Knowing Yourself: The Key to Longevity in Recruitment
One of my favourite bands is The Who. In the late 1990s, they made a film called Quadrophenia, which is all about the Mods and Rockers. The film focuses on a young Mod named Jimmy living in London and his search for self-worth and importance. The Mods and Rockers were two bitterly opposed teenage youth cultures. The Mods rode around on Italian-built scooters, Vespas and Lambrettas. When I was 18, I bought a Vespa 125, which I customised with mirrors, a backrest, etc., and I also bought an ex-American military parka coat. You would wear the parka over a sharp Italian suit, then jump onto your smart scooter and head off with your mates, suitably dressed to see what fun and mischief you could find.
In direct opposition, the Rockers drove powerful British and Japanese motorbikes, dressed in black leathers, and enjoyed loud rock music. The rule was simple: the Mods and Rockers hated each other and arranged mass brawls, mostly in places like Brighton (my hometown) on bank holidays. The film covers this theme, and the music is by The Who. It’s a great film, and I highly recommend it.
Finding Yourself: A Key to Career Longevity
There is one song called „Who Are You,” and you might ask, what does any of this have to do with longevity in employment? Well, if there is one thing I have come to know in my 64 years on this planet, it’s this simple fact: to find longevity in employment, you truly have to know yourself. To achieve longevity, you need a sense of self-worth, self-respect, and self-awareness. Basically, you have to know what you are good at, what you are not so good at, and then have the confidence and determination to build professional consistency in your work. Don’t be scared to focus on your passions and interests. In my view, once you are capable of identifying these qualities, it is the first step to finding the right career path that can provide long-term success.
If there is one takeaway from this, it is this simple message: fully understanding who you are will enable you to identify which jobs will allow you to thrive and excel. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want to achieve that? You do not want to spend your life in a job that you don’t enjoy, in a culture that doesn’t suit you, with people you don’t want to be around. I won’t quote names, but I have been in these situations, and I got out of there as soon as I could. Some cultures are toxic, and usually, those companies have no values and are run by angry and unhappy people.
Striking the Balance: Professional and Personal Fulfillment
Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.” So the question is, which career path best fits your personality profile? Equally vital, how will your value be judged by your peers and those above and around you?
Be honest about what you are good at and recognise your challenges and weaknesses. Be self-constructive, and don’t be afraid of having a strong work ethic, but make sure that you remain humble. If you do that, you will find that others will gravitate towards you and be open to helping you navigate towards a full and satisfying career. Hopefully, it will be one you can look back on and say, yes, I enjoyed that life. I got the balance right between work and my personal life and all that goes with it.
This blog started with a musical reference, so it seems appropriate to end with one. In the words of the late, great French singer who was so pivotal in motivating so many during the Second World War, Madame Édith Piaf famously sang „Non, je ne regrette rien” or, in English, looking back on one’s life in totality as you prepare to meet your maker, you can say that you regret nothing. If right now you are not sure that is the case, then maybe it is time to think again and ask yourself what you need to do to change that so you can look back and honestly believe that you do not „regrette rien”!
Author: Austin Birks, CEO, Verita HR Group
