Waiting For The Perfect Job

We just returned from a week on the island of Oahu.  Hubby had a business trip and timing was perfect for me to take vacation.  Hawaii was everything I imagined it would be: sunshine, beautiful beaches, warm temperatures and scenery that could take your breath away.  And it was great to escape the early blast of cold, rainy weather at home. 

There’s an area along the north shore of Oahu called the Banzai Pipeline.  It’s where the biggest waves are; perfect for hard-core professional surfers.  So Hubby and I decided to check it out.

Timing is everything, and we were lucky. Waves were in the medium to high range by island standards.  The water was comfortable and the sun was shining.  There were a lot of surfers waiting to catch the big one. We had to fight for positioning, it was so crowded.

OK, so we were fighting for a position on the beach to watch the pros.  I hate to disappoint, but Hubby and I are professional surfboard watchers, not competitors.  Truth be told, we hate getting sand in our suits and the salt water burns our eyes, not to mention we are both afraid of sharks.  But if looking cool while watching from the comfort of a beach chair was part of the competition, then we would have national ranking.

We were mesmerized by the patience of the surfers.  Once out in the water, they all sat in a line on their boards, watching the water toward the horizon.  So much time passed I thought they were looking for Captain Jack Sparrow, or perhaps they had simply forgotten why they were there.

Every once in a while some – not all – of the surfers would turn their boards toward shore and start to paddle as a wave magically appeared just behind them.   A few of these would actually ride the wave in while the rest let it pass.   Apparently there’s some sort of pecking order when it comes to who gets to ride the wave, since not everyone rode at the same time.

And most simply sat; scanning the horizon and waiting.

Hubby and I wondered why the surfers weren’t taking the opportunity to ride the mediocre to good waves as they came.  It appeared they were waiting for the “perfect” wave; the one that would take them into the record books; the one they would talk about long after their surfing days were over.

That logic seemed flawed to us.  Shouldn’t they have tried to ride the waves that were coming, to get experience so they were ready for the “big one”?  Some of the surfers spent more time waiting than actually riding, which means they weren’t really surfing.  They were sitting, just like me and Hubby.

This “surfer logic” is similar to what I’ve seen when it comes to job searches.  Many of us are like surfers, waiting for the perfect job to come along before submitting our resume.  And this line of thinking is flawed.

First, we could wait for weeks or months or even longer before seeing a job that meets our “perfect” criteria.  Second, there will always be tons of other candidates waiting for that same opportunity, which means we may not get an interview.  Third, if we get an interview, we may not get an offer.

Even if we make it through the interview process and get an offer, there’s another thing to consider:  the job opportunity that we’ve been waiting for patiently, the one we’ve identified as the ”big one”, may turn out to be a huge disappointment.  Instead of the “big one” it may be the “dud”.

As much as I would love to sit and wait for the perfect job, it’s in my best interest to try for those that at least look promising.  Even if I don’t get an offer or if I decide to turn something down, I’ve gotten more experience under my belt so I’m ready when the right one comes along.

Note that I said “right one”, not “perfect one”.   There are good things about every job and the experience gained is invaluable.

The surfers we were watching were pros; they had perfected their skill to know exactly which wave to catch to get a winning score.  In the real world of desk jobs and cubicles, most of us are still working on our careers and sometimes need to take a less-than-perfect job to get additional experience.  Even those of us who are seasoned veterans know the importance of constantly adding new skills to our resume to stay marketable.

I’m sure the surfers we saw would tell job seekers to “Go for it, man” and “Hang loose”.   Translation: Submit your resume; what have you got to lose?