just like the plan, they will give direction and help guide how you make your career decisions.

If you have worked at a job for a while and now want more for yourself, start by determining what you mean by “more”. It could be more money, more work flexibility, more responsibility, an opportunity to lead a team, or a different career entirely. This would help make your next steps clearer.

If you’re after your first job, your focus should be building experience and learning vital skills that will set you up for a successful career. Money or working with a strong brand are important but if they are the driving force behind the jobs you pursue, you may miss out on great opportunities that may have brought you the same results.

?Those that do this have probably fallen for another career myth…

?Myth #6 – “My first job must be with a strong brand because it will affect the rest of my career”.

Your first job is important for many reasons and should be chosen with care. It can determine your career trajectory and set a strong foundation for career success. It can teach you great work ethics and habits.

The fact is, not everyone would have the privilege of working with a recognized brand. Does this then mean it is the end of their career story? Methinks not!

There are many successful entrepreneurs or career professionals who will tell you they got their start from very humble beginnings. It’s possible they worked harder, made more sacrifices, fought more psychological and emotional battles, and had a fair bit of what some would call “luck” along the way than those who started off working with the big brands.

However, when you are intentional about your personal growth and development, being current on your skills and building the right relationships, you stand as much of a chance as anyone of having a fulfilling career. Besides, success is defined differently by different people.

Myth #7 – “I have to match Every. Single. Job requirement”.

There is no denying that the closer you match the requirements for a job, the more likely you are to be selected for it.

But can I tell you something? When it comes down to it, the people that get the job are not always the most qualified, they are the most memorable; the ones that stay in the interview panel’s minds long after they leave the room.

When organisations set criteria for the best candidate for a role, they have in mind an “ideal” candidate. However, smart hiring managers know that the person they eventually choose may not align with every single requirement and are happy to interview people who match most of the requirements and in whom they can see the potential of being an asset to the organisation.

A lot also depends on the kind of job it is. If it’s one where technical skills are more important that interpersonal skills, one where success on the role doesn’t depend on how much Emotional Intelligence or Political Intelligence you have, but how well and fast you get the job done, the requirements would matter more. For example, we find technology professionals who work on project basis. They get the brief, execute within the agreed timelines, and get paid. They work well and they work alone. The game changes if they move to the workplace, though.

Myth #8 – “I won’t get hired because I lack experience or have gaps in my work history”.

Errm…no.

In my experience, the greatest impediments of those who have this mindset are one, well, their mindsets, two, their understanding of what “lack experience” means and three, not being intentional about their work gaps.

A defeatist mindset means you will always see yourself as disadvantaged. You lose the battle without even fighting in the war. Focus on what you do have and understand which opportunities to pursue. Instead of looking at jobs that require much more than what you have, look at those that match or slightly exceed your current skill level and chart your path to closing the gap.

If you believe you lack experience, it may be true, but, be sure of the kind of experience you mean. A fresh graduate in the job market may not have formal work experience (contrary to popular belief, employers do know this!) but they have been involved in different activities that have taught them skills relevant in the workplace; leadership skills from organising class programmes, people and project management skills from group projects, oral communication skills from speaking and presenting on different stages to different audiences (classmates, lecturers). Need I go on? When they are able to articulate this in an interview, getting the job becomes easier.

I agree that there is some default thinking about career gaps and how it questions how up to date a person’s skills are. These can be resolved in many cases through a focus on gaining knowledge through learning or skills through volunteer activities and entrepreneurial attempts.

Myth #9 – “I will automatically become a leader at work after several years of working”.

Leadership is not a skill that will suddenly come to you as long as you do your job well and get promoted. Just like any other skill, leadership is something that you need to work on and practice.

Year of experience won’t matter if it’s all about the quantity and not the quality of those years. Exposure matters. Intentionality matters. Professional development matters. The chances you take on yourself matter. Mentorship and coaching matter. You should never expect to adopt a leader’s mindset without acting like a leader even if it means you risk opening yourself up to failure. Lead yourself first. Your attitude to those “failures”, taking responsibility for them and using them to move forward is what builds a leadership mindset and that is what gets you noticed for promotions.

?You can be a leader in different contexts, but mind that you don’t fall prey to the last myth we will be talking about…

Myth #10 – “As a professional, my ultimate career goal is to own my own business”.

Many people view working on their own as the zenith of their career journey.?When it is at some vague distant point in the future, it has huge appeal. However, the closer the prospect gets, and they consider the realities of self-employment – uncertainty, insecurity, unpredictable income, and discomfort – the appeal significantly decreases.

The fact is self-employment is not the opposite of being an employee and while each of them have advantages over the other, they can dwell harmoniously together or be experienced separately at different stages of a professional’s life cycle.

An entrepreneurial mindset is the key factor and one every professional should bring to the job. According to aofund.org, these include:

• A Positive Mental Attitude
• A Creative Mindset
• Persuasive Communication Ability
• Intrinsic Motivation and Drive
• Tenacity and an Ability to learn from failure

Have a sense of ownership in whichever role you play. See yourself as critical to the success of that role or business and use available resources to perform maximally and deliver results.

Just like everyone is different, experiences are as unique as the people who have them. Give yourself every chance to get the career you want and believe more in yourself than in any career myth.

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