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Like to find a Fun Job that fits better with your life?  A job that allows you to devote more time and energy to your true passions?

You’re not alone.  All shapes and types of people—from new grads to Boomers—are seriously re-evaluating where work fits into the grander scheme of their existence, creating a huge market not for  “good jobs” but Fun Jobs.  Or at least jobs that allow you to spend more time on your  (Think: cube-dweller seeking night security guard position just so she can focus on penning the Great American Novel.) Many young, talented workers feel adrift as their high career hopes continue getting smashed by market forces.  Plenty of 30-years-of-experience-plus Boomers either don’t want—or can’t yet afford—to slip into full retirement, but would love nothing more than a demotion so they can avoid the next Great American Coronary.  The result ought to be a Black Friday-esque shopping extravaganza for any hiring manager searching for discount talent—with you playing the role of the 75%-off flat screen TV.

Unfortunately, it just ain’t so. Common wisdom tells managers that hiring an overqualified employee–young or old–is like trying to keep a raging bull as a pet inside your picket-fenced backyard:  He’ll be gone soon and will inflict serious damage on the way out.

But common wisdom is wrong…except, of course, when it’s right.  A new study led by Anthony Nyberg at the University of South Carolina shows that under certain conditions, overqualified employees can actually live up to their potential and perform better than a more “appropriately” qualified employee.  The difference is whether or not the overqualified person consciously seeks out a less demanding job to devote their mental efforts elsewhere–in which case the employee does quite well and stays for quite a while.  On the other hand if the overqualified soul is slumming it just because they can’t find anything better at the moment, then the hiring manager will eventually have to become the office bull-fighter.

To land that fun/flexible/less-demanding job, you’ll have to do two things:

1. Be crystal clear about where this job fits into the bigger picture of your life. Few employers are interested in being your rebound job while you “find yourself” and slog through your quarter- or mid-life crisis.  So identify the one thing you really want your life to be about and figure this easier job supports your one thing.  A good place to start is with The Decisive Eight. Psychological research shows there’s about eight universal values or “Decision Pulses.”  We call these the Decisive Eight, because if you latch on to the one or two that you cherish most, and base all of your decisions on your Pulse, then you can start becoming a much more decisive person.

• Authority - You value politeness and self-discipline and you respect  tradition.
• Security - You value social order, dependability and like to feel safe around others.
• Humanity - You value equality and justice, and are probably place a premium on spiritual matters.
• Relationships - You value deep and meaningful friendships, honest communication and forgiveness.
• Achievement - You value personal accomplishment, competence and takin’ care of business.
• Power - You value social influence, status and really wouldn’t mind getting rich somehow.
• Stimulation - You value excitement, stimulation and racking up as many fun experiences as this world can offer.
• Freedom - You value independence, creativity and like to indulge your curiosity.

2. Tell a good story about how this Fun Job meshes with your Decision Pulse. Employers who are skeptical of overqualified, fly-by-night job candidates will need you to convince them that this job isn’t just a phase for you, and that you’ll be able to keep yourself motivated, engaged and high-performing.  So, is it because you want more time for family/friends/volunteer interests?  Does this job give you just the right hours for you to pursue your air guitar career?  Find out how it fits, and be prepared to tell that story.  If you can’t tell that story, then you might want to reconsider just how fun this Fun Job will actually be.

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