job search
Photo by faerie from a lost star

In a time of your life when you are seeking a career or maybe just a job, you need to examine the psychology that is driving your thoughts and setting your priorities in order to find your perfect job.  I know a few people that are currently seeking a better career. They are all unhappy in their current job and want something more engaging, something they can really wrap their arms around. I agree sometimes we need to look for a new job to be happy.  I remember hearing a job guru say when I was just out of high school:

If you dread Mondays and live for the weekends you are in the wrong job

I think that’s true. I’m very happy as a teacher but I don’t think I am 100% happy. There is always that something around the bend in my mind. Maybe it’s “the grass is greener” or something like that. I don’t think I could do anything that I loved as much as teaching though, so I stay. There lays the first rule in finding the perfect job:

Don’t look for the job you will love, look for the job you dislike the least

Here’s a case in point: If “John” has 5 jobs from an online job search and none are jobs he really “loves,” he should decide to pursue the job he hates the least. I know that sounds really sell out, but it is an “active” step.  To pursue none is for sure a lose/lose option.

Once you are seeking the job you dislike the least, you can see clearly to get there faster and with more vigor. That’s the second thing you can do to find the perfect job opportunity:

Set priorities in direction of goals

Now that you know your direction, you can set your priorities in that direction. For example, if you want an accountant job, you can check out the local college CPA program. You can start getting the aid you may need and enroll in the courses. No more procrastination and waiting around for a “pie in the sky” job that you yourself probably couldn’t even define. I think waiting for the perfect job can act as a sort of excuse for not advancing toward your inner dreams. That leads us to the third thing you can do:

Keep your head down like a runner in a race and run toward your finish line.

Once you know the goal, all you need to do is run toward it. It has been said that “if you aim at nothing, you will surely hit it.” At this stage of the game you are moving aggressively toward your goal. I can imagine some people reading this might say: “There are no jobs.” I respond to that with this: “There are jobs, maybe not the one you want so go back to what I said at the beginning: ‘pick the job you dislike the least.’”

In fact, that’s how I picked my major in college. I hated math, history was boring, and there were too many dates to remember. Science was all math so that just left literature. I hated English class, but I liked reading stories. Now, all these years later, I am very grateful for my teaching career and I get to make English lessons fun for 9 year olds. I wonder if I would be where I am today if I hadn’t decided to accept the path I disliked the least. What are your “real” options for work right now?