This famous quote by Confucius, âFind a job you enjoy, and youâll never work a day in your lifeâ has always been in the forefront of my mind for any job that I have ever applied for or company Iâve wanted to work with. Some people know from a very young age what they want to be when they grow up. Others are still trying to figure that out. Individuals like myself have tried different paths and then tried something completely different. Your dream job is a culmination of things. This Venn diagram shows exactly how to achieve your dream job. It is the perfect balance of doing what you love, what you are good at and what will pay you well. You will be happy, fulfilled and paid accordingly.
Pic. 1 (Pennyson)
Nowadays, many people no longer work for the same company for twenty plus years. In many industries, it is not considered an asset to have one job for a substantial amount of time. People should always consider diverse options for careers. I want to be able to say I love my job, I am my job, and it fulfills me and makes me a better individual. At any point in life, an individual should not settle just for a paycheck but should truly try to find something that fulfills them and helps to achieve a great work and life balance while doing some good for society. Working in almost every industry there is from retail at Best Buy as a sales supervisor to a messenger for a delivery company to a banker for Bank of America, I can honestly say that the best job that Iâve had is working at Best Buy. Retail is one of the worst industries; the hours are long, the pay is not adequate and there is never enough recognition for hard work. What I loved about Best Buy is how I was able to participate in different projects that let me help the community.
The first step in attaining your dream job is deciding what you want to do with your life. Iâve always known that I want to help people whether itâs by working in a soup kitchen serving food to the disadvantaged or cleaning up parks so children can have somewhere to play. Service has always been a part of my life. There are so many directions to take in the Hospitality Industry. Overall, I have always been an entrepreneur and would like to own my own establishment. Whether it is a hotel, restaurant or bakery, I want to own and work in it.
The position that I investigated was a General Manager position in a hotel. The General Manager is responsible for the successful operation and administration of all hotel departments. There has to be a continuous balance of all departments while focusing on providing an exceptional experience to every guest. The key to being a successful and profitable General Manager is to maximize profitability, maintain positive relationships with guests, employees and owners. The standards of a hotel must always be met with the highest level of service. While reading a listing for the General Manager position with the Hyatt, their ideal candidate is someone who âwill thrive in an environment of autonomy where they will run the hotel as if it is their own businessâ. The only way to be successful in an operation as such is to treat it as if it were your own. One thing I noticed with the La Quinta group is âin the event a guest complaint is received, the General Manager will personally respond to the guest to resolve the issue.â I think this is the highest and most personable way to be able to continue to meet the high standards of a brand. Personally, if I ever have a problem with an establishment, I want to know that there is a good faith effort made to resolve the issue as well as some sort of accountability being held by someone that is going to take ownership of the problem and find a solution for it.
Depending on the property, different hotels want different levels of experience. For example, the Hyatt requires a minimum of 10 years supervisory experience as well as only having this experience at a Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriot full-service hotel. The minimum education requirement is a Bachelorâs degree. A listing for La Quinta requires the General Manager to have a valid driverâs license and have access to a personal vehicle. Some perks are a competitive salary, a bonus that is up to 40% of salary that is payable twice a year. One thing that I did not know is that CPR and First aid certification is required. As far as salary, many properties do not list even a range; they just state that it is highly competitive, negotiable or dependent upon experience. Some of the listings that did list compensation were the Courtyard in Utah, which was $65,000 – $75,000 and a unique ranch resort in Texas for $80,000+.
According to Nelson (2013), there is a formula that will help you determine if you are heading down the right path toward your dream job. The formula âcalculates a confidence factor that is based on ten variables that represent fundamental aspects of doing just about any kind of paid work. Each variable is weighted based on its importance to your overall career decision with the understanding that not all aspects of a job are created equal and that life is full of tradeoffsâ. This is the formula: âCF = .2x(Compensation) + .15x(Satisfaction) + .15x(Opportunity) + .1x(Commitment) + .1x(Culture) + .1x(Health) + .05x(Location) + .05x(Teamwork) + .05x(Number of hats) + .05x(Business or retail)â. The higher of a percentage for the confidence factor, the better that career is suited for an individual. Each variable is assessed a percentage from 0% to 100% based on the individual and their feelings on each category. Although this formula is not an absolute science to figuring out what your dream job is exactly, it will push you in the right direction.
From this investigation I have learned that your dream job will not come to you overnight. You have to work hard towards it, put in the time, dedication and a lot of sacrifice to achieve it. I have also learned that every job may not be what it seems. You may see someone doing the job you think you want and be happy doing it but when you are the actual person in the role you end up feeling completely different about it. Every person is different and every situation is different. You may want to job shadow with someone or tryout some internships to see if you are a good fit for the position. The best advice anyone can receive is that education is extremely important regardless of the field of study chosen. Experience gets you so far; you definitely need education to back up your passion and expertise of a specific job. Take new and different classes to broaden your understanding of the world and of yourself. You may not know how great you are at something that you never even thought about. Experimenting can only help further your career.
References
Cibolo Creek Ranch, Marfa, TX.
www.cibolocreekranch.com
http://www.hospitalityonline.com/jobs/463809-general-manager
Courtyard Marriot, Aberdeen, MD.
www.marriot.com
http://www.hospitalityonline.com/jobs/415508-general-manager
Hyatt at Villa Christina, Atlanta, GA.
http://www.hospitalityonline.com/jobs/445025-general-manager
La Quinta Inns & Suites, Ventura, CA.
www.laquinta.com
http://www.hospitalityonline.com/jobs/464453-general-manager
Nelson, Brett. (2013). How To Find Your Dream Job. Forbes.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2013/02/28/how-to-find-your-dream-job/
Pennyson. (2012). What is your Dream Job? The Penniless Sonâs Business Web Magazine.
http://ringgoldatienza.com/blog/what-is-your-dream-job/