So how long has a new job been on your to-do list? Are you finding it challenging just to figure out ‘what’ your new job should be?

There’s always been a couple of schools of thought about work – some people believe a job is a job and any job is better than no job and maybe there’s a time and place for
this thinking but for me its not really a long-term strategy.

In today’s world of work, there is a lot more emphasis on being able to connect to the work that you do. People feel better doing jobs they enjoy and employers get better
productivity out of happy employees.

For anyone who’s had the job they had to do or who are currently doing something that doesn’t feed your soul then now is the perfect time to step back and create a career you’ll love.

In order to do so, you need to put yourself first. You need to get really clear about who you are and what you want. Taking a scatter-gun approach to finding a new career is passé.

Question 1. What makes you tick?

Do you know what you love to do and what you’re good at? You can think both in terms of talents you have as well as interests or hobbies. Anything where you are totally in the zone when you are doing it is a good start. Contrary to old beliefs about working on your weaknesses I want you to look for your strengths.

Try and list 5 things that come to mind and then brainstorm about the type of work, industry or career that might involve the things you love and are good at. This can be
useful when you start to research job opportunities.

Question 2. What Do You Bring To The Table?

Once you’ve started to refine what makes you tick and possible career opportunities you can start to think about – What do you bring to the table? Skills, knowledge, talents and interests are a great place to start so you should know what they are but when it comes to applying for a job it will be some combination of these attributes that will help you show that you stand out from the crowd.

Question 3. How Committed Are You To Life-Long Learning?

The third question is rhetorical – How committed are you to life-long learning? Most people think sure they are, but you need to think about how you are incorporating learning into your work and your life; without it you will always risk being redundant. It doesn’t have to be another degree – micro-learning opportunities are also easily accessible these days and potential new employers will want to see that you are self-directed in this space. The answer needs to be 100% committed with evidence.

The task of finding a new career is changing and employers are looking for different
things, in particular an employee who ‘fits’ with the ethos and values of the
organisation. Conversely, you shouldn’t want to work in an organisation that
doesn’t fit with your own values (as this is a recipe for disaster). So before
you head off to your favourite job search engine, you should know the answer to
these questions.