It's not enough to say that in fifteen years you want to be president of a two-hundred-million-dollar division. You need to establish what satisfactions you expect such a long-term career objective would bring you. For example:
What type of Company is right for you in the long-term?
If you are now with an industrial manufacturer, is this the type of firm where you want to be in fifteen years? If you have a technical background, this may be the only type of company you'd wish to work for! But perhaps the reverse is true. Maybe you're like two of my clients, both vice-presidents who wanted more than anything else "to get out of Wall Street." Becoming president of a Wall Street firm would have pleased many other executives in their situation, but not these two individuals
What job responsibilities do you expect to secure with your long-term career goal?
One of my clients was the president of a $130-million company. Sounds like he'd be making "final decisions" about everything, doesn't it? Not true. His company was a division of a very tightly held conglomerate. He was president in title but was definitely a number-two person when it came to decision making. What do you want your long-term career goal to bring you in terms of job functions and responsibilities? To shoot for a "title" in fifteen years may not be enough.
How much money do you expect to make?
Is money a factor in the long-term goal you've set for yourself? If it is an important element in your objective, it could affect the type, size, and location of the company you plan to be president of! The very large corporations generally pay their senior people more for the same job title than small- or medium-sized firms. Typically, East Coast companies pay more than those in the Midwest for the same title. If money is a major goal, you can't just hope to be president of any company. And, possibly, you don't need to become president of a company! There are lots of other ways to make as much as a company president. Should you be considering alternative career objectives, it might affect the position you are going after this time.
What is the size of the Company?
In fifteen years' time will you be comfortable in a large organization? Do you think you will prefer the informality and breadth of exposure you might have in a smaller outfit? I've seen executives who were miserable because they switched from small to large outfits and vice versa! You can't avoid this element of your long-term objective because it will have an impact on every company you interview between now and the time you achieve your ultimate goal.
Location
If you had more than one offer the last time you conducted a job search, it's a pretty good bet you took into account the location of each company as you made up your mind which outfit to join. Almost every job-seeker does, and you probably know of an executive or two who refused a promotion in his company or a fantastic job offer with another organization because in each case a move to another part of the country went with it. Location is a pretty universal consideration with each job change, but it is something worth considering in relation to your long-term career goal as well.
How can you consider location in a job you won't be going after for fifteen years? Good question. Obviously not as easily as in your current search. But supposing you are currently deciding between two equally good job offers as plant superintendent. One of these jobs is in San Diego, the other in Philadelphia. Because you're a sun-lover at heart, you're sorely tempted by the offer in San Diego. In the short run, why not take it? Okay, supposing your long-term goal is to become director of manufacturing with a firm exactly like the one you plan to join, and supposing corporate headquarters of this firm is in Chicago, and supposing you hate windy cities. You are setting yourself up for a difficult confrontation in ten to fifteen years when, in order to achieve your long-term career objective, you need to make a sacrifice and move to a city you don't really like. Now supposing the other company offering you a job has its plants and its headquarters in Philadelphia. There could be no potential conflict. Of course, you say, a lot can happen in the meantime. You could change jobs three or four times and be with an outfit in Miami by then. True, but if the two outfits you are considering are both ideal, why set yourself up for relocation some time down the road?
Impact on your personal life
Certain long-term career goals demand more personal sacrifice than others. For example, some will require pulling up stakes and relocating every three years or so. Maybe you're willing to make a move now, but will you be willing to make another move in three years' time or in six, as your family gets older and you establish roots in a community? Some careers demand that you wed yourself to your job fifteen or twenty hours a day. Maybe you don't mind that in your next job, but will you want to devote your days, nights, and weekends to your job in a decade's time? Certain jobs require that you have special types of experience in order to get to the top. You might be considering an outfit in which the senior people have all had several years of field sales under their belts. It's possible that selling is not your bag. Are you willing to sacrifice a couple of years of your life doing something you don't care for in order to have a crack at a long-term goal that you do?
