“They were a big organisation — had great credibility. The role was everything I thought I wanted. When I told people I got a job there, they all said, “Wow! They must be so good to work for.”
I felt like a failure. A few months in I was deeply unhappy. This great, big company that was apparently the “dream” place to work wasn’t satisfying me. That’s when I realised, the RIGHT job doesn’t always look like we thought it would. And if I had taken the time to really think about what I wanted from my career, I could have picked this from the beginning.”
This story was shared to us by one of our readers.
It speaks deeply to the importance of spending time at the beginning of your job search to identify what you’re looking for in your next job, and what you want to get out of it.
It’s important to find the RIGHT job, than to just take any that comes your way.
This will lead you to long-term job satisfaction, rather than a short-term gig you’ll want to leave in three months time.
First ask yourself, what do you want from a job?
Aside from making an income, finding the right job can make us feel more fulfilled and provide a sense of purpose to our lives. But the keyword here is ‘right’. It’s crucial to figure out which job suited to you to avoid being stuck in a role that makes you unhappy.
How do you start?
You start by going inward.
Identifying your values, knowing your job likes and dislikes, as well as your own personal strengths will guide you towards the roles that are suitable for you.
There are some important things to consider 👇
🎨 Passion/Hobbies
What are the things that excite you and fill you with passion? Have a long think about your past experiences and which ones have left a strong impression on you.
Are there any hobbies you love that you could transfer into a job? Is there a particular cause you strongly support that you’d like to contribute to?
This will help you identify how to make your work meaningful to you.
🧩 Skillset
Identifying your skill doesn’t just have to relate to work. It could be more relevant in your personal life. Maybe you’re a gun at your local fitness classes, you have great interpersonal skills or you know how to organise kick-ass parties. You can also consider any volunteering work you’ve done.
It’s important to consider both your hard skills (technical abilities that fit a role e.g. computer programming skills) and your soft skills (traits that are non job-specific e.g. communication skills).
From here you might learn you need to upskill in certain areas. This is a good thing and will contribute to your development and growth.
Think about what qualities and skills you can offer to an employer. Your job application is a personal sales pitch, and your skillset makes up a large part of that.
🪴 What kind of working environment are you looking for?
Here’s some important questions you can ask yourself to determine your working environment:
- How do you want the job to impact your life? Figure out what lifestyle you want for yourself.
- Do you want a job that lets you work from home or would you prefer to work in an office around co-workers?
- Is your availability suited to a full-time role or do you want something casual/part-time so you can attend other commitments.
- What kind of pay are you expecting and what benefits would you like to have?
Having clear understanding of these will direct you to the right type of roles to apply to.
Choosing wisely
The next step after introspection is knowing which roles to apply to.
Unpopular opinion: Applying to jobs is not a numbers game.
You might think you should apply to everything in the ballpark of what you want to do, but that’s not entirely correct.
While sending out more applications may increase your chances, you’re not likely to get anywhere with lazy, generic or underprepared applications. Your energy and time is limited. So you need to focus on the right jobs.
✨ Visualise
Flex those imagination muscles and put yourself into a typical day in that role. Go through everything that makes up the working day from the moment your eyes open in the morning to the second you exit your workplace.
What feelings are you getting once you’ve painted a picture of yourself in that role? If you like what you see, then it’s a good idea to apply. If it seems wrong or uncomfortable, then you should trust your intuition and move on to find something that better suits you.
💭 Answer your own questions
To visualise better, you need details. Think about starting and finishing time. Are you an early riser or would you prefer to start later in the day? Mull over the duties and responsibilities of the role. Are you ready for a dynamic, fast-paced environment orare you looking to transfer to a less hectic role?
Note down the pros and cons you run into, and weigh them against each other based on your personal priorities. There are no right or wrong answers about what you should prefer, but it’s worth noting that you will have to be realistic and most likely compromise on some things.
🧐 Locate the information
There is a wealth of resources available to you. You can ask people that you know within the industry in similar roles and learn about their experiences.
The internet is a great resource and many online forums have people who discuss their work environment and how they found a particular role.
Final Thoughts
Identifying key desires, interest and goals will set you on the right path to job satisfaction. We many not get EXACTLY what we want, but we can come pretty close.
Keep your eyes peeled and your mind sharp when you’re on the job hunt.
You got this 💪
If you found this useful, you’ll love our Job Search Secrets course. Check it out at UseVerb.com
While you’re there, download our app too.
It’s free.
