{"id":413,"date":"2016-10-13T23:08:14","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T23:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.paulgibbons.net\/?p=413"},"modified":"2016-10-13T23:09:43","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T23:09:43","slug":"7-myths-cognitive-biases-might-killing-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulgibbons.net\/oldsite\/7-myths-cognitive-biases-might-killing-career\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Myths and Cognitive Biases that Might be Killing Your Career?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Helping people find careers they love sometimes means helping them get out of their own way. \u00a0These seven career myths and cognitive biases are the most damaging. Which might be getting in your way?<\/p>\n

This summary of career myths is from\u00a0Reboot Your Career, <\/em>co-authored with Tim Ragan, and\u00a0<\/em>available end-September 2016. \u00a0The article first appeared in the excellentDialogue Review<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n

Cognitive biases and career myths<\/h2>\n

Myth 1: <\/b>\u201cYour path in life will suddenly reveal itself to you in a flash of insight\u2026\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Perhaps, but usually not. Most people learn what they like and dislike through a certain amount of trial and error, and \u2018course-correcting\u2019 along life\u2019s way. Keep in mind that the road to career happiness is usually full of bumps, curves and tangents rather than a straight, direct path. Waiting for a flash of inspiration can be a way of self-sabotaging yourself. As they say in Catalonia, \u201cCaminante, no hay camino. Camino se hace en andar<\/em>.\u201d (Traveller, there are no paths, paths are made by walking.) So get walking and stop waiting.<\/p>\n

Myth\u00a02: “<\/em><\/b>Great careers the\u00a0product of luck, being in the right place at the right time\u2026\u201d<\/b>\u00a0Here there is a grain of truth. But I believe (as did Gary Player) that \u201cthe harder you practice, the luckier you get\u201d.\u00a0The name of the game in today\u2019s crowded and networked world is what I\u00a0call \u2018managed serendipity\u2019<\/strong> and that means putting yourself in positions where you are likely to \u2018get lucky\u2019.\u00a0In this regard, most people will benefit from a strategy and a plan.<\/p>\n

Myth 3: \u201cIt is the job\u2026\u201d<\/strong> If you are unhappy at work, it may be the job, or more exactly, how your personality, skills or values fit the job, since some people presumably enjoy it. However, sometimes it is not the job, it is you. Some people lack the psychological equipment or skills to be satisfied (and there is a genetic component to happiness). Others may have difficulty forming harmonious relationships with people. If you fall into one of these categories, you will bounce from job to job with the same lack of fulfillment \u2013 as they say in Zen, \u201cwherever you go, there you are\u2026\u201d Nothing is more depressing than making the same mistake over and over again, changing jobs because you are unhappy, then finding yourself more<\/strong> unhappy (because you’ve tried one more change that didn’t work.)\u00a0If you might fall into one of these categories, get some counselling, it can make a huge difference with an issue that might well follow you around for life.<\/p>\n

Myth 4: \u201cI\u2019ve come this far\u2026\u201d<\/b>\u00a0In economics, this is called the \u201csunk-cost fallacy\u201d, and it keeps people in bad jobs, relationships, and investments for longer than they should stay. Sure, if you are highly specialized and in the final years of your career, then your ability to \u2018pivot\u2019 your career will be somewhat constrained. But if you are in your thirties, the notion is faintly ridiculous. As Nietzsche said,\u00a0\u201cMany are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 You want to be stubborn with regard to the goal, but flexible with regard to the path.<\/p>\n

Myth 5<\/b>:\u00a0\u201cThere is one perfect job for me\u2026\u201d<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0There is usually more “juice” in making the most of where you are, than torturing yourself with the question of whether you are in the right place. \u00a0I’ve known people who (despite being in great jobs) always think the grass is greener – this is a guarantee of unhappiness. \u00a0The simmering dissatisfaction also costs them performance and productivity. \u00a0Many roads lead to Rome, and life is full of \u2018side-constraints\u2019 that mean trade-offs have to be made. Your goal at any stage should be to make the most of where you are, and if moving, take the \u2018next best step\u2019 that you believe helps you move smartly towards your overall goal.<\/p>\n

Myth 6: \u201cMy early career choice\u00a0should use\u00a0my college degree\u2026\u201d<\/b>\u00a0After a certain age, nobody cares. Even right after college, only about one quarter of college grads work in an area related to their major. As a general rule, employers care more about the quality of the university, and the difficulty of your major (say chemistry versus media studies), than they do about the specifics of your knowledge.<\/p>\n

Myth 7: \u201cHunting is a numbers game.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>It is and it isn\u2019t. You may certainly, at some stage, send out a lot of queries and applications, but well-targeted ones are where the gold is. When this author was applying for jobs in his \u2018sweet spot\u2019, about 80% of his applications produced an interview. A shotgun approach may not yield even one interview in 100 applications.<\/p>\n

Ask your self the hard questions – the only way to get out of your own way, is to understand what aspects of your mindset might be holding you back.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m an author whose \u201cbeat\u201d is helping business leaders use science and philosophy to make better strategic decisions, implement change, innovate, change culture, and create workplaces where talent flourishes.\u00a0 My most recent book, The Science of Organizational Change has been hailed as \u201cthe most important book on change in fifteen years.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

My co-author, Tim Ragan, is founder\/ CEO of Career Constructors who specialize in career coaching, career development, and career asessment. Before that, Tim was\u00a0a strategy consultant, business operator, facilitator, researcher, and author.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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Helping people find careers they love sometimes means helping them get out of their own way. \u00a0These seven career myths and cognitive biases are the most damaging. Which might be getting in your way? This summary of career myths is from\u00a0Reboot Your Career, co-authored with Tim Ragan, and\u00a0available end-September 2016. \u00a0The article first appeared in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11,41,27],"yoast_head":"\n7 Myths and Cognitive Biases that Might be Killing Your Career? - Paul Gibbons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These seven career myths and cognitive biases are the most damaging. 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