Finding a job you’ll love is usually the goal when you’re searching for new opportunities. However, that can seem easier said than done. Fortunately, using the right approach usually isn’t as hard as it appears. If you want to head in the ideal direction, here are seven tips for finding a job you’ll love all year.
1. Start by Identifying Your Passions
Finding a job that ignites your passion is typically the most straightforward way to end up in a role you’ll adore. Usually, there are two ways to identify your passion if you aren’t sure where it lies. First, you can consider what makes you happy. Second, you could focus on what sparks your curiosity.
Both approaches can help you determine what kinds of jobs or fields could be a match. Don’t be afraid to try each one, ensuring you get a solid idea of your options.
2. Align Your Passions to Roles
When you start identifying your passions, you’ll typically end up with a list of skills or subjects that pique your interest. In either case, you’ll want to align them to jobs, allowing you to find options for furthering your career.
Explore fields and positions that let you spend more time focused on what ignites your curiosity or makes you happy. If you end up with a diverse list of jobs in several niches, that’s fine, as your goal is to explore what’s possible before choosing a direction.
3. Conduct Informational Interviews
Once you’ve got some options on the table, reach out to professionals that work in those roles or fields and request informational interviews. That way, you can get first-hand accounts of what it’s like to pursue those careers, giving you insights that can narrow down your choices.
4. Compare Your Skillset
After conducting informational interviews on several options, take stock of your skills and see whether you have everything you’d need to head in each of those directions. By doing so, you can estimate how much work may be involved in improving your employability, allowing you to determine if you can reasonably commit the time, energy, and funds that may be necessary to pursue a given role.
In many cases, this will narrow down your list a bit. Ideally, you want to focus on jobs that ignite your passion but are reasonably attainable, ensuring you won’t feel overburdened by the preparations.
5. Enhance Your Capabilities
Now that you know what skills you’ll need, it’s time to enhance your capabilities. Pick the role or field that interests you most and seize an opportunity to acquire necessary skills, such as attending a class or volunteering.
Along with boosting your resume, this lets you try out skills before committing to a new job. That way, if you discover one isn’t the fit you’d hoped it was, you can move on to another option in your list.
6. Outline Your Ideal Workplace
At this point, you should have everything you need to head in the right direction. But before you start searching for roles, spend some time defining your ideal workplace. Along with environmental aspects, take the culture, hours, commute, and anything else that impacts the experience into account. That way, you’ll know everything you need to look for in a role before diving into your search.
7. Get a Temporary Job
Now that you know what you want in a role try it out by getting a temporary job. It’s an excellent way to explore a position and a local employer without a long-term commitment. Plus, if you genuinely shine, you may be able to turn it into a permanent position, allowing you to move forward with confidence.
If you’re ready to explore temp positions, the team at The Advance Group wants to hear from you. Contact us today.