How to find the perfect job? Treat it like buying a car!

Whether you are just entering the workforce or thinking of changing careers, there are thousands of jobs to consider. This can be extremely overwhelming and can derail your search in a couple ways. First, the sheer volume of possibilities can paralyze some people who never take any action. If they don’t ‘have to’ find a job, they may stay in a position that is not satisfying. Conversely, some apply to a wide variety of positions, often times with the same resume and irrelevant LinkedIn profile, which only lengthens their search. This is why establishing a target job is important to your overall job search strategy.

Start with the End in Mind

In Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit #2 is Begin with the End in Mind. Some of us do this to a certain extent unconsciously when faced with a big decision like planning a wedding or buying a house. We have an image based on several factors of what we want. We may even make a list or create a picture gallery to help guide us in the process. With all the decisions involved in such a big event or purchase, using a structure helps us narrow down choices and to focus on what is important to us. The same is true for the job search, which I’ll compare in this two-part series to another big purchase, buying a car.

Types of Vehicle / Types of Employment

When shopping, we need to consider the types of vehicles, such as cars, trucks, vans, and motorcycles. Each has its purpose, as well as pros and cons. The same is true for the types of employment: full-time, part-time, contract/temporary, self-employment, and gig/side hustles. Your search strategy will be different based on the type of employment, and there are specialized recruiting firms and websites, like www.flexjobs.com, that can be leveraged to aid in your search.

What’s Important to You?

With the type of vehicle in mind, next you’ll consider what’s important to you. Perhaps, it’s safety and reliability. Maybe you want power and something fun to drive, or you might want a car with the lowest environmental impact. What you are doing is inserting your values, or simply what matters to you, into the buying process. It’s important to consider what you value in a job, a company, a boss and a team. Things like, flexibility, autonomy, recognition, respect and continuous learning are just some of the things people value, and there are many others. Finding the right fit for your values will lead to greater satisfaction in your role. Some people instinctively know what is important to them when it comes to their career values and some benefit by working with a coach to clarify them. There are also several assessments.

Stay tuned for additional factors to consider when undertaking a targeted job search and how they compare to buying a car in subsequent blogs. If you need help with your search or need a professionally written resume, please reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consultation. You can connect with me at nancyerbcoaching@gmail.com.