Throughout the years, friends and clients have asked about helping them find a job or get out of a job or they were in transition and just didn’t know if what they wanted was out there. Some were small business owners that were not thriving and thought they should get a “real” job but didn’t want to be confined to an 8-5 routine.
Every time, I would tell them to create their perfect job description. It might help to first take the Strength Finders test through the book Now Discover Your Strengths which I have mentioned in a previous post. Once you get confirmation on what your natural strengths are, that will help guide the direction of your perfect job.
In this description, you would write down everything you want including answers to these questions:
· How many hours you want to work
· Is the job at a traditional office, on the road, working from home or a combination of all?
· What are the ideal salary, vacation and benefits?
· What are your primary duties?
· What type of industry?
· Based on your strengths, is the job analytical, creative, involve networking or researching?
· What types of people work at the company?
· Is this a private or public company?
· Is this a family-owned company or other small business?
Once you have defined your perfect job, start sharing it with others. One of the biggest mistakes we make when looking for a new opportunity is we forget to tell our friends and colleagues what we are looking for so that they can help us. If you tell someone you are looking for a job, they may assume that you want something in your same profession or they may not understand what pay level or management level you have been working.
The next step is to use social networking sites like LinkedIn to see if there are any jobs posted at companies where you have a contact or where you are only 1-2 degrees away and you can ask for an introduction. With Google and Social Media, it seems that resumes are secondary. So make sure that your Facebook account has privacy settings in place so that only certain people can see your beer bash pictures. See a future Take Action idea about getting your Social Media profiles set up properly.
As you find opportunities, you can see how closely they match your dream job and either go for it or pass. This exercise if much more fun of course if you are not desperate to find a job. When we are desperate, we tend to not be as picky and will interview for just about anything. Your dream job is possible. Start thinking about it while you have a job. You never know what opportunities are out there. The last 2 corporate jobs I had were “manifested” by me – meaning I imagined what would work best for my personality and wala! They appeared. For example, in my current position I work from home and travel a couple days a week for day trips. When I travel I usually don’t have to leave until the kids are at school and get home most nights by dinner. On the days I am home, I can be in jeans and take off at 10 am to go exercise. I can also update emails, prepare for presentations and conduct training at hours that suit me. For example, if I need to take a kid to the doctor during the middle of the day, I can make up that time in the evening since most of my work is e-mail and business planning. If there is an area that I have a certain interest in (i.e. social media), I have the freedom to research that and bring back my findings to my colleagues and clients. As long as I get my work done and I over-deliver, my boss is happy and so am I.
I have been able to create this work style for the last 10 years – whether I was working for a company or working for myself. I HAVE to work like this because I am extremely social. When I am in an office environment with people – I get nothing done. I still need to be energized by people which I get when I meet with my clients and give presentations, but I get more done in 4 hours at home than I would get done during 2 days at an office.
This type of work environment would drive someone else crazy and their dream job would look completely different. Keep in mind that you may not get everything on the dream job list – but figure out what your highest priorities are. For example, my job would be more of a “dream” if I was challenged more, was able to speak to large groups more often and of course if they paid me a million dollars. So, you have to weigh where you are and your happiness level with the new opportunity.
Take Action by Creating your Dream Job.
Angela
