On Friday, I shared the first of a few myths around job search, quoted from articles by famous author, Po Bronson.  Here are two more for you to ponder, along with some some thoughts of my own:

Myth 3:  Your Dream Job Has No Sucky Parts:

“I call this the Fallacy of Intrinsic Fit.  There’s this notion that you should love the mere act of what you do so much that just by virtue of it being Monday morning and you’re at work, neurotransmitters of joy will drip on your brain all day.  That is not how real people do it.  All jobs have things you hate about them.  But real people feel fulfilled enough by the overall purpose that the crummy parts are worth it.”

I’m in agreement with most of what Bronson has to say here.  Where I differ is that I feel he makes the assumption that the overall purpose is evident in every job.  This is a stretch to say the least.  Both the employer and employee need to know what the greater purpose is, and why their “sucky work” will help them achieve something great.

Myth 4:  You’ll Love The Job For The Job:  

“There’s an old parable about the three bricklayers who are working all morning.  When they get a break, one guy asks the other two, ‘Why are you doing this job?’  The first guy says, ‘I’m doing it for the wages.’  The second guy says, ‘I’m doing it for my wife and kids.’  The third guy looks up at what they’ve been building — a church, a place to get in touch with one’s highest self — and says, ‘I’m helping to build a cathedral.’  Most people hear this parable, and they think the third guy has the right answer.  But that is not the lesson of the parable.  All three men have a sense of purpose — a ‘cathedral,’ if you will, whether it be spirituality or family or self-sufficiency. They’re all good.  They’re all ‘right’ answers.  The real lesson of the parable:  Notice what no man answered.  Not one said, ‘I just love laying bricks.’  Doing something for the sheer love of it is not what real people mean when they say their work provides a sense of purpose.”

They may all be “right answers,” but not all the answers will sustain a person’s spirit and soul for a long period of time.  To sustain over time, we need to know what greater goals the person has, and what greater goals the company has.