The Right Way To Find The Job

People are constantly searching for new jobs, switching departments within their company and even entering brand new territory in a different industry.  They are looking for what we all want the perfect job…..

In figuring out what kind of job is right for you, it is necessary to think outside of the box.  We tend to place a lot of emphasis on things like salary, location and opportunities for advancement — all important perks that come along with the job.  But what about the job itself?  How can you consider any of these issues in your job search if you still haven’t discovered your true calling?  Finding the right job starts with knowing yourself.  Here are some things you can do to find the answer to the age-old question, What is the right job for me?

When you were ten years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?  As silly as it may sound, if you want to discover how to find the right job, your early years might be the best place to start.  While the president of the United States or an Oscar-winning movie star may not be too practical at this stage in your life, think about other jobs that have similar characteristics or are in similar fields.  Instead of running the country, you could look for government jobs, ranging from a legal secretary to a corrections officer. 

 Work for America is a great site with information about different types of federal government jobs.  Government aside, think about why your childhood dream job appealed to you; for example, a goal of president may show that you have a desire to make a difference in the world, so perhaps a job in public policy, social work or a nonprofit would interest you. 

 The possibilities are endless.  For instance, if you ever dreamed of becoming a movie star and walking down the red-carpet, check out a career in media, the entertainment industry, or public relations.  It’s just about the closest you can get to being a celebrity without actually being one.

In your academic career, there must have been at least one class that stood out above the rest.  No matter how obscure the subject, there is still a way to use this in helping you learn how to find the right job.  If you loved a history, art or even an archaeology course, check out jobs in a museum or work as a curator.  There are more options out there than you may think — even if you don’t want to take tour groups around a museum, you could work on their marketing and publicity or manage the museum’s finances.  If history wasn’t your thing, maybe your favorite course was in psychology.  While you may not have the qualifications to be a psychologist, try thinking about jobs that incorporate some elements of the psychology field.  You may find that you are a people person or enjoy helping others, so jobs in hospitality, customer service, sales or a teacher may be the answer to your happiness and to your job search.  By going one step further and thinking about why you were passionate about your class on genetics or sociological theory, you will be able to find a career that is tailored to your interests.

Yes, there is a reason you are looking for a new job, but it will be beneficial for you to spend some time thinking about what you do and do not like about your current job.  Is there something missing? What would you miss if you no longer held that job?  Ideally, you can find a new job that incorporates the positive aspects of your current job while leaving out the negatives.  For example, if you love the numbers and data at your small accounting firm, but you hate routine and working in a stuffy office all day, consider something like consulting  it is very analytical and constantly provides new environments through travel and new clients.  Or you may be a doctor or nurse who feels burnt out on the long hours and stressful atmosphere of a busy emergency room hospital, but does not want to give up on medicine.  Perhaps you could look into medical research opportunities or switch to a smaller family practice.  

After all of this introspection, take a break and let someone else help you out. CareerPath.com is a great site which provides multiple career self-assessment tests and guidance.  The MAPP test and Keirsey sorter are other free career and personality tests online.  Assessments such as these can be very insightful, picking up on traits and aptitudes that might be hard for you to see on your own and suggesting careers that you may not have considered before.  Just be careful – even if a test doesn’t recommend the specific career you would like, do not rule out any options or abandon one of your career dreams.  A career assessment test is a great tool to use to receive some outside feedback on what is the right job for you.

Once you have figured out which career paths look promising, you can begin comparing things like salary and work/life balance.  Now you will have a much better answer to your question of How do I know what job is right for me? and you can start on your next task of how to find the right job.