Destination Success: Too many choices can cause career change to balk

The economy is roaring along. Unemployment is at 3.9 percent, a 30-year low. Average wages are increasing. If the news is so good, why do you feel so bad? It could be that you have too many choices.

In the smorgasbord of the nationwide and Springfield job markets, potential job applicants may be becoming confused. They don't want to make the wrong choice, so they don't do anything. Or they make too many choices and begin to get a "job jumper's" resume.

For employers, this trend is troublesome. Candidates join up quickly and leave when their job turns out not to be a dream. Other candidates drag their feet thinking something better will come along.

Some companies are then forced to go with their No. 2 choice. No. 1 returns and the job already has been filled.

While the stats make this a job seeker's market, the reality is that you can't always land the job you want. In order to stay focused with cafeteria options, candidates need to remember:

A job isn't necessarily a career. When there are a lot of positions open in the marketplace, it is easy to jump for a higher pay, better benefits or the chance to make it big on dot-com stock options. Applicants need to think of their whole career and how this particular job will fit in. It is a variation on the "what I want to be when I grow up" question.

You have to ask yourself: Where do I want to be in 10 years? Will this job further my goals? Why am I accepting this position? It may be that the higher-paying position will get you short-term cash and a long-term headache. If you know what you want, you have a better chance of getting it.

There is no perfect job. Jaydean Miller, employment and training supervisor with Job Council of the Ozarks, puts it this way: "Sometimes having too many choices has led people to being too picky. I have a few people that are good, strong candidates who have been around here for a long time. When (job offers) come around for them, we see that they are turning them down. Sometimes they get too lofty. Some good candidates are cutting off their nose to spite their face."

A boom economy won't last forever. Does the word "recession" ring a bell? Right now, there are more employment choices out there. You can take advantage of the good times, but plan for the bad. In the job market, this means choosing a company with a proven track record that can ride the ups and downs of the economy.

Debbie Petersen is a staffing supervisor with Express Personnel Services and works in the temp and temp-to-perm field. "Some people have over-confidence that they can get the job they want when they want it. They let good opportunities slip by."

Establish your career priorities and stick to them. A good way to start is to list the top five priorities you would want in any job. It might be salary and benefits (set certain amounts), location, manager, promotional opportunity and office atmosphere. Within the categories that you have decided on (and yours will be different), you need to prioritize those which are required and those which are optional. You might, for example, have set a salary of $40,000 as a goal, but some of your benefits under this category would be optional.

When you receive a job offer, simply go back to your list of job preferences and check against it. If it meets those, go for it. If not, it is time to pass.

Choices come in the form of how one looks for a job as well. Should you go to the newspaper, go online, seek a recruiter or simply network? The answer is "yes" to all. During a job search, one needs to open up every avenue. Never choose one over the other. A searcher should spread his or her net as wide as possible.

The caveat is that when you are employed, you need to keep your search confidential. Be careful about who you talk to and never tell anyone at your current employer know that you are looking around. Choices are wonderful, but we want to make them for ourselves, not have them come in the form of a pink slip!

If you are focused, organized and have a realistic attitude, the choices will never be too many but just enough!

(Sinara Stull O'Donnell is a writer and professional speaker in the career arena through her company Sinara Speaks.)