HOW TO Find the Work You Want in 4 Simple Steps
If you’re reading about this post about how to find the work you want, you’re highly likely to be one of the 154 million employed in the workforce (U.S. only no less).
And…just as likely, is that you are within the 70% of this workforce that claims to be “disengaged” at work.
Disengagement is really a nice way of saying you don’t like your job…or at least, that you don’t care about it. And even that’s still saying it nicely.
Countless numbers of us work in a job we don’t care for (to put it lightly). We may loathe our workplace, hate our boss, despise the 8-10 hours (if you’re lucky) our work eats up each day and dread Monday morning with every fiber of our bodies.
BUT, sadly, this is a feeling many have resorted to accepting (crazy, I know!).
The reasons we’ve accepted this fate are many. We may believe there are simply no other options out there, that no one is truly “happy” in their jobs. Loving our work is a figment of the imagination, right? Something to be dreamed of but always out of reach.
Or, maybe we’ve convinced ourselves that we’ve spent too much time or money (thanks to that pricey college degree) on a given field or industry, and to pursue something otherwise would be a tremendous waste of time, talent, and money.
Handcuffed to our work, we find ourselves STUCK, so we often resort to accepting our fate!
Sounds so ominous right!? Ok, I don’t mean to make you feel more discouraged…my bad!
SO, HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS – this feeling doesn’t have to be the case!
We are living in a unique, awe-inspiring, amazing, opportunistic era in the workforce! One which we can literally choose from an unlimited number of career pursuits. The possibilities are truly endless!
But, an immediate problem usually occurs immediately after deciding to change. And that is the daunting task of how to get started?
Some initial questions running through your mind could be:
“Is it too late to switch careers”
“How would I even find a new job?”
“What if I don’t like that either?”
“Is there really work that I would actually enjoy?”
“How do I know I’m making the right choice?”
“Forget all that…how do I even decide what I want to do? The last thing I want to do is take another job I’ll be miserable at!”
These questions flood our minds, unfortunately paralyzing us with indecision in the process. Again, keeping us in that “stuck” phase that we seem to be in all too often.
But, alas, there is hope!
There are so many tremendous resources out there – it’s just a simple matter of finding the right ones and connecting them to your situation and then making the changes necessary.
Remember – work doesn’t have to suck!
Let’s dig in, here is HOW TO Find the Work You Want in 4 Simple Steps:
1. Acknowledge Your Self-Awareness
“Know thyself” – we’ve all heard this zen-like saying, but it is so true. Are you in tune with what makes you tick? Do you firmly understand your strengths and weaknesses?
When was the last time you took a personality test or skills assessment?
These are critical areas to focus on, all of which ultimately dictate the kind of work you’re cut out for. Take the time to go through a personality test (Here’s one we’d suggest).
Once you finish taking your personality test, you will use this as a springboard for taking action in your career.
Note: Here is a sample (mine) of what your personality test results may look like:
Next, think through your past and present work situations and identify your likes and dislikes. Write them down, and then think of the impacts and effects those positive and negative experiences have had on you. What you’d like to duplicate, and what you’d like to eliminate in the future.
We will build on this, don’t worry, but these entry assessments are key! These actions round out this first step, which is assessing your current self-awareness.
2. Discover the “What’s Next” Possibilities
Once you’ve really dug into the key parts of what drives you, you’ll need to start making sense of how that applies to your work.
This is the “What’s Next” phase. Don’t get stuck on this step. If you’ve done your homework on the self-awareness topic above (and don’t short-change that area), you need to spend some time researching the options you have for work. Don’t worry, that link for the personality test…that will provide a profile of those options. Not to mention, you can easily research your personality type and find suggestions on your own.
There are time-tested behavior study outcomes that individuals with certain personalities, skills, etc, are best suited for correlated jobs, industries and professions. Lean on those profiles for a good head start in the right direction.
FYI, here is another solid resource for mapping you to your career options (StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath).
Deeper connections emerge when you analyze past and current work situations and look for patterns. In other words, connecting your personality test results to suggested work fields, and then looking for the relation to what you did or did not like in your past work. Make sense? Now you’re on the right track.
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3. BRIDGING the Gap
Next, we’ll start connecting the dots to set you in motion. Without making those connections, your work thus far is purely an exercise in self-awareness (thought I would argue a good one nonetheless).
Creating a plan and bridging the gaps between where you are now, and those career options you now desire, is the next critical piece.
So, map together those career options you uncovered, based on the assessments and research done in the previous step, and make some connections, creating a path in the process. We kinda touched on this in the last step, but let’s expand…
Your personality test results and skills research should have revealed the strengths you have, which can then be applied to that research you’ve done, leaving you with some solid job choices. The key piece being that you MUST develop a plan in this process.
Connecting the dots from here, is where this process becomes highly customizable, and while we can’t get into the intricacies of each industry, job market, or entrepreneurial opportunity, there is huge upside for you to take it from here.
That means doing the next wave of studying to uncover what you need to do to enter those job markets. What is the gap between where you are now and that career you want? Build the bridge to get there.
4. EXPAND your Opportunity
We often make the mistake that we need to go it alone. This is false. You will NOT ever reach your goal or dream career, without help and support!
You must learn from others along the way. This is the essential last step. Once you’ve gone through these prior three stages, you should begin individualizing your path.
There is NOT a one-size fits all, and there is so much bad advice that suggests otherwise.
You need to follow a plan that takes YOU where you want to be.
Start connecting with others that have the profession you desire. A few suggested resources would be: Facebook and LinkedIn groups; social media influencers in your field of desired work; local groups, such as Meetups, etc. – and many many more.
Find networking groups, online communities, and resources that you can lean on. This will encourage you and help pull you along into those relevant areas.
BONUS – The biggest secret to ALL of this…is to START! Don’t wait. You’ve waited before. You’ve seen where that takes you. You’re unhappy and unfulfilled today, so do something about it, TODAY. The biggest mistake you can possibly make, is to not get started. You will undoubtedly regret it.
Again, remember, you CAN do this! Work doesn’t have to suck!
I truly hope you’ll apply these four steps to your current situation. I promise you, these are proven methods to finding and starting the work you actually want. Don’t add to the statistic of people who are miserable and disengaged in their jobs. This doesn’t have to happen!
But, it’s going to require work. There is no overnight success plan to finding the right work for you. It takes time, but it’s worth every bit of the investment. You got this!
NEED A BIT MORE GUIDANCE!? Check out the Fuel Your Mission Career Launch Guidebook to get the fully-expanded plan to help you find work that matters!
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