Thanks to an increasingly competitive hiring market with higher-paying positions, you may need to put in more effort to find a job, even if you know exactly what kind of occupation you want. Conversely, when you have an unsure career path, you need to discover ways to narrow your search so that you can still earn money despite your indecisiveness.
Take a few focused ideas and steps to narrow your job search. Whether you're trying to earn your first paying job at 16 or you want to change careers at 50, learn personality traits, list your skills and determine attributes of your ideal job. Before you know it, you may discover a profession or position to enjoy that you never even knew existed.
Start by applying for jobs you know you can do. Some dream careers may look great, but if you see a skill set that does not align with yours, do not waste your time. Find a job that optimizes your background, experience, skills and education yet falls into a different career path. Maybe you grew tired of retail but you still want to manage a small, dedicated team. Consider hospitality, food service, restaurants, marketing or hotels instead. If you have an unsure career path, research the possibilities to see what jobs could land you a viable income for years to come.
List attributes of your ideal job. You already determined your best attributes, now you need to sync your personality to a career in order to find a job you may like. Decide how many hours you want to work, whether you want to travel, if you can handle physically demanding tasks and what type of company fits your own work ethic. Combine aspects of your personality and potential positions by taking a career assessment. Several websites have career quizzes that may help sharpen your focus.
Communicate with people you know and find a job through your connections. This does not necessarily mean utilizing your network. This task revolves around discovering what drives your friends, co-workers, neighbors and family to show up to work five days per week. Start a conversation with, "So, what's your job really like?" Join industry associations, read trade magazines and connect with similar-minded people who may show you the way to a new career.
When you want to change careers after you've already put in several years, employ a few strategies to help decide where you want to go for future endeavors. Ask your boss if you can tweak your current job duties to have more fulfillment. Write a list of the things you dislike about your current career position and see how you can improve them or move forward. List your priorities, discover which of them are non-negotiable and then adapt your career profile to jobs that suit your interests better.
Having insecurities about the type of job you want shows you are just as human as everyone else. Don't panic when you feel compelled to find a job that seems completely different from before. Simply take a few structured, focused steps towards career bliss and your discontent dissipates the sooner you move closer to a fulfilling career.
Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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