Before you begin job searching, you must do this!

Finding a job is complicated enough, but not knowing the type of job you want, or if you will even like the job is worse. Remember the adage, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” No one wants to be stuck in a job they hate! According to an article by the University of Southern California, “Being happy at work and loving what you do helps you become more productive and enhances your performance; when you enjoy your job you are prone to be more optimistic and motivated. You’ll also be a quick learner who makes fewer mistakes and more well-thought-out decisions.” So, before you begin your job search, here are 8 things you must do, to ensure you find a job that’s the right fit for you.

1. Learn more about yourself

The first thing you must do is get to know you. This means finding out your personality type, what your likes and dislikes are, and what interests you. Identifying your core values is also key. When you know what you value, you will know the type of job environment you need to work in to thrive. Choosing a career that fits your personality helps you know your strengths and weaknesses when interacting with coworkers and customers and better understand the type of people you work best with. Check out this free personality test from Practical Psychology.

2. Find your gift

Your next step is figuring out your gift. To do this, you must ask self-reflective questions to discover what you love or what motivates or drives you. Steve Harvey stated, “your gift is that thing you do the absolute best with the least amount of effort.” Whether that’s signing, dancing, cooking, building things, working with computers or being a social media guru, every person has at least one gift. To get started, grab a pen and paper, then make a list of the things you do great without much effort. You may just surprise yourself.

3. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Except for living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about or come across the term SMART goals. The acronym Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely is synonymous with goal setting and has served as one of the guiding principles for building the career and life of your dreams. SMART goals are well-defined, have set milestones. You should have a reasonable expectation that you can, and will, achieve them. Additionally, your goals should have well-established deadlines which serve to keep you focused and motivated. Keep in mind though, that life happens! Be sure to leave room for flexibility and revise goals often to accommodate those changes.

4. Explore different careers

Once you’ve written your goals down, you should begin exploring different career clusters and industries. Clusters are simply related types of work which are grouped together. In the United States, the Department of Labor has classified 18 career clusters and industries (see Career Cluster/Industry Videos to learn more). Yes, this means there are lots of options to choose from to find the one that’s the best fit for you. Exploring careers and industries helps to further narrow down your options regarding your future line of work. During this process, you should be aiming for your top three, then further research those three both objectively and subjectively. We will discuss this in the next section.

5. Pick your top 3

After picking your top three careers, you should research them both objectively and subjectively. Simply put, objective research means looking at the job from all perspectives, without making any judgements for or against it. Think of it like a debate where the two sides present their opinions on the job, but there is no winning side. On the other hand, subjective research means looking at each career path based on your own personal preferences and perspectives, weighing all the pros and cons entailed based on your values, personality, and interests. Doing this will allow you to gain a better picture of your future career outlook. Free sites like Road Trip Nation and Share Your Road offer free career exploration tools so, be sure to check them out.

6. Be Realistic

When thinking about the type of career or job you want to have, you must also consider how much money you realistically need to live. Having a good paying job is only great if your paycheck can cover your living expenses and have enough left over to save each month. In addition to rental or mortgage expenses, you’ll also need to factor in the costs of clothing, entertainment, the type of car you want to drive, how often you want to eat out, and so on.Having a realistic view of the future lifestyle you want is crucial in choosing your future career. This ensures that the money you make is sufficient for the life you want to live. Check out Reality Check by Education Quest. It’s a fun site where you can explore different lifestyle options to determine how much your future career needs to pay you.

7. Find a Mentor

A mentor is a person who helps support, advise, and guide you toward achieving your personal and professional goals. It’s usually someone relatable who has undergone some of the same challenges you have or has taken the same career path you want to take. A mentor can provide answers to questions you may have and can provide great insight into ways of overcoming any personal and professional obstacles you might face. Now that you have a realistic view of what you want your future to look like, you need to begin thinking about the who the people in your success network, aka, your cheerleaders, will be. Your mentor should be one of these people. Keep in mind though, that your mentor is not your therapist, so for deeper issues, especially those related to mental health, seeking out a therapist is highly recommended.

8. Stay positive

Brain science says that our negative thoughts are automatic. So, we must learn to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to staying positive. Having a positive attitude toward your career and life involves seeing the glass as half full rather than half empty. It’s seeking out solutions rather than sitting around complaining. It's also about being intentional about incorporating practices into your life that help you stay positive, motivated, focused, and happy. Positive people are happier people, and other people genuinely enjoying being around them and supporting them. Although you may have days when you are feeling down and out of sorts, when life hands you those lemons, tackle them head on with a “can do” attitude and make some sweet lemonade… when all else fails there’s always engaging in a bit of “destressing” like listening to music.

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So what's next... Still unsure of what you want to do and the steps you must take to get there? I can help! Ask me how?