The Work-Life Equation Chapter 3: What is a job, anyway?

“What is a job?”

I sometimes ask people this question and when I do, I usually get a response like “the stuff I do at work that I get paid for.” When I ask people to take pay out of the equation and tell me what a job is, or to tell me what they look for when job hunting besides pay and benefits, I usually get blank stares or a short answer like “when I look for a job, I guess I’m looking for something I like to do or something that feels fulfilling.”

It’s funny to me that I can ask this same sort of question to someone who’s house hunting or car shopping... “so what are you looking for in your new car?” I don’t get short answers or blank stares but rather a 5-minute detailed explanation:

• My last car was in the repair shop all the time. I really want something ultra-reliable with an extended warranty.
• It must have a lot of leg room up front. Hey, I’m tall… I need my space!
• I drive 20 miles to work each day so I want something that gets good gas mileage. Maybe a hybrid or an electric vehicle.
• I need a technology package with a top of the line audio system and Mirrorlink.
• It must have a big trunk or cargo space. I’m always transporting stuff for events and I gotta have room for my golf clubs on the weekend.
• We get a lot of bad weather up this way so I really want all wheel drive and a 5-Star safety rating.
• Sunroof. It must have a sunroof or a drop top with red leather interior.
• Vintage looking, classy, and unique!

Photo courtesy of BBC TopGear “Dark heart rising: Mercedes Bent”

You’re laughing inside a little, but it’s true. People have a clear vision of what they want in a new car or a new house, but when you start talking about jobs, it’s like a big black box and nobody knows what's inside. Starting today, we’re going to fix that!

Before we jump in, let’s circle back to the simple “when I look for a job, I guess I’m looking for something I like to do or something that feels fulfilling” answer. Dissect and analyze that response. We start to see a job is more to people than just what work they do; it’s about an experience. I believe people want to have a positive experience and do work they enjoy while being fulfilled. And that’s really how I want people to view and think about jobs- as rewarding, fulfilling work experiences. Remember what we covered in Chapter 2 as we talked about "fit". You will spend way more time doing your job each day than driving your car so make sure that work experience is something you can get excited about!

One hundred years ago, a car was just a means of transportation that came with a gasoline engine, 2 doors and 4 tires. It came in one style and one color. Now look at cars today and listen to how people talk about cars. Cars are made to create unique experiences to match people’s needs and preferences. And just like your car of choice, there’s A LOT that goes into jobs to create that total experience. So much in fact I’m not going to be able to cover it all in one chapter this week. So, let's get started with Part 1 and talk about jobs!

The “Book” Answer

In its most basic book definition, a job is a collection of specific work activities performed by a worker in exchange for compensation. The worker contributes labor and expertise to help an employer achieve its business goals. Stated another way, jobs are the foundations of the employment exchange: my time and efforts engaged in work for an employer, in exchange for a set of “rewards”.

Clear as mud, right? 

The “Work-Life” Answer 

While a job does consist of “a collection of specific work activities” and that sounds simple enough, there is so much more that goes into a job than one would expect. In the HR world, all that “stuff” is defined by a job analysis and is documented in a job description. And a job description is what you “see” on a vacancy announcement/ job posting/ job advertisement. That's the thing you read when browsing jobs on Indeed, Linkedin, Dice, Career Builder, Monster, etc. Let’s take a few minutes to walk through all the things you might see on a job advertisement and everything else that make up a job.

Photo courtesy of NPAworldwide

Title- Yes believe it or not, title is part of a job. When you’re at a party and someone asks you “so what do you do?” you would likely respond by saying, “oh, I’m a (fill in the blank).” Most times, giving a title is enough to give people some indication of the kind of work you do. Accountant, Firefighter, Police Officer, Engineer, Judge, Human Resources Generalist, etc. Titles also come with modifiers and can shed light on elements of training or status. If you were to tell someone you’re a “Junior Accountant” that would infer your new to the field, but as a “Senior Accountant” you’d be considered more of a seasoned expert. Titles are also sometimes used to convey rank or hierarchy within an organization, particularly in government and public safety jobs. General Hawk, Captain America, Lieutenant Uhura… you get the picture. 

And if you don’t think titles are important, try telling someone their title is being changed from Director of Marketing to Senior Marketing Specialist. No change in pay. No change in duties. Just a title change. Sounds harmless, right? Not! Inside, that person will feel like they just got demoted. Titles matter.

Duties - These are all the different tasks or activities one must perform on the job. Preparing financial reports; cleaning the restrooms and office suite; developing lesson plans; supervising a team of analysts are all examples of activities one would be expected to perform, depending on the job. I should emphasize not to assume that the duties of jobs within the same title are similar. Try searching on Human Resources Analyst on Indeed and read some of the job activities listed in different job postings. You’ll find everything from preparing EEO reports to writing job descriptions to leading benefit open enrollment efforts. Titles can be misleading so don’t assume what duties you’ll actually be performing in a job.

The same is true in terms of “task variety”. One HR Analyst job may be fairly vanilla; you’re expected to do the same activity, like reviewing job applications, over and over each day. Another HR Analyst job might be more complex. Every day is different and brings new challenges from writing job descriptions to recruiting to dealing with employee relations issues to facilitating training. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but you may have a preference. Know the difference and if it's not clear in the job description... ask!

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)- Another part of a job you will see listed on a job description are requirements in the form of KSAs. These are internal “tools” one needs in order to perform the activities of the job. For example, a teacher must have knowledge of pedagogy, the discipline that deals with the theory and practice of teaching and how these influence student learning. An Accountant must have knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures (GAAP). A Statistician needs skill using a statistical software package like SPSS, SAS, or R. The knowledge, skills and abilities required for each job are directly tied to the major work activities/ duties to be performed and they should be the basis on which selection procedures are created. And every job has a unique set of skills which are needed for success. Some KSAs can be learned on the job, while in other cases they need to be mastered before starting the job on day one. Anyone want to be the lucky person who gets rescued from a car accident by a Firefighter who hasn't mastered CPR or first aid?

Photo courtesy of Firehouse.com Glenn Ellman/FortWorthFire.com

Along this vein is the topic of education. Like certifications which we will discuss next, some jobs require specific education or degree requirements which provide the foundational body of knowledge needed to do the work. These are generally limited to highly scientific, intellectual or professional roles like doctors, lawyers, psychologists, engineers, professors, biologists and other scientists. Not every job needs a degree requirement. There are lots of extremely important, high paying jobs out there that don’t require a four-year Bachelor degree which are vital to our economy and way of life. Electrician is a hot one that comes to mind. As do countless information technology and cyber security positions where foundational KSA’s can be acquired by attending training boot camps. 

Licensing and Certifications- Some jobs require government regulated licensure and certification. Worker can’t legally perform their jobs without the proper credentialing which certifies that they possess the knowledge and skills to perform the essential functions of the job. LPNs, RNs, Mental Health Counselors, Police Officers, Paramedics, and General Construction Contractors are just a few examples of occupations which require credentialing. In some cases, certifications are not required by law but are generally expected in the profession to validate that one possesses the foundational knowledge and skills to perform the occupation. Project Management Professional (PMP), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Professional Engineer (PE), Facility Management Professional (FMP), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) are all examples of common certifications which are often preferred in their respective occupation.

Tools, Technology and Equipment- Just about every job requires the worker to use tools, technology and software to perform different tasks. In skilled labor trades, it’s not uncommon for employers to provide tools or pay allowances to buy tools and equipment. For many professional office jobs, you can expect a laptop, phone and the Microsoft Office suite of products as standard issue. You may or may not have a mobile phone or tablet provided and in some cases you could be expected to use your own devices. Some jobs provide cars or trucks so workers can travel to their client’s businesses to do work. In my line of work, access to data and research are key and I’m lucky enough to have access to a consortium of libraries. It’s so empowering to have access to the information you need to do your job.

Don’t underestimate how much tools and technology can enable or be a hindrance to the work that you will do. It’s not a coincidence Gallup has an engagement element (Q2) focused on this very subject. With the right tools available, employees are empowered to do good work. Without them, workers find frustration and are not enabled to meet their goals.  

That’s it for this week’s edition of the Work-Life Equation. Stay Tuned next week for Chapter 3- What is a job, anyway? Part 2. We’re just getting warmed up!