Blog Post: Nine Years of Lessons for Employers and Job Seekers

Today marks the 9th anniversary of my joining Jobing.com.  Wow!  It’s been a wild ride with many highs and numerous lows.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything!  I’m just amazed I lasted this long… You see, job longevity isn’t really fashionable anymore.  My grandparents’ generation typically worked for the same company for 20 or 30 years and then retired.  My parents’ generation typically worked for 2 or 3 companies in that same timeframe.   But the reality for my generation is that it just doesn’t seem to work like that anymore.  Most of my friends have held multiple jobs – even in just the past 5 years.    It’s what they’ve had to do to “get ahead” or “get away from that jerk boss I had.” 

So, as I drove in to the office this morning, I began thinking about those 9 years and how I came to spend one quarter of my life at one company, bucking the trend.   As I examined the answer to that question, I found several great takeaway points for job seekers and employers alike.  While not an all-inclusive list, these are the biggest and most important.

1.     Deep, personal connection to the mission of the business
A large part of what attracted me to Jobing.com in the first place was our mission:  to connect local employers with local job seekers.  That’s a pretty important mission, and it’s the mission that I have dedicated the majority of my working life to.  In fact, I felt it so important that I took a sizeable pay cut to come to work for Jobing.com.

What Employers can learn from this – the majority of your employees don’t only show up for a paycheck.  They come to work (read: they leave their families and everyone they love each day) to perform meaningful work that aligns with their core values.  If your business exists solely to make YOU money, your turnover will be high and your recruitment efforts endless.  If, on the other hand, you have a clear mission and an ethical method to execute towards that mission, you will generate greater employee loyalty – even if you pay less than the competition.  See also: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. 

What Job Seekers can learn from this – you might be job hopping because all you’re looking at is a paycheck.  Why work somewhere for $10,000 a year more when you are miserable every day, hate your boss, or feel the mission and/or methods of the business are completely incongruent with your personal core values?  Remember this:  people who are GREAT at what they do, be it actors, singers, athletes, sales people, janitors, post masters, truck drivers, customer service people, retail workers, or ditch diggers – all kinds of greatness – LOVE what they do and they BELIEVE in it.  Ultimately – and you might not believe me here – people who do what they LOVE invariably end up being GREAT at it and, subsequently, are far more likely to make the money they want to make doing it.  See also: Pursue the Passion.

2.     Total commitment to me, and freedom to fail.
I’ve been blessed with leaders who are fully committed to my success - so much so that I place the trust for my career in their hands without worry.  I know that at the end of the day, our management team believes in me and is 100% behind me even if I fail – and I have done so spectacularly at times.  I always learn from it and some of the lessons have been painful.  But I’ve never been truly fearful of my job when I fail while trying to do right by a client or our business.  (Note:  “freedom to fail”  does not justify incompetence or intentional failure)

What Employers can learn from this – Your employees watch every decision you make, much like your children watch and learn from everything you do or say in their presence.  Make sure they know you are committed to their success and helping them achieve their life’s goals, even those goals don’t fit neatly into your corporate policy manual.  Bigger than this, your employees are not robots.  They are human and they WILL fail – the only question is when and in what manner.  Heck, even robots break down.  Feel free to use failure of all types as a coaching opportunity and take the time to show the employee they have the freedom to fail so long as they learn and grow from it.  It’s a powerful trust building and employee loyalty tool – and the best part is that it is FREE!  See also:Stephen M.R. Covey The Speed of Trust.

What Job Seekers can learn from this – You cannot and will not be perfect in any job in which you serve.  I’ve been here 9 years and by many people’s accounts, I’m a functional expert within our company.  I still mess up.  Frequently.   And sometimes I question just how much of an “expert” I am.  But that doesn’t stop me from reaching for excellence or asking for help when I need it.  Get over your fear of failure and take some risks (within the rules of course!).  See also:  Jim Collins - Good to Great

3.     Opportunity to learn, grow, and earn.
As stated before, those who are employed within their core values, abilities, and talents, tend to perform far better and longer than those who simply choose a paycheck.  When I found Jobing.com, I was working for a good, stable company, making decent money,  and liked what I was doing.  What was missing was the opportunity for me to grow within the business – I get bored easily and require frequent challenges or changes, and I got more than I bargained for at Jobing.com!  Recognizing this need, my management has seen to it that I’ve served in several (8 if I count correctly) different capacities within Jobing.com in 9 years.  Sure that’s a little radical example, but we are, after all, a fast-growth company (having made it to the Inc. Magazine list of 500 fastest growing private companies in the U.S. 3 years in a row)  It’s been my pleasure to serve in each capacity through our start-up.  As we've grown, so have my level of responsibility and earnings. I wanted opportunity.  I found it – and continue to find it – at Jobing.com.

What Employers can learn from this – challenge your best players frequently.  Allow them the freedom to roam a bit outside their “job description.”  Involve them in discussions that you normally would not involve them in – just to let them share their thoughts and opinions.  Charge them with special projects outside their area of responsibility – but within their areas of interest and excitement – and watch them deliver spectacularly!  See also:  Markus Buckingham First Break All the Rules.

What Job Seekers can learn from this – I don’t know of many people who say “I want to stay in this boring, dead-end job, never learn anything, and never be challenged at all.”  If you are one of those people, then skip the rest of this paragraph (or the blog for that matter) and get back to your TPS report cover sheets.  :)

For those of you still with me – opportunity abounds in a down economy.  Jobing.com launched only 1 month before the“dot com bubble” burst and a year before the start of the 2001 recession.  Less than 6 months later we were hit with 9/11 and we continued to grow and innovate. Trust me - I know what "fear for your job" is.  I was the guy responsible for sales and service to our Hotel, Retail, and Restaurant sectors back then.  I just didn't let it paralyze me and I siezed the opportunity to really service my clients.

While jobs may be more scarce than they were a couple years ago, there are still HUNDREDS on Jobing.com right here in Houston.  You may also find this is a great time to beef up your skills or education to prepare you for the next step in your career, whether it is with your current employer or somewhere else.  Or, perhaps it might be time for you to start that business you've been thinking about.  Many incredibly successful companies were founded during recessions. 

In closing – it’s been a fabulously difficult, challenging, exciting, and invigorating nine years for me here at Jobing.com.  I intend to spend the next 9 here growing the business, leading and executing our strategy to fulfill our mission, and paying it forward to those who work with and for me here at this wonderful little home I’ve helped to build – Jobing.com.

My sincerest and deepest “ thank you” to Aaron, Brian M., Rebecca, Randy, Nicole, Brian E., Jon, Kristen, Gregg, my clients, family, friends, coworkers and all those who’ve made it possible and wonderful for me.  Here’s to another 9.