Life Lessons from Career Compatibility
Compatibility is important in relationships, in friendships, and it’s also important in your career. While I maintain that “follow your heart” is terrible career advice, ensuring that there is some compatibility between who you are and what you do, is essential.
There is a strategy that I often advise my mentees to use to position themselves as a top candidate during an interview. It’s called mission calling and it is simply the practice of referencing an organization's mission, vision, or values in answering questions. You know the mission—the statement in italics posted on their website in the About Us section. As a job candidate, you want to mission call the organization and speak to how the values of the organization align and are compatible with you, your work, your experiences, and your skillset. You want to highlight your personal approaches and experiences that demonstrate how compatible you would be within the organization.
You can only do this when you are applying to jobs that are aligned with your own values and interests and it only works if there is authenticity on both sides.
The next time you’re stuck at work or interviewing for a new position, take a minute to determine the level of career compatibility. Do some mission calling and assess how compatible you are with your career and your employer. If you find that compatibility does exist, then consider letting me mentor you.