Being able to prioritize enjoyment when it comes to finding a job is a massive privilege for most people, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Finding a job that you love, or making the job you currently do a job you love, should not be a future pipe dream, but something you are actively be thinking and working towards.
In this guide, we want to talk through the steps you should go through to find a job you love.
What do you want to get out of your job?
What do we mean by this? Knowing what you want out of a job and what will make you happier in your working environment is the first step to finding a job you love.
There’s no easy answer to this question other than to do a bit of self-reflection to work out what truly matters to you when it comes to your work.
You should be asking yourself:
- What does job satisfaction mean to you?
- Are you looking for a job that gives you a chance to grow and learn new skills?
- Do you want to feel heard and valued?
- Do you want to be paid more?
- Are you looking for more flexibility around where and when you work?
Taking the time to understand your wants from a job is an important step in finding a job you love.
What would your dream job be?
Next, you could consider what it actually is that you would love to do for your job. Doing what you love is a great way to make sure you love what you are doing!
There are a few things you could think about here to help you get some answers:
What did you love as a child?
It’s not uncommon for those careers we wanted as a child so passionately to be squashed under the harsh realities of life and needing money. But if you could be whatever you wanted, what would it be. Would those childhood passions resurface?
If money were no object?
Money is a strong driver in most of our career choices, and while it of course can’t be ignored, you should still ask yourself – what would you do if money was no object? Would you write music, travel, volunteer at a charity? Whatever it may be there will almost certainly be a way of making a career out of it.
Think of what you enjoy doing that you also do well?
Have a look at your hobbies, what you love to do for yourself, and in particular, what you do well. Do you love to make your own clothes, paint, do a bit of carpentry? You’d be surprised how often people make a career out of their hobbies. There’s no reason you couldn’t do the same.
Take stock of your current job
This may sound odd but some of you might already be in your dream job, you’re just not getting what you want out of it. Taking stock of where you are in your career and what you are currently doing is something we should all be doing from time to time.
- Do you enjoy what you are doing?
- Do you like the people you work with?
- Do you feel like your opinions matter?
- Do you feel appreciated?
For some of us finding the job, you love could be as simple as fixing any issues with the questions above that you have with your current job.
For example, you love the people you work with, your boss is great, but the work you actually do you don’t like. You work on cases or projects for companies you don’t believe in or match your values. There are, however, projects at the company that do meet your values and that you would enjoy working on. There is never any harm in asking to be moved to those projects.
What skills do you need for your dream job?
Identifying the job that you would love, or the kind of job that you would love is the first step. Next, we have to work out the steps to get there.
The first thing to consider is what skills do I need for that job that I don’t currently have?
The great news is that learning a new skill in this day and age is a lot easier than it used to be because of the vast amount of resources at our fingertips. We can learn coding, music, languages, marketing, you name it all from the comfort of your own home.
There are online learning portals like Udemy and Skillshare that offer you peer-to-peer learning. Or you can take from industry leaders on Masterclass.
Skill barriers shouldn’t stop you from pursuing the job that you would love, and instead, you should set some time aside to work on those skills.
Finding the job you love
Once you’ve identified what kind of job you want, that what would give you that sense of job satisfaction, and you’ve worked on the skills you need, next we have to go and find that job.
We have a few tips to consider for this too:
Make sure you read job descriptions thoroughly!
Skimming job titles to highlight the ones you want or ones that sound the most promising are not always going to be a winner. You should take the time to read the job description thoroughly before putting time into an application.
Have a look at the skills required and the job expectations to make sure you can meet those needs and you won’t be putting yourself under too much stress doing the job. Have a look at other similar jobs too to see how the job matches up with them.
Taking your time to research the job thoroughly is key.
Pay attention to the office when you go for an interview
Where you work and who you work with is just as important as the actual job you do. More important in most cases.
So, taking stock of your surroundings when going for your interview is a great way to get a feel for whether you would fit in, and whether the atmosphere in the office is one that you would enjoy. You can glean more than you think very quickly.
As a bonus, doing this will also distract you from any nerves you might have!
Check out the company on social media
Checking out a company’s social media can tell you a lot about them. Are they active or not? Do the executives get involved? Do they talk about office culture and the companies achievements? Are the staff engaged with the company’s social media?
All of these things add to your understanding of the company, how it operates, and whether you think it would be a good fit for you.
Talk to former and current employees
The best way to truly know what a company is like is to talk to past and current employees.
If this feels out of reach and a little out of your comfort zones there are other ways of getting this information. Glassdoor, for example, has company reviews from past and current employees that focus specifically on office culture, the type of work, how they are treated by the executives, etc.
Attend networking events
Networking events are common in pretty much every industry and are a great way of meeting peers that you can get advice from and executives that may very well have jobs open you can apply for.
Attending networking events regularly keeps you up to date with the industry, and spending time with the people already doing the jobs you want is an ideal way to find your way in.
Never be afraid to try!
Our final piece of advice is to never be afraid to try. Putting yourself out there, trying new things, applying for jobs you never think you’d get but look like you would enjoy them, starting a side hustle doing something that you love.
All of these things are work doing, and you never know, they may just lead to you finding the job you love.
