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Career Advice

Get a New Perspective with a Career Satisfaction Checklist, and Tips from Our Recruiters

January 31 2022

Right now is a great time to celebrate how much you have accomplished over the last several months and decide where you want the upcoming months to take you next. In recognizing how resilient and creative we have all needed to be in our lives lately, you may have developed some new skills or a new perspective. 

 

Here is a checklist to help you determine if you are happy in your current role, followed by some career advice from our BMS recruiters on how to stand out as you look for that next career opportunity.  

 

• Are you still interested and excited about your work?

 

Self-awareness is the key to accurately assessing your level of satisfaction with your current role. Set aside some time to decide what work you enjoy the most. Evaluate some of your recent projects and focus areas to identify what type of work energizes you and why. Where are you truly seeing and feeling the impact your work has? 

 

You may find that you are most satisfied with your work when you are constantly learning something new, being creative or thinking strategically. Knowing this about yourself will help you articulate your interests to your manager and others in order to move the focus of your work in that direction. However, you may determine that the type of work that interests you is not within the scope of your current role or even possible at your current company. 
 

• Do you feel stuck?


Think about your career aspirations. Let yourself dream about the possibilities. Then decide whether your current role is leading to career advancement that excites you. Does your current role have a career path and the level of support you need to reach your career goals?
 

• Do your values align with your company’s values?


Many people don’t realize how closely their own beliefs are tied to job satisfaction and work that inspires. Our core values guide our lives and influence everything we do, including what inspires us to act, how we treat others, and the work and impact we want to have. It’s important that our values align with our company’s culture. A good fit will feel like the company or team “gets you” and shares many of the same goals you feel are important. A bad fit may feel like you’re compromising beliefs to achieve progress and success for the company. In the case of BMS, our values of integrity, innovation, urgency, passion, accountability and inclusion are carefully considered to support the needs of employees and the unique culture of the company.  
 

How to Stand Out to Recruiters


If you are ready to make a career move, here are some tips from BMS recruiters on how you can stand out among other job candidates in the current job market.

Kassie Dumas, Associate Director, Talent Acquisition, Research & Early Development

“Between nerves and trying to ‘sell yourself’ during an initial conversation with a recruiter, authenticity can sometimes get lost in translation,” said Kassie Dumas, BMS R&ED talent recruiter. “Of course you want to show up prepared, but make sure you’re being true to who you are, your interests and your strengths. Otherwise, you’ll end up in a job that isn’t the best fit.”

 

Anthony Greco from our commercial field sales talent acquisition team looks for candidates who can be dynamic and flexible during these times of uncertainty.  


“While much has changed in the workplace recently, a few things I look for in candidates haven’t—humility, candor and adaptability are essential qualities.”

 

Ask for help

 

When searching for a new job, it can certainly take a village. Kassie urges candidates to ask their family, friends and network of trusted colleagues to keep an eye out for new roles or trends. “Remember that you are not alone in any of this,” Kassie said. “There are plenty of resources and people willing to help—you just have to know to ask.”

Don’t fear a career change

 

“I wish somebody had told me that it’s ‘never too late’,” Anthony said. “So often, candidates fear it is too late to make an aggressive career change, whether it is applying for a role they have never done before, or changing industries, or both. If you are unhappy in your current position or have an urge to do something different with your career, GO FOR IT. Find your happiness.”

 

At BMS our sense of collaboration, our passion for our work and our culture is consistently driving that happiness, based on the 2021 employee engagement survey. 

 

Envision yourself doing interesting and transformative work in 2022

 

Are you happy in your current role? Do you have a dream “destination” but feel like you’re stuck in a comfort zone? It is possible to find work that inspires you and fills you with the excitement to engage with it every day.

 

If you could choose the kind of work you would like to do in 2022, what would it be? Explore roles at Bristol Myers Squibb today. The next life you transform may be your own.

Anthony Greco, Associate Director, Talent Acquisition Partner

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