--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Guess what the first consideration was of…" description: "\"“Guess what the first consideration was of the graduating class of 2014 when looking for a job.1 Nature of the work. Salary and the friendliness of co-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/bill-burnett-15078_graduating-class_guess-what-the-first-consideration-was-o_3040264.jpg" --- # Guess what the first consideration was of the graduating… ![“Guess what the first consideration was of the graduating class of 2014 when looking for a job.1 Nature of the work. Salary and the friendliness of co-workers come in second and third, to complete this completely dysfunctional job-seeker trifecta. The problem with this scenario is that there is no…” quote by Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/bill-burnett-15078_graduating-class_guess-what-the-first-consideration-was-o_3040264.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/bill-burnett-15078_graduating-class_guess-what-the-first-consideration-was-o_3040264.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/bill-burnett-15078_graduating-class_guess-what-the-first-consideration-was-o_3040264.jpg) > ““Guess what the first consideration was of the graduating class of 2014 when looking for a job.1 Nature of the work. Salary and the friendliness of co-workers come in second and third, to complete this completely dysfunctional job-seeker trifecta. The problem with this scenario is that there is no way to know the real “nature of the work” before you have gotten very close to actually getting the job. It’s impossible. Since so many job descriptions are dysfunctional and inaccurate, most people rule out a job as not being “right” for them before they’ve even applied (and before they actually know what they’re rejecting). It’s a nasty chicken-and-egg problem that can severely shrink your potential opportunities. That’s why the most important reframe when you are designing your career is this: you are never looking for a job, you are looking for an offer.”” [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Career planning should focus on seeking offers rather than jobs, because job nature is unclear until close engagement. **In simple terms:** Seek offers, not jobs. Key Takeaway Shift mindset to value offers over specific roles. Themes career mindset decisionmaking Mood practical strategic Type career advice motivational When to use this quote - job search - networking - career pivots - interview preparation Key Concepts design thinking opportunity uncertainty Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define a good offer for you? - How can you test a role's nature early? A Different Perspective Offers may be limited by market constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Getting Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-job-426645/) [Graduating class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduating-class/) [Job description](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job-description/) [Job Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job-looking-1416610/) [Job Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job-nature-5007412/) [Job Seeker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job-seeker-2311096/) [Looking for a job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-for-a-job/) [Looking Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-job/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [I think that one of the things that we have to recognize is that the longer somebody doesn't have a job, the harder it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hassett/i-think-that-one-of-the-things-that-we-have-to-recognize-is-that-the/) [Kevin Hassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hassett/) > [“Dysfunctional Belief: I am looking for a job. Reframe: I am pursuing a number of offers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/dysfunctional-belief-i-am-looking-for-a-job-reframe-i-am-pursuing-a/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“As you move from job seeker to job creator, you move from wages to wealth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/as-you-move-from-job-seeker-to-job-creator-you-move-from-wages-to/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I should never seek a job in my life, my mission in life is to create jobs. I am not a job seeker, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-should-never-seek-a-job-in-my-life-my-mission-in-life-is-to-create/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Young people should think in a different way - they should be job givers not job seeker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/young-people-should-think-in-a-different-way-they-should-be-job/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [People should wake up in the morning and say 'I am not a job seeker, I am a job-creator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/people-should-wake-up-in-the-morning-and-say-i-am-not-a-job-seeker-i/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [As a job seeker, remember this: You only lack experience if they want it done the same old way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/as-a-job-seeker-remember-this-you-only-lack-experience-if-they-want/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [I always marked up a piece of paper before taking a job, looking at the pluses and minuses. If the latter outnumbered the former,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-washington/i-always-marked-up-a-piece-of-paper-before-taking-a-job-looking-at/) [Dennis Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-washington/) > [You don't want to work on a job where you're looking at your watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hillenburg/you-don-t-want-to-work-on-a-job-where-you-re-looking-at-your-watch/) [Stephen Hillenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hillenburg/) > [I look at my job as looking at the world from points of view that are different from mine - sometimes radically different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/i-look-at-my-job-as-looking-at-the-world-from-points-of-view-that-are/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [“Your LinkedIn profile should leave no room for doubt about the kind of job you’re looking for and why you’re the best person for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-pinola/your-linkedin-profile-should-leave-no-room-for-doubt-about-the-kind/) [Melanie Pinola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-pinola/) > [“If you’re looking for someone to stand in the unemployment line, I’m the man for the job. And if you’re looking for a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-you-re-looking-for-someone-to-stand-in-the-unemployment-line-i-m/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“If there’s one thing worse than not HAVING a job… It’s LOOKING for one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-stuart/if-there-s-one-thing-worse-than-not-having-a-job-it-s-looking-for-one/) [Laurence Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-stuart/) > [If someone is going to give me a job looking younger than I am, I'm not going to turn it down. There are worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lanter/if-someone-is-going-to-give-me-a-job-looking-younger-than-i-am-i-m/) [Matt Lanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lanter/) > [To look for a job before looking deeply inward is likely to short-circuit the process of finding your calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/to-look-for-a-job-before-looking-deeply-inward-is-likely-to-short/) [Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/) ## More by Bill Burnett > [“answer. Donald’s dysfunctional belief was related to Janine’s, but he’d held on to it for much longer—a life of responsible and successful work should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/answer-donald-s-dysfunctional-belief-was-related-to-janine-s-but-he-d/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“When you finally get down to making a choice from your narrowed-down list of alternatives, and you’ve cognitively evaluated the issues, and emotionally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/when-you-finally-get-down-to-making-a-choice-from-your-narrowed-down/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Dysfunctional Belief: To be happy, I have to make the right choice. Reframe: There is no right choice—only good choosing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/dysfunctional-belief-to-be-happy-i-have-to-make-the-right-choice/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“We mostly use cognitive knowing—all that good, objective, organized, informational kind of knowing—the sort of knowing that gets you A’s in school. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/we-mostly-use-cognitive-knowing-all-that-good-objective-organized/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Design doesn’t just work for creating cool stuff like computers and Ferraris; it works in creating a cool life. You can use design thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/design-doesn-t-just-work-for-creating-cool-stuff-like-computers-and/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Decision making is stressful, so the best time to prepare for good choosing is when there’s no choice at stake. That’s when you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/decision-making-is-stressful-so-the-best-time-to-prepare-for-good/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“A well-designed life is a life that is generative—it is constantly creative, productive, changing, evolving, and there is always the possibility of surprise. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/a-well-designed-life-is-a-life-that-is-generative-it-is-constantly/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Dysfunctional Belief: Happiness is having it all. Reframe: Happiness is letting go of what you don’t need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/dysfunctional-belief-happiness-is-having-it-all-reframe-happiness-is/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Dysfunctional Belief: I am looking for a job. Reframe: I am pursuing a number of offers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/dysfunctional-belief-i-am-looking-for-a-job-reframe-i-am-pursuing-a/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“It's worth emphasizing that failures and hardships are a part of every life, even the well-designed ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/it-s-worth-emphasizing-that-failures-and-hardships-are-a-part-of/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“In fact, in the United States, only 27 percent of college grads end up in a career related to their majors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/in-fact-in-the-united-states-only-27-percent-of-college-grads-end-up/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Most people fail not for lack of talent but for lack of imagination. You can get a lot of this information by sitting down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/most-people-fail-not-for-lack-of-talent-but-for-lack-of-imagination/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“the research shows that, for most people, passion comes after they try something, discover they like it, and develop mastery—not before. To”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/the-research-shows-that-for-most-people-passion-comes-after-they-try/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Quantity has a quality all its own. In life design, more is better, because more ideas equal access to better ideas, and better ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/quantity-has-a-quality-all-its-own-in-life-design-more-is-better/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“When an activity is done to win, to advance, to achieve—even if it’s “fun” to do so—it’s not play. It may be a wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/when-an-activity-is-done-to-win-to-advance-to-achieve-even-if-it-s/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) [Explore all 44 Bill Burnett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) ## More Graduating class quotes > [You have to be really tenacious. You have to keep at it. There are many roads to get there. If you can get yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/you-have-to-be-really-tenacious-you-have-to-keep-at-it-there-are-many/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [When I was a teenager, just about the only thing I could do right was play music. In my graduating class, I was certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/when-i-was-a-teenager-just-about-the-only-thing-i-could-do-right-was/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [I think at the end of the day the diversity has served as a major... that's what has determined the difference between The Roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-thought/i-think-at-the-end-of-the-day-the-diversity-has-served-as-a-major/) [Black Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-thought/) > [You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/you-can-steer-yourself-in-any-direction-you-choose/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [There were a hundred people in my graduating class. I wouldn't have changed it for the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmella/there-were-a-hundred-people-in-my-graduating-class-i-wouldn-t-have/) [Carmella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmella/) > [You know what they call the fellow who finishes last in his medical school graduating class? They call him 'Doctor.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-lemons/you-know-what-they-call-the-fellow-who-finishes-last-in-his-medical/) [Abe Lemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-lemons/) > [I went to a public high school that had a very small graduating class of 156 students. I lived a relatively normal childhood until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-mccartney/i-went-to-a-public-high-school-that-had-a-very-small-graduating-class/) [Jesse McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-mccartney/) > [I love being a woman. I never wanted to be a man or needed to prove I was just like them. I graduated law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-garrett/i-love-being-a-woman-i-never-wanted-to-be-a-man-or-needed-to-prove-i/) [Cynthia Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-garrett/) > [Ron Hubbard was trying to get people out of their body with his HCA courses, but frankly, he was failing badly. When I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-twitchell/ron-hubbard-was-trying-to-get-people-out-of-their-body-with-his-hca/) [Paul Twitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-twitchell/) > [I don't think anybody in my graduating class would have figured that I would be doing full-on single-camera comedies or sitcoms, or anything like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-nevin/i-don-t-think-anybody-in-my-graduating-class-would-have-figured-that/) [Brooke Nevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-nevin/) > [“Even if your company doesn’t love him, you want him to love you, because he’ll go back and tell all his friends about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-fournier/even-if-your-company-doesn-t-love-him-you-want-him-to-love-you/) [Camille Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-fournier/) > [There were eight women in my graduating class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-love-cohen/there-were-eight-women-in-my-graduating-class/) [Judith Love Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-love-cohen/) > [Modern transcendental idealism, Emersonianism, for instance, also seems to let God evaporate into abstract Ideality. Not a deity in concreto, not a superhuman person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/modern-transcendental-idealism-emersonianism-for-instance-also-seems/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [ My grammar school graduating class in 1941 had a little party for 13 or 14 year-old kids. \[Trumpeter\] King Kolax's band played for the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-griffin/my-grammar-school-graduating-class-in-1941-had-a-little-party-for-13/) [Johnny Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-griffin/) > [“I was sitting with the rest of my college graduating class listening to the commencement speaker prepare us for life after graduation, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-lansky/i-was-sitting-with-the-rest-of-my-college-graduating-class-listening/) [Doug Lansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-lansky/) [Browse all 33 Graduating class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduating-class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Guess what the first consideration was of the graduating class of 2014 when looking for a job.1 Nature of the work. 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