The majority of us, despite the fact that we may have been channeled into a particular career or job direction, often feel vaguely adrift. We wash up on various job shores, but none makes us happy. We know we want a job that challenges us, interests us, satisfies us—but we can't pinpoint what kind of work would do the trick.
If you are struggling with this kind of career confusion, you must give the subject some serious thought before you take one more step on your job hunt. As a matter of fact, even if you've had your professional life plotted out since kindergarten, a mental career review is in order.
Look at where you've been until now. Have your jobs made you happy? Why? Why not? What factors are important to you? Are you as far along in your career as you want to be? Where do you want to go from here? What do you need to do to get there?
You must establish specific career goals—both for the short and the long term—before you even think about writing your resume, calling your networking contacts or filling out a job application. Setting goals is vital not only to the success of your job search, but also to your mental health and happiness.
This article will help you get started on this phase of your job search. Don't underestimate the importance of this process! It is the best way to better your chances of finding a job you love.
You'll be spending a lot of time at work. If you don't like your job, if it bores you or it leaves you frustrated and angry, you'll be miserable. Before long, you'll be unhappy enough to look for a better situation. And you'll be right back where you started–hunting for a job. Put an end to this unhappy cycle now. Decide right here and now that you are going to concentrate on finding a job you will truly enjoy.
Think about what kind of tasks you like to do. What subjects interest you, excite you? What activities do you gravitate toward during your leisure time? If you could have any job in the world, what would you choose? Video producer? Brain surgeon? Top accountant for a Fortune 500 company? Or would you work for yourself, perhaps as the owner of a small antique store or consulting firm?
Daydream a little, and don't limit yourself. Just because you've been a pharmaceutical sales rep for 10 years doesn't mean you have to be one for the rest of your life–or even continue in the industry. So what if your family always wanted you to be a teacher? So what if you spent eight years in a college getting a specialized degree? So what if you've been home with the kids for 20 years?
You have the right–no, the obligation–to do what makes you happy. And this is the time to begin. So remove any chains that bind your imagination.
After you hit on a general career dream, define it in a bit more detail. Would you prefer a casual work atmosphere or a blue-suit-and-briefcase environment? Do you want to work independently, or would you get more satisfaction as part of a team? Would you rather work for a large international conglomerate or for a small, family-owned business?
If you have trouble deciding what path to pursue, there are many books that offer guidance on the subject. What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles and Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar are two. You might also consider taking an aptitude and interest test, offered through many technical schools and colleges. You can also find many surveys and questionnaires online that may help to point you in the right direction. Consider a consultation with a professional career counselor.
If you can't come up with any answers right away, don't panic. Finish reading this article and then take an inventory of your skills and accomplishments. What did you love–and hate–about your various jobs? In what areas do you shine? You should find many clues to point you in a good career direction.
You don't have to get too specific just yet. Don't get so neurotic about planning your life that your five-year vision includes details on the size of your office (big!) and the number of plants on the windowsill. In fact, you may come up with two, three or even more general career paths you'd like to explore.
Just be sure not to be too general; "a career in business" isn't a clear objective. Video production and fish processing are both businesses, but they offer you very different experiences. Decide on a specific industry or profession and determine what position you ultimately want to hold in that field.
The honest truth
Let's face it: money does count. How much so varies from person to person. If you are in the enviable position of being independently wealthy, perhaps you do not care a hoot about what kind of salary you earn. But if you're like the rest of us, the honest truth is that financial compensation is an issue of some concern. And although money shouldn't be the foremost factor in determining your goals, it's only logical to find out what kind of salary you can expect to earn before you make a final decision about your career path.
There are several sources for uncovering this information. Most public libraries have labor reports and other reference materials that document average wages for different occupations. Pay scales are different depending upon the area in which you live; it's important to know what people are making in your city and state. The answer may cause you to rethink your career goals, or you may decide that money is not important enough to keep you from working in a certain field.
Of course, it's also entirely possible that you'll find out that your dream job offers the best of both worlds: career satisfaction and financial reward.
Why not? Once you have one or more dream occupations in mind, ask yourself, “Why not? Why can't you do it? What's holding you back?”
Okay, so maybe you don't have the education, experience or training to be a video producer or a brain surgeon or whatever else you want to be–yet. But you can work toward that goal! You can find out what type of experience you need and seek out jobs that give you that experience. Or you can work in some part of the industry while you get the education you need.
It may take you years to reach your ultimate goal. But if you are working toward a goal, you'll enjoy those years so much more than if you were toiling away at some job unrelated to your dreams. You'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something that puts you closer to your ideal job. And even at the lowest level of employment, there are bound to be aspects of your job that excite you, because you will be working in a field you love.
We realize that if you're desperate for a job, you may think that this is frivolous advice. You may be thinking, "Any job will do." But it won't–not for very long, anyway.
Unless you have some goals–and some dreams–you're going to spend your life skipping from job to job, wondering why none of them makes you happy. Don't condemn yourself to that kind of existence.
How goals power your job search
Deciding upon your career goals not only leads you toward jobs you will love, but also helps you land those jobs.
Once you know specifically what kind of position you will go after, you can tailor your resume to match that position. You can focus on those experiences and skills that are relevant to that position instead of filling up your resume with qualifications that may be impressive–but totally unnecessary for the job you have in mind.
This type of resume is a far more powerful sales tool because everything in it helps to sell you as the answer to the employer's needs. It also creates the impression of a focused, directed individual.
If your soul-searching led you to more than one possible career, that's great–but you will need to develop a separate resume for each career direction. You can't sell yourself as a marketing specialist, for example, with a resume that focuses on your bookkeeping experience.
Goal-setting: A lifelong process
It is, as they say, a woman's prerogative to change her mind. And as you progress through your working life, it's very likely that you will change your mind.
Despite the sexist adage, this has nothing to do with being a woman. It has to do with being human. What challenges and interests you today may leave you cold in five years. A job that seemed exciting and glamorous from the outside may be a real yawn in reality. For many reasons, the goals you set today may not always fit your life. So although determining your goals is very important to your current job search, by no means should you feel locked into pursuing those same goals forever.
In fact, you should evaluate your professional life and establish new short-term and long-term goals on a regular basis. This applies whether you are dissatisfied with your job or gloriously content. If you are unhappy, setting new, specific goals is the first step toward finding a more rewarding path. And if you like the path you're on, goal-setting will help you stay–and progress even farther–on that sunny road.
