Determining Your Career Path/Identifying Your Dream Job

You may not know which company you want to work for. You may not know the title of the job you want. You might not even know exactly what you want to spend your time doing each day. That’s okay.

There may be certain activities that burn you out (just the idea of doing them makes you unhappy - like repetitive daily duties). Then there are other activities that energize you — things that you can do all day without ever tiring. Your ideal job is going to be one where you spend your days doing the work that energizes you and motivates you, and where you spend minimal time on activities that burn you out.

Self-Assessment - Before making any important decision, the best idea is to take time for self-reflection. Choosing a career is no different. First, you’ll reflect on what kind of work environment (company culture) you want to be in, what type of work you truly enjoy, the type of people you want to work with, etc.

As you’re self assessing, write down your notes. These will be helpful references later on.

Here are a few questions to start with (try not to dwell on the questions but rather, write down the first thoughts that come to mind). If you’re not sure of some answers, trusted friends or family may be able to give guidance. (Tip: Interview Success Formula member's can use the results from your ISF Self-Assessment Survey to assist you in answering some of these questions.)

What are your key values? (Examples: Financial stability, helping others, independence)
What soft skills do you possess? (Examples: Time management, communication, confidence, problem-solving)
What technical skills do you possess? (Examples: Data analytics, planning, research, multilingual, photography)
What natural aptitudes do you have? (Examples: Writing, leadership, selling, project management, communicating, planning, technical problem-solving)
What’s your personality like? (Examples: quiet, outgoing, confident, aggressive, loyal)
What are you interested in? (Examples: Technology, writing, medicine, design)

Next, there are areas where you are a solid performer, where you can get work done relatively quickly and easily. And then there are those areas where you might struggle no matter how much time you invest. The right job will enable you to tap into your talents and strengths so you can produce your best results. It will minimize the types of work that rely on your weaker areas. Also, your ideal job is going to help you fulfill your personal goals. It will help you achieve what you feel is important, what you value.

Identify Must Haves - Take some time to identify your must-haves in a job. These can range from anything like salary or travel to benefits and location (especially in a new city):

Do you need to earn a certain salary ?
Do you require certain benefits like specific healthcare coverage or certain amount of time off?
Could you take a job that involved travel?
Do you need to work in a certain location?
Do you require any sort of flexibility to work from home ?
Do you need to adhere to a specific job title or level?
Are there certain tasks you need to or do not want to perform?
Is there a certain work environment you cannot operate well in?

It's important to know what you need from a job ahead of time. Example - if you need to earn a consistent salary, you may want to avoid freelance work. Once you’ve determined your must-haves, you can use the research phase to determine jobs that might not work for you.

Finally, your ideal job is going to be in an environment where you get to be your real self, where the culture fits with your personality.

Make a List of Jobs to Explore - After understanding a bit more about yourself and your needs in a job, start looking for careers that sound interesting or desirable to you. If there’s a job you don’t know much about, write it down and research it later. You may end up finding an interesting career path.

Remember that job titles don’t always represent the actual job perfectly. While a title might not seem desirable, the job description might be a good fit for you.

To start your list of jobs, here are some considerations:

Use your network. Do you know friends or colleagues with jobs that seem interesting? Tap into your network to explore jobs they hold, and jobs they think you may be interested in and/or good at.
Find interesting industries. Is there a particular industry that seems appealing? Are you drawn to a particular category of work, like design, fashion, business, or education? (Think about friends, family members or acquaintances who have compelling or attractive jobs.)
Identify things you enjoy doing. Are there any activities, or tasks, that make time pass quickly? This can be anything from designing presentations, creating advertisement flyers to organizing information to working as part of a group. If you do enjoy designing presentations, for example, write down careers that might involve doing this work.
List your goals and values. Consider where you want to be in two, five and 10 years. Is there a particular title or level you want to achieve? Is there a location you want to be in or a certain lifestyle you want to have? Taking time to think about the future can help you identify jobs that will be a long-term fit.
Evaluate your strengths and talents. What are you good at? Whether you identify soft or hard skills, determining your strengths paired with things you enjoy can help you find a career that sets you up for success. If you’re good at organizing and interpreting data, you might write down jobs like data analyst, computer scientist or data scientist.

After you’ve explored jobs that seem interesting, start researching each one to create a short-list of serious career possibilities. The goal is to arrive at one or two career paths that you’re excited about. Once you’ve narrowed your list down, you’ll need to assess whether you need additional training or credentials. While some employers are willing to provide on-the-job training, others will look for candidates who already possess their requirements.

For details on a specific job, carefully review the job posting. Pay attention to sections labeled “Requirements” and “Education and Experience.”

Once you’ve determined that you are qualified for this career path, update your resume to reflect your relevant strengths and skills. It can be helpful to explore job postings to understand what employers in your industry and position are looking for in candidates.

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