What makes you enjoy a job? To give you a sneak peek into our upcoming Today's Job Seeker Report, sixty-four percent of job seekers say the work itself is what makes them enjoy a job. That was followed by great co-workers at twenty-four percent. Learn how you can identify an engaging job and great co-workers.
Identifying fulfilling
work
Finding fulfilling work
will prevent you from being on the job hunt again in six months. It is
important to understand that everyone will have responsibilities in their job
that they do not enjoy. However, you should find a job where you enjoy most of
the work.
- Establish your criteria: Create a list of what you would like to do in your next job. For example, do you want to work with numbers or do you want to work with animals? Are you willing to put in more than 40 hours? The nature of some jobs requires that you put in longer hours. Create a list of ideal qualities of a fulfilling job and rank them in order of priority.
- Job description details: As you review job descriptions, reflect on what you want in a job. Are you finding jobs that fit your top criteria? If not, take a hard look at what you look for in a job; is it unrealistic? It could also be time to go back to school.
- Consider the stretch opportunity: Part of finding great work is having something that challenges you. Consider applying for jobs that may require some additional training. You have to keep in mind that most employers write job descriptions based on their ideal candidate. Leverage your connections to get in front of these employers.
- Interview questions: Questions asked during an interview give you clues into the day to day challenges of the job. Take a few moments after your interview to write the questions down that you remember. Review the questions and your criteria list. Do some of the questions hint at needing to utilize the skills that you enjoy using?
Finding great co-workers
Spending eight hours
with people you dislike is painful. Do your homework before committing to a
company.
- Ask questions during the interview: The interview process is also a time for you to learn about the company. Prepare questions for the interview including about the company culture, who you will be working with, and the working style of your prospective boss.
- Read more about the company: Information on a company is just a few clicks away. Review news articles about what is happening with the company. You would be surprised by the number of articles that include information about the work environment and executives. In addition, websites like Glassdoor provide candid feedback on companies through anonymous sharing from past and current employees. Finally, if you know who you are interviewing with, research them on Google and LinkedIn.
- Talk with connections: Reach out to your connections not only for referrals, but for their perspective on the work environment. Are they excited about the company or do they seem blasé? Your connections are your best pulse on the company.
