If you are planning on expanding your company or hiring new employees for the year 2022 and beyond, it may help to know the difference between expectations and reality. Here are a few scenarios of expectations vs. reality at work you should know about and prepare yourself for.
When you assume your job is going to look a certain way, you leave yourself open to frustration or deflation should life throw at you something else. No matter what your dream job is, most people hold similar expectations for the role they want. The reality is, you might need to move, learn new skills, or make some sacrifices in order to get that dream job.
While it is great to get your dream job the first time, often times, you need years of hard work and determination. Instead, keep an open mind and treat your first job as exactly what it is: a fresh start, an opportunity for learning, a springboard into something bigger and better, or all of the above. A good strategy for any new college graduate is to temper expectations about your first job, and tackle reality one step at a time.
You might feel compelled to prove yourself, but being overly eager may come off as pushing. At the same time, striving may rob you of your enjoyment, too, particularly if you are expecting things to happen easier than they have, or differently. It seems our expectations can lead us to believe that our goals will get us far more than they do, and we therefore often aim for the wrong things.
Our expectations may take us to a better place when we expect more than is realistic in any given situation. Reality may feel harsh and dampen your spirits very quickly, but as we outlined above, it is important to not be disheartened at realizing your expectations may have been a bit too lofty. Remember, the expectation is usually the worst part, and the reality is probably going to be much less scary than you expected.
The lofty expectations that you have about learning a new language are going to collide with the reality, and that is OK -- as long as you have anticipated this beforehand. Becoming more aware of your expectations, and how they alter how you feel about your reality, can help free you from frustration and stress stemming from unrealistic expectations. While you absolutely should chase your dreams, it is important to manage these expectations and balance them with reality.
If your employers brand and reputation are bottom-of-the-league, do not expect the top-tier folks to want to join you, unless you are offering something truly unique. As anyone who works in this business can attest, we occasionally receive clients who have extraordinarily high expectations for the talent they are looking to recruit, when they are not matching the kind of people that their brand, reputation, and even their budgets are capable of drawing. If somebody has skills, experience and talent, then you, as a recruiter, have to do your best to impress them, not the other way around.
