Aoibhinn Mc Bride believes your job description may be more customisable than you expect. Enter job crafting.
Whether you are client-facing or work behind the scenes, there are always going to be certain aspects of the job that you find more interesting and rewarding.
But is it possible to side-step the tasks that don’t align with your strengths so that your energy and expertise are focussed on the elements you excel in, ultimately offering your employer more bang for their buck?
Known as job crafting, this three-step process involves approaching your work in a different way to increase your motivation, productivity and output, while also fostering better relationships with your managers and colleagues.
Break it down
So how does it work? The first step is task crafting and involves figuring out the specific tasks you need to do in order to get your job done. You can take initiative and lean into certain tasks you know you excel in, or even change the times you carry out specific duties. If you find you have more energy in the morning, why not adapt your schedule so you complete tasks that require more concentration in the AM. Or perhaps you need to do something more collaborative in the afternoons to help you stay focused.
Next is relational crafting. This is where you match your tasks with the people who help you perform to the best of your ability. It can also mean looking at the way you interact with your team. Would a night out help you foster a better bond with your colleagues at work, or do you prefer to keep your work and home lives completely separate?
Finally, cognitive crafting allows you to modify the way you work by forcing yourself to look at the way you do things. By continuously observing how your work is making you feel, you may discover that it gives you a lot of personal satisfaction or that you are motivated to work harder. Or does it leave you feeling like you aren’t invested in your job?
Make job crafting work
To get started, employees and managers need to be on the same page, and ploughing ahead with a new schedule isn’t going to work if you haven’t gone through the appropriate channels to begin with.
The first thing you should do is go to your manager with a detailed plan about how you are going to prioritise your tasks, and if you can hone in on certain elements of the job that play up to your professional strengths.
Once you have agreed this, keeping the lines of communication open is vital so that employees and managers can make sure this way of working is benefitting the team as a whole as well as the individual employee.
That being said, if you find your efforts to craft your job aren’t well received, or your colleagues aren’t happy to facilitate you, it could be time to seek out a new opportunity that better matches your goals and values. If that is the case, the Professional Beauty Job Board is the perfect place to start your search, as it is jam-packed with exciting opportunities like the three below.
Tom Ford – Beauty Specialist – Sydney Domestic Airport – Part Time, The Estée Lauder Companies, Sydney
Do you want to take ownership of your success? Then this opening at Tom Ford Beauty could be the job for you. Working as a part-time Beauty Specialist within Sydney Domestic Airport you’ll be required to drive sales while also taking a proactive approach to customer service. This role is ideal for someone with an understanding of ultra-premium luxury standards and an interest in the latest fashion trends. Experience in fragrance and cosmetics will be highly regarded, but extensive training will also be available. View more details here.
Online Customer Service Consultant | Melbourne | Full Time, AESOP Corporate, Remote
For over 35 years, Aesop has carefully cultivated an inspiring and inclusive environment in which employees are supported and encouraged to thrive. It is currently hiring an Online Customer Service Consultant, operating within a hybrid working pattern. In this role you’ll be required to assist customers in their online shopping journey and recommend relevant products, respond to all online order queries, identify improvements to processes and systems and use your initiative to solve any queries. See the full job description here.
Assistant Manager – Belconnen, The Body Shop International Limited, Belconnen
The Body Shop is committed to empowering people while enriching the planet. As an Assistant Manager you’ll get the chance to drive retail excellence and strong sales results while not being afraid to mix things up. Customer experience is at the heart of this role and you will be required to coach and mentor your team, oversee operational practices and be confident coordinating between customers, the team and the store manager. You can apply here.
This article was produced in partnership with Jobbio.
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