What Is The Right Role for Me (Right Now)?

by Joe Wilding, 6/16/23

Have you been chasing a job or career path, but never seem to be satisfied with the right fit? Maybe you can perfectly describe your “dream” job, but a new role never seems to measure up to your expectations. We often fixate on what we think we want: an impressive title, a big salary, or maybe a position in a world-famous organization. The reality of a role is much more complicated and nuanced than just these headlining metrics.  This post will help you identify what is really important to you in a new role which will provide for better decisions when choosing the next opportunity.

The method starts with a framework that surfaces all the aspects of a role which impact your total experience. Once defined, we use introspection and reflection to work through what really matters to us and how that can help us make the best career decision.

Let’s dive into the three categories of the framework.

Category 1: Strategic Aspects of the Role

This category is all about the high-level mission of the company or organization. What does the company do? What is the “product”?  Who is the customer? What is the motivation of the company? How does the current product fit into the company's long term goals? 

The SpaceX mission offers a clear, concise example of this. In the near term, SpaceX is a rocket company building technology and hardware that dramatically reduces the cost of delivering payload into orbit. The long term vision is to carry humans to Mars and beyond in an effort to make us a multi-planet species. This mission may or may not excite you, but there is little ambiguity about the end goal of the company's efforts.

Having a clear understanding of the company’s long-term mission, you can envision how your personal mission and values fit with these organizational goals. You can also consider how you might rank the importance of personal/organizational mission alignment.

Category 2: Tactical Aspects of the Role

This category zooms in on your specific place within the bigger organization. What will I do in the role? What does my day-to-day look like? What is the job description? Would I be a manager or individual contributor? What am I responsible for? Who would I report to? Does anyone report to me? Where do I physically find myself most of the time–behind a computer? In a conference room? On Zoom? In a lab? At a customer or vendor site? What kind of tasks am I assigned–am I designing? Analyzing? Researching? Writing? Managing? What is the makeup of my team–How large? What levels of experience? What resources does it have? Is it an internal team or am I working with partners/stakeholders outside the company? What is the expectation for travel, and is that a burden or a perk? How many hats do I wear? Do I like all the hats? How long do I get to (or have to) wear all those hats?

This category also includes most of the role aspects that can be quantified. A few examples include the compensation and benefits, the vacation policy, and the expectation on remote working. Stock options and bonus programs also fall in the tactical category.

All of these details have a strong impact on your personal experience in the role. And just like the mission category, there is no “best” formula for all of these details. The key is to determine the mix that allows you to be most productive and provides the most personal satisfaction and growth.

Category 3: Situational Aspects of the Role

This category is the most vague of the three. Answers to the first two categories can often be found in the job posting or during an interview. Because this third category can be more nuanced, it is often overlooked relative to the other two.

A great example in this category is the company culture or values. An organization might have a cultural guide or document, and they might even share it with you. But in reality, culture is not in a shared document or written on the wall. Culture is defined by how the organization actually operates and the atmosphere within the walls. This is best discovered through direct experience. But you can often gather evidence through the interview process and by talking to members of the team.

Another example in this category is the opportunity for career advancement either within or beyond the organization. Is there a clear development path for you in the coming years? Will the role set you up for the future that you envision? Does the organization provide opportunities for mentorship and continued learning? 

Next, you can think about how empowered you will be in the role. Does the organization provide proper resources needed to perform one's job? This can include any combination of tools, software, expertise, working facilities, and company systems. Maybe the role involves setting these up for the first time. And if so, is there alignment on what is needed?

Are there any other “perks” of the job that are important to you? These could include company provided food or snacks, daycare options, or maybe the policy on personal/family leave. You might consider the social culture of the organization. How does the team celebrate wins? Do coworkers get together after hours? Does the company sponsor any events or activities?

I’ve listed just a few examples of the many aspects in this category. I suggest you spend some time contemplating this category, and which details matter to you.

I have these categories, Now what do I do with them?

Once you have this framework drafted (mentally or written) it is time to determine what really matters to you and how you prioritize each category. Consider what really gets you motivated. Does the idea of “changing the world” by bringing a new idea to market excite you? Or maybe your motivation is more tactical: the pride that comes from learning how to solve a hard problem or designing an elegant solution. Finally, the situational category might provide the most motivation and satisfaction for you: the love of team and the common bond that forms around everyone working together at peak performance and reaching the shared goal. 

At this point you are probably saying, “But I want all three of those!” This is quite normal. The three categories are not mutually exclusive, and for many, some balance of them is the best answer. Think of each one as a spectrum, with intensity knobs for each. However, it is rarely possible to find a role that achieves perfect balance between them. If you look closely, you might even find some contradictions between them. For example, a “world-changing mission” might be tied to a role you don’t enjoy, or a work-life balance that is not sustainable for you. Conversely, a role with the perfect culture and perks might not have a department that fits your desired career path.

I like to reflect on prior experiences for guidance. Which jobs or activities (which could also include school projects, volunteering, or hobbies) do you look back on with fond memories? And which details generate the biggest smile? Was it the end result? Was it the process? The team work? Did you grow or develop through it? Make a note of all the examples that come to mind. Then see if there is any pattern to them. Which role categories are most related to these examples? Envision what it would be like to recreate those experiences. Does that pull influence you to let go of some of the things lower on the list? 

I try to attempt this part of the exercise without reference to a new opportunity that might be in hand. As humans, we all have biases that cloud our judgment. For example, you might have a high-salary job offer, that might be a terrible career decision for many other reasons. In this situation, we might subconsciously change how we rank the various categories in an effort to make the new high-paying role rise to the top. My best advice is to go through this thought exercise before you start looking for a new role or have an offer in hand. Not only will any bias be in check, but it might alter and expand your path of exploration.

This exercise is best performed either on your own or with the input of a partner. This is the dilemma of getting career advice from others. They often will tell you what they would do. But you are your own person with your own motivations. You might also have different career or life goals, and some of these things are often not obvious. There is no “universally correct” way to rank or balance these categories. And while I recommend talking to others about their journey and hearing about their experiences,  you are the captain of your own ship. You will get the most out of your journey if you are plotting your own course rather than someone else's.

As a final note, be aware that your conclusions during this exercise will likely change over the course of your career. You are changing over this same period, as well as your place in the world, and those around you. Things like financial stability, the evolution of your family and/or friend groups, your level of professional competence, your world view, and your level of energy will continue to evolve.These aspects directly affect your view of each category. Even if you are fresh out of school, you can probably look back on your life to date and see how you had different priorities at a different stage. And that is not to say you were misguided at an early stage. Life is an evolution of personal change. I recommend repeating this exercise occasionally, especially if you are contemplating a change of role or direction. Sometimes we think we know exactly what we want next, but we are then surprised by the outcome when we pause to critically reflect on it. And those insights can make all the difference in life.

Click here for a free template to help organize your thoughts as you go through this exercise.