Saturday, April 14, 2012

New Job Survey: Radio Personality Ranks Worse than Trash Collector, Better than Lumberjack

Collecting trash is a better career than being a DJ.

So says CareerCast.com which just released its ranking of 200 jobs based on physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook primarily using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other government agencies.

Being a Garbage Collector ranked 159 while being a DJ ranked 180th and a Broadcaster 191st - two positions better than dishwasher.

Of course lists like this can be hard to take seriously.  A good career or job is in part what you make of it.

And that's the point here. 

San Francisco State University Professor of Management John Sullivan, Ph. D.,who also consults companies on employee recruitment and retention says a good job:
  • Reflects your passion
  • Provides an opportunity to learn a lot quickly, grow, change, and ideally includes a good mentor
  • Is with an "EOC" (Employer of Choice for whom lots of people want to work and will carry weight in future job searches) or an "FPW" (Fun Place to Work).
Number one is probably a gimme for most of us but it’s important to remember how much control we have over the other points. We can be passive and wait/hope for something good to happen or we can be an initiator building-wide or, if necessary, just for ourselves. And we can do that whether we're managing or being managed.

Last week the programming department at a station I work with felt their building needed a 'lift' and, with the GM, organized an employee-only Easter egg hunt with small prizes ranging from restaurant trade to a comp day.

The staff agreed that the station definitely improved its FPW quotient that day.

This is not to pretend that times aren't extremely difficult. There are certainly significant factors that are out of our control.

But if you have passion for what you do, personal growth opportunities, an environment that inspires you. and a love for sharing what you know and exploring what you don’t, you don’t need a list to tell you that your job – radio or otherwise – is a lot closer to the top than the bottom of the list.

Not there yet? What will you do to change things?

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