Some people fill the world with silly love songs, wrote Paul McCartney. As a career coach, I wish they did not, at least when it came to falling in love with a certain company. I am alarmed by the number of clients who come to me with certainty about how perfect a specific company is for them. How magical it would be to work for that company. How no other company could come close.
Welcome to the “company crush.”
It could be Google, Apple, Tesla, Coke, Disney, Zara, and the list goes on. It’s the weirdest epidemic I’ve seen among job seekers. I have one client who literally stalked a CEO of a boutique urban planning firm. She met him at a museum fundraiser and then waited until every last handshake had been made, before telling him she was madly in love with his company.
He graciously gave her his business card and said, “Call HR.” Apparently, that meant they were engaged (her and the company, that is). After doing everything short of flame throwing, she finally got put off firmly and permanently with a formal letter telling her there were no openings and not likely to be any…ever.
When she got an offer from a giant in the same industry? Nah. She was not really interested.
That’s the problem when you think there’s “the one.” You feel let down when you get let down. And, it’s as hard to recover from a company crush, as it is when a personal one says no.
Whether it’s a life partner or an employer: I promise you. There is not one. There are many suitable, exciting, and lucrative ways to go about fulfilling your dreams.
Don’t get stuck on one anything until you have a contract for life. Not one cereal. Not one company. Not one career.
You will have between five and seven careers in your life – not jobs, careers. You may live as long as 125 years, if your DNA, sleeping habits and science are on your side.
There’s a lot of living to do.
Don’t get stuck.
Don’t fall in love with one version of yourself.
You have many dimensions, some actualized already and some you don’t even know about yet. Explore all the avenues possible, as your career and job seeking take you past your comfort zone or what I now call your “know-zone.”
Don’t rely on your imagination, because it’s likely too narrow and uninformed about the whole world of possible places, accomplishments and success you can enjoy. Feed your imagination by reading investment sites and academic publications that cover subjects and industries you don’t already know about.
Don’t just dream big. Don’t just dream deeply.
Dream wide.
