You can find (or create!) your perfect job.

Not in love with what you do every day? Take control of your career and create your perfect job.

Know what makes you happy

So many people confuse not being miserable with being truly happy. Don’t settle with simply being satisfied – you need to figure out what truly makes you happy at work. You’ll know you’re happy when you’re doing things that don’t feel like work – they just flow. Hours seem to pass like minutes. There is no right answer to this question! What makes one person happy will make another absolutely miserable. Figure out what’s right for you.
Start by making a list. For this, it’s helpful to think both about what you love…and what you don’t like at all. What are the things you love doing at work? What are the things you dread doing? What busy work do you have that you would rather punt off your list so you can focus on other things?
Another tactic is to keep track with a list during the day. When you find yourself doing a task you love, write it down! Document the opposite as well. The goal is to create a clear idea of how you like to spend your time – we’ll use it in our next step.

Write your perfect job description

Professionally, you can have whatever you want…but you must have a crystal clear idea of what that is! You will never find your perfect job if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s time to create your roadmap. Take your list of what you love and what you don’t and use it to craft your ideal job descriptions. Don’t put any restrictions on yourself – if you could do anything in the world, what would you do? What would your title be? Where would you report into? Would you manage people? What tasks would you spend your time on? What kind of salary do you want? What other benefits? Think this through as though it wasn’t merely fantasy but a real opportunity to craft exactly what you want.

How far away are you from your perfect job?

Now, compare your ideal job to the one you’re in now. How far apart are they? Is there an opportunity to work with your boss or your human resources department to morph what you’re already doing into your ideal? Don’t underestimate your ability to ask for what you want! One of the key things that lead to employee retention is career advancement. If your employers value you, it is in their best interest to keep you happy and to help you advance your career in the direction you want to go. The reason it doesn’t happen for most people is that they don’t ask! Or they want for their employers to do it for them. Don’t put your career in the hands of other people – the worst thing that can happen is that they say no.
So, what if they do? Or what if what you want isn’t available in your current organization? If you can’t create your perfect job in your current capacity, you’ve got to keep a constant eye out for opportunities. Indeed.com is perfect for this, since you can easily set keywords to monitor what shows up every day with just a few minutes of time. Get your resume together, start networking, and hustle! If you’re willing to do the work, anything you want is within your grasp.

Let me help you

I’ve helped countless coaching clients go from a lackluster work situation to their perfect job, some within a matter of months of when they start to work with me. Learn more about coaching with me and schedule your free discovery session to learn more.