Imagine landing your dream job, only to discover it's not what you expected. The reality of workplace challenges, toxic environments, and unmet expectations can turn dreams into nightmares. Let's delve into this paradox and explore potential coping strategies.
What happens when you land your dream job but it turns out to be anything but
We’re told to follow our passions in our careers, but what happens when the job you’ve clamoured for is mired in drudgery?
- People land jobs in data science and artificial intelligence expecting to create brilliant algorithms that will solve big problems, but end up performing menial data collection and cleaning tasks.
- The excitement of working for a startup loses its lustre with difficult and boring work often outside an employee’s primary areas of interest.
What employers can do
Employers can stop this vicious cycle by providing realistic job previews
- They should provide an honest balance of the glamorous and less glamorous aspects of the job
- Allow employees to help craft their job descriptions and create new opportunities
- Hiring managers should exercise caution when listing “passion” as a job requirement
‘Glossy work’ is lacklustre
Glossy work is a gap between expectations and the day-to-day reality of jobs
- For employees, the glossy work dissonance can spur attempts to change the actual job, frustration and a quick exit from the position, and dilemma about how to present the work and themselves to the world
Glossing over mundane work
Presenting themselves differently depending on who you’re talking to can mean anyone who is not an insider ends up with a partial or biased view of the work.
- Potential employees can get around this by doing more careful research on the true nature of the jobs they’re considering taking.
