Become a Little Worse at Your Job

Summer is over and it is time to work, work, work. It is very important for professionals to give it all, excel in every task and be overall hard-working and deliver perfect results before deadline. Or is it...?

I really don't think that you should spend all your working hours trying to be good at your job. Unfortunately, being this "good" can lead to difficulties finding a new job if you lose the current one. An employer doesn't hire you because you did well in a previous job, but because they believe you'll succeed in the new one.

All too often I see, for example:

• Master's students in Sweden who, at the end of their studies, realize that academic performance isn't crucial for getting a job here. Of course, it's important to get your degree, but it doesn't matter much whether you were top of the class or barely passed. However, it is important to have made connections, learned Swedish, and understood the labor market (and, of course, to actually feel good as a person).

• PhD students who put all their energy into one research field only to discover after graduation that no one in the job market focuses on that specific area or the methods they used.

• Specialized experts who are highly skilled in a field that becomes outdated or no longer in demand.

• Generally competent and reliable people who burn out from always being excellent and stepping up, both at work and in their private lives.

What you should do instead

Spend some of your work time on:

• Starting to do things you think you might want to do in your next job.

• Taking the next step to develop in your current role.

• Exploring what you enjoy doing.

• Building new connections or developing existing ones.

• How do you do this? Here are some examples:

• Jump at opportunities to take on extra responsibility when they arise.

• Push your comfort zone in small ways, e.g., by taking more space in meetings, or perhaps less.

• Make sure to have time to read about things that interest you.

• Argue for attending conferences and meetings related to your job but perhaps not part of your everyday work.

• Have coffee or lunch with someone you don’t usually spend time with.

• Be curious and open to opportunities.

• Join the art club (or the running group, union, or really anything that you find a little exciting).

Something has got to give

At the same time, when you say yes or take the initiative for extra tasks, something else has to give way. That "something" is your regular job. Luckily, everyone will benefit from you developing as a professional, so it probably won't be noticeable in your results.

In fact, I think that many, apart from those with very structured jobs, could probably do 80% of what they do today, without anyone noticing.

NB! Some people could benefit from slowing down ambition a bit, and actually learn their current job properly. Have the patience to actually learn something in depth.

Do you agree? Do you have any examples of when you did something extra that led to a change in your work life?