Finding the right career path can take time and a lot of trial and error, but this can be worth it when you achieve long-term success and happiness in both your personal and professional lives. In this blog, we’ll explore how you can find the right job for you.
If you keep thinking ‘I don’t know what job I want?’ there are a few things you can do, such as:
The first thing you can do is pull together a list of careers you may be interested in pursuing. You can align your list with your skills, interests, experience and education. During this process you can at the skills and requirements needed as this will allow you to review your current skills and whether they need expanding.
Don't limit yourself, explore roles you may not previously have considered as they may be more suited to your skill set than you thought.
Job shadowing is a great way to get some real-life experience and understanding of a specific role or industry, enabling you to weigh up whether it’s the right job for you. You could ask your network, including your family and friends, if they know of any shadowing opportunities.
While unpaid, volunteering is an excellent way to gain experience. You can apply for internships, work experience or volunteer in a range of industries and roles to help you identify which ones you would like to work in. These will also help you build a range of invaluable skills and knowledge that can be transferred into different roles. This can improve your chances of being hired as it shows you have a passion for learning and development.
Networking is an excellent way to get your name out there. It can help you find job opportunities and widen your knowledge across different areas. LinkedIn is a great way to highlight your skills, experience and personality all while connecting with like-minded people. You can also use it to find industry and networking events that enable you to expand your network as well as your knowledge. This can also help you identify the types of roles you enjoy.
Having conversations with industry professionals can help you identify the right career for you and help you get your foot in the door.
When thinking ‘how can I find the right job for me?’, a great thing to do is to write down your goals - these can be both personal and professional. Identifying your career goals can help you find suitable roles, whether you've already chosen your preferred industry or are still exploring options.
Your goals might include advancing to a managerial position or increasing your income.
When you know what you’re aiming for you’re likely to be more productive at work and identify roles that truly suit your needs.
Going back into education may be a good idea if you need to gain certain skills and qualifications for a new role. There are also lots of night classes and online courses that can help you retrain in the hours around your current role or commitments.
If you still haven’t decided on a specific job role you would like to delve into, you could apply for a range of roles. Remember, if it doesn’t turn out to be a good fit you can always look for a new one until you find the right job for you.
Career guidance tests can help identify roles that align with your skills and interests, providing valuable starting points in your job search. Personality tests can also reveal your strengths, weaknesses, and traits, helping you explore careers that match your natural abilities. They can also highlight the style of workplace that best suits you such as hybrid working or working in a small or large team.
The world's your oyster - good luck!