Unlocking the keys to career happiness
One of the most rewarding aspects of my role at HR Source is selecting talent to join our team.
Because our mission and positive culture have supported strong employee retention, the opportunities to add new people are rare, and therefore especially important. During the final interviews for each position, I encourage candidates to ask questions that will help them determine if the position and our organization are right for them.
Frequently, interviewees ask what motivates me to stay at HR Source. I love this question! Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about my co-interviewer colleagues, our future team members, and even myself from the lively conversation it prompts. In the best cases, candidates light up when they hear the various reasons and they often provide additional commentary related to their personal experiences and interest in the open position.
A recent article in article in Fast Company by author and business coach Julian Lighton caused me to reflect more deeply on why this topic is so revealing. He notes that while the average person spends about a third of their lives — about 90,000 hours — working, many people are still dissatisfied with their career paths.
Lighton points to five common drivers that are critical to career happiness.
The first is to treat your career as a journey rather than a destination. This mindset allows you to focus on the present and savor each experience instead of believing there is some incredible outcome awaiting you in the future.
The second is to follow your own dreams, not someone else’s. If your parents always wanted an attorney in the family, that’s their dream, and not necessarily yours to fulfill. Going after extrinsic motivators like money and titles often leads to short-lived satisfaction. By pursuing your own goals and using your own unique gifts, your chances of true fulfillment are enhanced.
The third driver involves time, a limited commodity for all of us. Learning to say yes and no to the right things at the right times is more art than science, but your personal satisfaction and contentment depend on it. After their kids have grown up and left for college, many people realize how much of their lives they missed out on because work took priority.
The fourth driver relates to sharing your career journey. Most people don’t enjoy the same satisfaction from achieving their goals alone as they do from sharing their success and accomplishments with others. Building and nurturing relationships with co-workers, industry colleagues, leaders, and direct reports significantly boosts career satisfaction.
Finally, taking time to appreciate the journey and expressing gratitude along the way makes the ride even sweeter. Again, waiting for retirement or some illusionary finish line to reap the rewards of your hard work is more a fictional concept than reality.
While I’ve been in HR for almost four decades, interviewing never gets old. The chance to meet new people, hear about their experiences, and learn about their aspirations is always interesting.
When a candidate inquires why I stay at HR Source, I take the opportunity to share key elements of my career and how they’ve led to much happiness along the way. By focusing on the five drivers outlined above, I hope you’re just as successful in achieving satisfaction in your own unique journey.
• Mary Lynn Fayoumi is president and CEO of HR Source in Downers Grove.