Now that you’ve defined your purpose, let’s spend some time exploring what your dream job entails.
The truth is that there’s no single definition. A dream job is a very personal choice that meets our very own criteria. The problem is that many people never stop to think about what their dream job looks like, and therefore they spend a lot of time chasing random opportunities that don’t help them fulfill their potential.
Take a moment to reflect on the concept of a dream job. What are some of its characteristics? It’s true that many of us have wild dreams of exotic jobs that, although alluring, might not be practical or attainable, and might only fulfill us temporarily.
I must confess that I’m a man of many interests and hobbies. There are a lot of things that I’m passionate about. For example, I’m a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil. I’ve seen many Cirque shows around the world, and I’ve even taken trapeze and juggling classes. The idea of running away as a circus performer sounds fascinating, and it’s easy to think how that could be a dream job. But let’s think for a moment what a dream job really means.
A dream job must fulfill these internal needs:
- It feeds your sense of purpose.
- It enables you to use your talents towards something you are passionate about.
- It provides ample opportunities for growth and learning.
Based on that definition, running away with the circus, as exciting as it sounds, won’t fulfill all of my criteria for a dream job. As much as I like Cirque, my purpose is to leverage technology to solve environmental problems. So my dream job needs to fulfill that sense of purpose….not just fulfill my need for fun.
Notice that my definition of a dream job does not talk about money, location, title, etc. Those are added benefits that come from doing the things you love. Money and title are enticing, but they alone don’t produce happiness. If you are able to work at something you love, you’ll excel at it, and the money will follow.
So before moving to the next section, take a minute to write down your answer to the following:
- What does your dream job look like?
Give it a day or so and come back to it. Feel free to add aspirational items like feeding your sense of purpose, and also more tactical ones like, “allows me to use my technical and business skills.”
Why do you want to be a Product Manager?
Now that you have a definition of your dream job, let me ask you this question: Why do you want to be a Product Manager? Meaning, how does Product Management fit into your dream job?
It sounds trivial, but I think it’s important to have a good understanding of why you want to go on this particular trip. Not to mention that most interviewers will ask you something related to why you are a Product Manager. So having a great answer will help you in interviews as well. I always ask this question when I’m interviewing candidates, and you’d be amazed at the number of people that don’t really know or that have a misconception of what the profession really is.
Each one of us has a different answer, so I’d like to offer mine. I love Product Management because it allows me to be involved in all sorts of conversations: from strategy to pricing, from support to software architecture, and from user testing to branding—possibly all in one day. It’s a very unique role that touches many aspects of an organization.
Now it’s your turn. Take a moment to answer the questions below and write down your answers. They’ll come in handy later, when we start talking about crafting your pitch and your value proposition.
- Why do you want to be in Product Management?
- How can Product Management help you fulfill your goals and your sense of purpose?
- Where will Product Management take you 1, 10, 20 years from now?