Enjoy The Journey And Don’t Obsess Over The Trajectory

I was inspired to write this blog today based upon a recent conversation I had with a strong account management candidate. He was an Account Executive with 3 years of experience and had an appealing integrated background at a couple of reputable agencies. I loved his LinkedIn profile and was very excited to connect with him as he looked perfect for one of my roles. When we spoke, I was taken aback by his high salary. He was earning over $70k with a little under 3 years of experience! Frankly, he was the most expensive Account Executive I had ever spoken to regarding new opportunities. My first inkling was to think perhaps he was not telling the truth regarding his salary, but he did walk me smoothly and confidently thru his compensation trajectory. He also was in a position where he was playing several roles at his current boutique agency so it sounded like the agency was overly compensating him to keep him happy in an often chaotic and demanding position. Clearly it was not this candidate’s fault that he was overly paid for his experience. HOWEVER, when discussing his targeted salary if he were to make a move, he expressed a desire for an increase. He had absolutely no concept of how well paid he was and clearly felt entitled to even more money. He also felt entitled to a title promotion to Account Supervisor and was going to push for this internally at his review.

Conversations along this line with candidates at this level have become pretty common. It makes me think back to when I was an Account Executive earning $40k and incredibly happy to be in the advertising industry and to be learning in an exciting and fast-paced environment. What happened to those days? Times have of course changed, and that is completely normal. Salaries have changed as well– a knowledge of and experience in emerging media and technology can surely demand higher compensation. The result is often inflated salaries for more junior candidates. I cannot help to feel that many of these younger candidates have become more concerned with salaries and titles than actually proving themselves on the job and truly learning. It is never a good sign when the first question they ask me revolves around compensation and has nothing to do with the actual agency or role.

I love a “go getter” just as much as the next recruiter, but I advise these younger candidates to take a step back and try to enjoy the journey more. Appreciate the lessons you are learning every day and be thankful for great career opportunities. Success will come in time. There is no need to rush it and push it because you’re really starting to miss the point. Part of my job is to ground candidates and help them to be more realistic in their expectations, but an even bigger part of my job is to help them to see the bigger picture and to slow down a bit and enjoy the ride. It can be an even better one if you don’t focus too much on the trajectory.