Are there times when it feels like you’re stuck in a rut? Feel stressed, burned out, and unhappy? You’re not alone in this! Most of us work at least eight hours a day, 5 days a week. That’s a huge chunk of our lives right there. If we’re not spending it doing something we enjoy, it could potentially impact our health, and the lives of those around us.
The solution is to find a job or career that really suits you, your dream job or career in fact. Here are a few ways you can get an idea of just what that job might be:
Career Assessment Tests
Career assessment tests are a very good way to identify your strengths and talents. Some online recruiting sites have these tests available. It may cost you a few dollars and a couple of hours of your time but will be well worth it. You’ll be asked what you like doing, what you would choose to do, and what you’re good at. Although you probably already have a fairly good idea of these, you may well discover a few options you haven’t thought of before. If it turns out you’re into safety and compliance, like helping people in emergencies, and aren’t afraid to enforce laws and regulations for instance, a career as a Fire Inspector or similar may suit you.
Keep A Diary
Make a note of your activities, things that annoy you, things you enjoy doing etc. After a while, you’ll begin to see themes. If you constantly note that your co-workers annoy you, chances are you should have a job with your own office. If you have other commitments and note you keep having issues co-ordinating these with your job, you likely need something with flexible hours, or where you can work from home.
Brainstorm
Write your objective at the top of a piece of paper. It could be something along the lines of “What should I do with my life?” or “What will make me happy?” Then come up with 20 or more answers. Don’t get up or do anything else until you’ve got those 20 answers. You can repeat the exercise on a daily or weekly basis until you begin to see a theme emerging.
Talk To A Head-Hunter
If you’re job hunting, you probably have a resume. See if you can get hold of a recruiter or headhunter with a bit of spare time on their hands. These professionals are very good at spotting someone’s talents and skills. Ask if they can help fine-tune your resume and identify some career options that are a good fit.
Ask A Friend
Ask a couple of friends, preferably ones who know you well. Tell them about your dilemma, and ask them if they have any ideas about what you might enjoy doing instead of what you’re doing currently. Someone looking on from the outside may just be able to provide you with some insights into what they see as your particular skills and strengths. Write them down, look for any themes, and then see if you can find careers that utilize these attributes.
Ask Your Co-Workers
As per the above but with co-workers instead. You could also ask your boss but if you’re considering a career change, they might not be too co-operative! Once again, you will probably see a theme emerging that you can then use to look for more suitable work.
Discovering what you were put on this earth to do is important. So much of our lives are spent working so choosing the right career is key to a happy and productive life.
