Embody the job you want, not the job you have

You know the phrase “dress for the job you want, not the job you have”? This is the more advanced version.

See, I have a theory that when we act as if we act as if we already have the role we want, we also embody the mindset, attitude and skills we need to get it.

To be clear, that is very different from thinking your current job is beneath you and having an attitude about it - no one is above a job and a bad attitude won’t get you anywhere.

It’s really about doing the job you currently have amazingly, with the energy of your future self who has the job you want - and this can apply if you’re a business owner as well, you can embody the business owner you envision that you’ll be once you’ve achieved some of your business goals. That’s actually something I’m doing at the moment as I need to pitch to potential collaborators and I’m feeling a little inferior so I’m asking myself, “What would the next version of me do?”

Because I’m wondering why someone would be interested in working with me for a business that isn’t well known yet, but that isn’t going to help me pitch well. It’s going to give off a nervous, insecure vibe which is not going to get the results I want.

But before we dive into the how, let’s discuss the why.

Why should you be doing this?

Embodying the role you want puts you in the mindset of someone in that position. 

Say your ambition is to be the Head of Creative for a fashion company, and right now you’re a social media assistant. If you can carry yourself with the composure, confidence and creativity of the Head of Creative, you’re going to find that you’re better at being a social media assistant, you’re going to find your current role more enjoyable because you’ve reframed it as a step on your journey to achieving your goal, and you’re going to work in a way that allows others to see you in that Head of Creative role.

That’s not to say you should go all Emily In Paris and start stepping on other people’s toes. It’s all about doing what you can with what you have. How would a Head of Creative approach the situation that you’re in?

This will also improve your confidence when it comes to how you show up at work. Current you might feel scared to make suggestions in meetings, but the you in the job you want? I don’t think so.

This attitude and mindset shift opens you up to thinking like a leader. It gives you the self-belief and creativity to think out of the box and back yourself.

How do you embody your dream role?

So, how do you step into this magical mindset?

First, you need to know exactly what your dream role is. And that doesn’t have to be a definitive job as such, it could be someone who has achieved certain goals, it could be that you want to have your own business, really it’s about who you want to be, what you want to achieve and maybe most importantly, how you want to feel.

If you don’t know exactly what you want to do with your career, start small. Just think about where you want to go next. If you don’t know where you want to go next, think about what you enjoy and would like to do more of.

I feel (no pun intended) that most of us want to feel a similar way - confident, secure, fulfilled - but the road to those feelings and what provides us with those feelings is where we differ. What will lead you to feeling how you want to feel?

Not to be cliche, but journaling can really help with this.

Here are some journaling prompts:

• What is your dream job, or what do you want to be doing day-to-day in the future?

• List the qualities of yourself in this role

• How would you like a typical day in your life to look and feel? What would you wear, eat, do for fun?

• Are there any habits you have at the moment that someone in your dream role wouldn’t have?

• What can you do to embody the job you want from today?

I think the most important things to consider are the ways in which you would act in the job you  want, and anything you currently do that you wouldn’t do in the job you want.

For example, if dream job you is very composed and deals well with criticism but current you gets flustered easily, overexplains and gets defensive, that’s something you can start to work on.

Next time Janet in Accounts accuses you of not filing an expense correctly, you can calmly let her know that she’s in the wrong instead of getting upset about it.

Current me is very scared of criticism, but dream job me is confident enough in her skills not to let it bother her. Therefore, I am trying my best not to let criticism bother me.

I am a Pinterest girly, so another way I like to embody myself in the job I want is to create a little moodboard as a sort of visual representation. Sometimes I make a collage and set it as my lockscreen or a widget on my homescreen.

There’s also a more practical step, which is doing work that aligns with the job you want. Even if your current role is miles away from the job you want, I’m sure there are some skills that you use in both, or that you can work on developing now.

I don’t advocate for unpaid work, but I do think that if you want to progress in your career you should keep your eyes open to opportunities to do the work you want to do, even if it’s outside of your current role.

Let’s say you’re currently working in admin and your career goal is to be a project manager. If an opportunity to work alongside the project management team arises, take it! It might not be in the scope of your job, but that project experience could get you promoted when the time comes, or add experience to your CV that makes all the difference when you apply for jobs.

And that’s how you embody the job you want, not the job you have!

More confidence, more purpose and more opportunities - who wouldn’t want that?

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