Finding a job that's right for you

The advice that follows will help you to:

·       understand your career drivers

·       increase your confidence levels

·       write more informed CVs and cover letters

·       plan and complete application forms more effectively

·       prepare more effectively for interviews.

1. What does your ideal job look like?

Take a piece of paper and make a list of all the things that your ideal job would have; these might be ‘conditional’ (e.g. ‘good salary’), ‘cultural’ (e.g. ‘progressive corporate culture’), ‘situational’ (e.g. ‘working outdoors’) and/or things that you enjoy doing. 

identifying your ‘must-haves’, ‘nice-to-haves’ and ‘could-put-up-withs’

Now look at your list and highlight all of ‘the things that you absolutely must have in your new job’.  These are things that you will not compromise on, i.e. what your new job must offer if you are going to consider applying for it.  You will probably identify between three and twelve points that fall into this category.  Now refer back to your original list and highlight all of ‘the things that would be nice to have in your new job, but are not vital’.  These things will be important to you but their absence would not stop you from considering a job that you are interested in.  Now look at your original list again and highlight all of the things that you ‘do not like but could put up with if you had to’.  These will be things that you do not enjoy doing, but could put up with if everything else about the job meets your requirements. 

filling in the details

Now look at each of the points and statements that you have captured in more detail; what do they all mean? 

For example, if one of your ‘must have’ points is “working with old people” then the detail behind this statement should include: (i) the age range of the ‘old people’ that you want to work with, (ii) their location and (iii) their well-being. Expanding each of your statements in this way will help you to develop a more informed picture of what your ‘ideal job’ looks like.

your values, ethics and beliefs

Now make a list of all your values, ethics and beliefs; these are the principles that are important to you in your life and will, therefore, be equally important to you in your work life. 

 2. what job would you like to do?

Once you have captured all the traits and elements of your ‘ideal job’, you need to define what the job actually is.  The best way to do this is by writing a ‘job description’ for your ideal job; this should include:

·       what the job actually is

·       where the job should be located

·       what the job involves.

3. what skills do you need to secure the job that you would like to do?

Once you’ve decided what job you would like to do, take a piece of paper and make a list of all the skills and personal traits that you need in order to secure the job that you have identified. 

4. have you got any development needs?

Once you have identified all of the skills that you need for the job that you want, you need to assess your existing abilities to see if you have got any obvious development needs (i.e. ‘gaps’ in your skills, experiences and/or qualifications). What can you do to fill the gaps in your skills?  Record your thoughts.

5. finding organisations that offer the job that you would like to do

Once you have finished drafting your job description, you need to make a list of organisations that offer the job that you have defined.  The following sources might help you with your research:

·       the internet

·       business and career libraries

·       the national press

·       recruitment consultants.

be honest with yourself         

Whenever you find an organisation that offers the sort of job that you are interested in, ask yourself if you have really got all of the skills, experience and qualifications that you need for the job that you have seen. Be honest with yourself.  If you do not have them all then you will need to decide if you should pursue your interest in the job or not*. 

* It might be worth applying for a job even if you do not have all of the required skills and/or experience because you could be the best applicant.