Strategies to Help Find the Perfect Job or Career

Don’t Ever Stop Following Your Dream

Coaches and sports motivators are fond of quoting standbys that involve “giving 110 percent all the time,” “going the extra mile,” and “leaving it all out on the field.” While many world class athletes do just that, most people never finish going the first mile. They quit too early.

Remember when you were a child? You dreamt of being a baseball player, a police officer, a veterinarian or some other career professional. Did you achieve any of these childhood career goals? Most people have not.

At some point they gave up their dream and began settling for things, including jobs. More than just settling, many people work at jobs they really dislike. Even if highly compensated, many of these people develop personal, family and lifestyle issues that further contribute to their general unhappiness. These are common results of giving up your dream.

Don’t let this happen to you. If you’ve already given up your dream, fight hard to get re-focused on your aspirations. As legendary statesman Sir Winston Churchill strongly advised the world, “Never, never, never, never give up!”

Start working to find that perfect job or career today. While you cannot change history, you can have the future you want—and may have always wanted. Here are some suggestions to help you achieve this goal.

Strategies to Help Find the Perfect Job

Ready to begin your new exciting journey? Consider the following strategies and suggestions.

• Analyze your real career wishes, desires and dreams. You’re probably familiar with the biblical statement, “Know thyself.” This tenet is universally believed to be one of the most important tasks for a human to accomplish. However, for many of us this goal is difficult to achieve. Not impossible, but requiring some sincere effort. Spend the time to achieve this goal. In this context, analyze your real—not necessarily professed—career desires. Learn what the inner you truly wants in a job or career.
• Evaluate the things you do best and determine whether you like these things or not. Notice that this is a combination strategy and both elements must be analyzed. You may be a highly successful salesperson, but internally dislike selling products and services. To be valuable, your personal analysis must be brutally honest. You only have to satisfy your harshest critic: yourself.
• Think about former jobs you enjoyed most. If you’re not new to the world of work, reminisce about past jobs and employers. Which of your former jobs excited, challenged and motivated you? This is a valuable strategy, even if you don't have an answer. This exercise at least supports Thomas A. Edison’s conclusions, when asked, “How could you continue after you failed over 9,000 times to invent electricity and make a light bulb work?” Edison was incredulous: “I didn’t fail. I discovered over 9,000 ways electricity wouldn’t work.” If you do remember one or more jobs that worked for you, consider what factors excited, motivated and thrilled you.
• Consider whether your personality helps or hinders your current career. Determine your inner personality, not the one you display at the workplace (unless they are identical). If you work in sales, do you love interacting with people, convincing customers to buy and keeping clients happy? Or would you rather be in a home-office writing poetry or the next great American novel? Your personality is either helping or hindering your current career. Decide if it’s perfect for your current job and career or whether you’d be happier in another profession.
• Get the dream back into your life—and act on it. In all cases, reactivate your dream, whether from childhood or one you’ve been suppressing since you joined the workforce. Once you get your dream back, act on it. Don’t wait for conditions to be perfect, lady luck to arrive, or the perfect career or employer to knock on your door one afternoon. Are you prepared to trade high compensation and extraordinary benefits for a pay reduction to pursue your dream and be happy? If you are, you’ll know that your dream job or career is right for you.

While some have the good fortune to enjoy both high compensation and doing what they love to do. Most of us must consider the question, “How important is it to trade compensation for the dream?” Only you can answer the question, knowing that there are no wrong answers, only honest ones. Never leave your answer—or career—up to the luck factor.

Identify your dream career; then do whatever’s necessary to achieve your dream. While a few dreams may be impossible to achieve because of skills (e.g., playing center field for the Boston Red Sox or discovering the cure for cancer), you can achieve most career choices with education, experience and motivation. Use top employment firms like Kelly Services to help locate the perfect job and employer if you decide to change your status. Your journey toward your dream job or career is just as important as getting there.