Finding The Right Job For You

It’s really important to remember that we’re all different and that we all have our own priorities when it comes to finding that ‘ideal job’. As we go through life we all change and gain continual experience but so to do our ideas.

An ideal job may simply be your ideal role in life, a series of jobs in a particular career area or a project to which you devote yourself.

Like winning the lottery, many people just sit there waiting hopefully for this ‘ideal job’ to land in their lap. We can assure you it will be an extremely long wait if you choose to adopt this attitude.

There may well be such a job or role in life that is ideal for you – but it won’t suddenly appear with bright flashing lights. It is more likely to come in some unexpected way. One thing is certain – the clearer you can picture your ideal job, the easier it will be to spot and seize it when it appears.

You also need to accept that few people actually achieve the ideal. The important thing is to keep getting closer to it all the time. Usually the best recipe for long-term satisfaction is basing your ideal on making the most of your individual talents, motivations and skills.

Ask Yourself Why

Purpose: Try to identify the main purpose of your ideal job. How does work relate to your wider life ambitions? Does it provide you with satisfaction – or simply finance other interests, which give you more of a buzz? Basically, do you live to work or work to live?

Roles: What kind of work do you see yourself doing to satisfy this purpose? What suits your temperament best? Do you prefer working with people, ideas or practical things?

Organisation: Do you see yourself working in the private sector or for a public body – in industry or an office? Would you feel more relaxed in a large organisation or a small private firm?

Career Motivation: This is the big one – and it’s very closely related to ‘purpose’ (Above). What really motivates you? Do you see yourself working for someone else – or working for yourself? A settled job, a series of roles in a particular area – or a special project of some kind? How important is security against the need to strike out into new fields?

Environment: What energises you most – a steady pace or the stimulation of deadlines? Do you prefer dealing with ideas or working in a hands-on way? Think about the kind of work you enjoy most, the way you interact with others, the social context, the learning environment you prefer, the working relationships (and hours) you enjoy most.

Sector: What kind of employment sector suits you best? – Your choices might range from communications to engineering and from professional services to retail or leisure. You also need to cheek if there are signs of growth in your target sector and where the main opportunities lie.

Skills: Finally you need to ask what key skills, qualifications and experience you need for your ideal job – remember to look at if from the employer’s perspective. Look at the skills you’ve identified in the Skills Portfolio above and see how they compare to what you really need.

Bridging the Gap

First time round, you may have a very blurred an unrealistic picture of your ideal job. You can make things clearer by:

• Continually revisiting the PROCESS (above) either by yourself or with a friend or colleague asking you questions.
• Sending off for as many different job specifications as possible. Highlight the requirements you would meet and enjoy. You will then have a bank of activities which interest you.
• Creating as many different opportunities as possible to find and test out your ideal job.
• Looking at the stepping-stones that will get you there, e.g. voluntary work, temporary work or a particular project.
• Discarding the kind of roles you hate.
• Following your instincts – and looking for clues in your past.