HOW TO FIND YOUR “DREAM JOB”

Last week I wrote about what hiring managers know. I wrote that to personalize all those faceless, and many times nameless, people you are trying to reach. If you understand whom you are trying to reach, you can tailor your approach so that you actually do reach them.

Today, I am trying to connect you to a job you will actually enjoy. You don’t go to heaven any more directly by working a job you hate. As long as you have to spend long hours working, you might as well find a job that suits you. A job you enjoy. Life is not supposed to be hard. Life can be easy.

What will suit me?
That is the question I am asked most often. Not surprising since I am a career coach. :) When I first started out, I would subject people to batteries of tests: personality tests, strengths finder test, color quiz, and many others. I took them myself, too. What I found out is, no test will accurately predict what you will excel at and that you will enjoy doing. No combination of tests will do it either.

The only reliable way to find a job that will suit you and that you will enjoy doing is based on just one question ...

What do you love to do?
Yep, it’s a simple question. It can be a difficult question if you look at the wrong answers. How does the question actually work?

When you love to do something, you are good at it. You take pleasure in the doing of it. That means you probably do it often. Therefore, you are practicing. And, as we all know, ‘practice makes perfect’. It is an easy jump then to say that what you love to do is one of your strengths. If you love doing something, it energizes you.

Think about a hobby of yours. You do it because you enjoy doing it. You do it because it energizes you. You do it because you are good at it and/or have become good at it. You can't wait to get to your “hobby time.” Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say all of that about your job too?

You probably know the advice about “play to your strengths” and that’s great – as far as it goes. The real problem comes because most of us don’t properly know what our strengths are. We think they are the things that we are good at, but that is only half the story. You can be good at something but drained by doing it. For example, I am good at accounting. But, it is totally exhausting for me to actually do. We can be externally rewarded for doing something well, but internally we pay the price. That can leave you confused in the short term, disengaged and burned out in the long term.

What energizes you?
Drawing the distinction between strengths – what we are good at and that energize us – and the learned behaviors that we do well but are drained by them (e.g., accounting for me). This is the critical distinction if you want to be fulfilled and productive.

I used to ask, “What are you good at?” That question can give the right answer, but most often it skirts the correct answer of what energizes you. I am “good” at accounting. It is one of my “strengths.” However, since it drains the life out of me, it is only half the answer.

Think about energy as an element of your strengths, and about how you assess your strengths. What you use on the job, hobby or at home is a realized strength. You are actually using this strength in some capacity. If you have a strength that you are not using, it is unrealized. This could be an area of great potential and development for you. What do you love to do and that energizes you, that is under-utilized in your job? That is your potential. Develop your potential. See how much fun you can have at “work.”

It’s Déjà Vu, All Over Again
Do you remember those grade school report cards? Yes, I sadly got repeat scores of, “not working up to her potential.” You, too? Remember the boring lectures that came with those scores? “School is not meant to be play.” “You have to buckle down and study harder.” “Real life is about work, not play.” And, a personal favorite, “It’ll go on your permanent record.”

Put all those lectures in a work context, and that is why we don’t revolt when work drains the life out of us during the day. Years of brainwashing have convinced us that it is OK to be miserable at work. Who says, “Work is not meant to be play?” Why not? You don’t have to “buckle down and work harder.” You do have buckle down and develop your potential. But, that will energize you. As you develop, you will realize that you are having … fun! It is NOT a sin to have fun at work. Happy people are more productive people.

Confucius said, “Get a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Isn’t that a worthy goal? You can be happy to go to work in the morning, not dread Monday morning, and the day zips by in a blur of productivity. At the end of the day, you go home satisfied by your accomplishments. And, I dare say, happy!

This Week’s Coaching
1. Sit down with paper and pen or computer and favorite software and list all your strengths or things you are good at doing. If you are having trouble coming up with words think action verbs (lead, execute, discover, supervise, coach, demonstrate, plow, assemble, etc.)

2. Circle all the strengths that energize you. These are the strengths that are essential for your job.

3. Make a new list of skills that energize you, but are under-utilized at your job. These are the strengths that you should be developing in your job.

4. Compare these two lists to your actual job duties. Do they match up? Can you talk to your boss about getting them to match up? A new assignment or short-term project will give you development opportunities. (How does your development needs align with the company’s business need?)

5. Is it hopeless? Do you just need to find a new job? It’s a bit harder, but find the new job while you still have the old job. This economy requires this kind of prudence.

I’m curious; does this help you define what your job could be? Does your job already suit you? Let me know via the comments section below or by sending me an email. I’d love to know if this helps you.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,
Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund
Executive and Life Coaching
Telephone: 916 • 803•1494
E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com