The Perfect Job is Spelled with 5 Ps
I’m often asked about my “lucky” streak of landing one “perfect” job after another. Truth is, I’d never leave such key life decisions to pure chance.
My “luck” is actually a philosophical framework of five factors that I use to analyze opportunities. The framework has helped me find perfect jobs throughout my career, and after helping match thousands of candidates to roles across Apple, Nest, and Google, I know that it can help you find yours. Stop looking for a job and look for the 5 Ps instead.
1. PEOPLE
You don’t really work for a company. You work for and with people who you’ll spend at least a third of your day with. More than anything else, these individuals will determine your opportunity.
Learn who you’ll be working with by answering a few key questions:
What’s their track record?
Can I learn from them?
Do I see myself belonging with them?
Do they inspire me?
Tony Fadell once told me “Go work for your heroes.” When he graduated, he was inspired by Apple’s Mac team. He found out that many got their start at a company called General Magic*. So that’s where he started and learned many of the lessons that led to his successful career at Apple and later Nest.
In my career, I wanted to work with Tony. So I did everything possible to join his iPod team. It was an extraordinary group that mentored and prepared me to ultimately work on the iPhone team, Nest Labs, and now to start my own venture.
2. PURPOSE
A sense of purpose is what transforms a job into a mission. It provides intrinsic motivation that a paycheck alone can’t.
Find out what drives the company and the people who work there:
What difference are they making?
Do I want to be part of making that difference?
When I left Apple in 2011, I joined lots of talented people who had also quit high-profile tech positions to help an unknown startup called Nest Labs build a thermostat. A thermostat! Why? Because we believed in a simple, smart device that would eliminate the 30% of energy costs that traditional thermostats wasted — which would have a real impact on the environment, the economy and people’s lives.
3. PROCESS
Every organization has its own processes to get things done. Those processes can either pave your way to success — or get in your way.
Ask yourself:
Do their processes make sense to me?
Can I learn them and operate well within them?
Their processes might be completely different from what you’re used to, but you need to be able to buy in or you’ll end up frustrated and stonewalled.
Back in the early days of iPhone, we recruited an engineer who had the perfect credentials to excel at Apple. He thought he had found his dream job developing what would become one of the most successful consumer products in history. He moved his family across the country and became a key team member. And then he realized how differently Apple’s process was from what he was used to, and what felt right to him. Finally, when Steve Jobs & Tony Fadell made changes to the team and to the iPhone, he resigned. Clearly, he was not aligned with the developmental process which had made Apple successful.
4. PATH
To identify the perfect job, you need to look beyond it. Can you see a path to more than just the immediate requirements and responsibilities? Sometimes an opportunity that seems challenging now can seem like a dead end later.
Ask yourself these questions:
Will there be support to enhance existing skills and learn new ones?
When my skills grow, can my responsibilities grow too?
Can I envision myself becoming what I eventually want to be here?
The perfect job will allow you to grow within the organization. And grow the skills you’ll need for your next perfect job.
I’m not an Engineer, Designer or Product Manager. I don’t come from any of the typical disciplines that you’d expect for a tech entrepreneur. Yet, today I’m co-founder of Plause. That’s because my “lucky” jobs at Apple, Nest Labs and Google offered me a path to develop the skills, experience and confidence to follow my own vision.
5. PAY
Money is important. After all, we all have bills. But it’s not as important as most people think it is. So, push for what you’re worth and don’t undervalue yourself. But if you aren’t inspired by the people, motivated by the purpose, empowered by the process and given a path for growth, no amount of compensation will make that role your dream job.
It’s been my experience that if you prioritize the first four Ps, your value will grow and your pay will grow along with it. More importantly, you’ll be the person that companies are trying to lure away from their current jobs and trust me, that’s a good negotiation position to be in.
Never Accept a Job
In my career, I’ve never had a “job.” I wake up at first light fully-charged to make a difference. And I go to bed at midnight, motivated for what I can do tomorrow. The reason is because I won’t accept a position where it feels like work to go to work.
You shouldn’t settle for a job, either. Find an opportunity where the people you work with push you to be your best, where what you do fills you with purpose and passion, where you are learning, contributing and growing your career to maximize skills and earnings potential. That’s when your dream job will be a reality.
José Benitez Cong has been a talent recruiter and HR veteran who built the iPod and iPhone teams at Apple, then helped staff and manage HR at Nest Labs before they were acquired by Google. Now, he’s co-founder and CEO of Plause, a software platform that helps companies spark employee engagement, alignment and performance. Find out how at plause.com
*Check out the inspiring new documentary about General Magic to see how influential the people you work with can be.
