Beyond "not a good fit": Lessons from Larry David's failed SNL stint
Your job satisfaction depends a lot on how well you fit your role
Last year, the comedian Larry David recounted a story on the podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend", and it is highly relevant to all of us in our career development. He used to work as a writer on "Saturday Night Live" (SNL), a very successful TV show with a long history of producing comedy stars. Unfortunately for Larry, he lasted only one season on SNL.
What was the problem? He simply was not a good fit for that job.
Ah, that oh-so-common phrase: "Not a good fit".
We hear it a lot in the world of job searching. Recruiters and hiring managers often say it to sound polite, when they really mean "you are not competent enough" or "we don't like your personality". (They are not inherently dishonest or hypocritical, but "not a good fit" is vague and unhelpful as feedback.)
However, in this case, Larry David's sense of humour simply did not fit what SNL wanted. During his time on that show, he was able to get only one sketch on the final broadcast; it aired at 12:50 AM, the last time slot on the show (by which point many viewers stopped watching).
Of course, Larry went on to become enormously successful as a co-creator of "Seinfeld" and the star of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". His sense of humour is very appealing to many people; it simply did not fit SNL.
I have had a similar experience in my career. I have worked in 7 jobs in my career as a statistician, and my current one fits me the best - by far. To my delightful surprise, it also pays me more than any other job that I have held in the past. I get to work in statistics AND client consultation, which is a rare combination to find.
Sometimes, our career dissatisfaction simply is due to a mismatch between what we want and what our job entails. If you are truly unhappy, then you should look for a new job that fits you better, rather than try to "make it work" with your existing job. A square peg will never fit into a round hole.
Listen to more of Larry David's story about SNL (and how Larry yelled at his boss).