If you’ve landed on this article, you probably have one big, burning question: How on earth do I know what job is right for me?!
You’ve probably seen a decent amount of articles already. There’s tons of good advice online about finding your calling. Do what you like, and you’ll never work a day in your life…right? Just find something you’re good at and make it your living. Easy!
All these wise, witty quotes aren’t totally useless, but when it comes to choosing a career path, it’s usually not a simple matter of where your heart is (or your mind, for that matter). A successful and fulfilling career has got to be a balance of heart and mind working together.
Psst. Here’s your video toolkit to get clear on your fulfilling career.
We’ve got something better than a pithy quote, because we’ve got seven easy steps to follow. Hopefully by the end of the article, you’ll have your career clarity!
How to know what job is right for me: A step-by-step guide
1. Reflect on your passions and values
So, how do we choose a career path?
Let’s start with what your heart wants. Starting with the heart is practical because if you don’t enjoy something, you simply won’t be able to do it long-term. So, first things first: What do you like to do? What makes you feel alive? Some of you are probably staring at the screen incredulously right now, but some of you absolutely feel passionate about data analytics, or UI/UX design, or software engineering, or sales!
A good way to find this answer is to pick up a notepad and think about the last time you really enjoyed doing something, whether it was a wine-tasting workshop or learning to make .gifs. Write it all down! This is the pool of stuff you feel passionately about (or at least enjoy) that we can pull from to find a career.
The next step? You’ll want to find something you also respect; something that aligns with your values. If you’ve lately been disengaged or disinterested at work, lack of passion or purpose may be the cause.
Read this next: Your career clarity drives employee engagement
2. Consider your desired lifestyle
Now that you have figured out what you like, the next big question is: How do those things impact your life? How can you do something you like to create the life you have dreamt of?
Your professional and personal compatibility is what determines (mostly) your life’s happiness index. It’s not the end-all be-all, but if you don’t have this harmony, fulfillment is going to be tough to obtain.
So, now you’re probably wondering how to choose the right career path because it’s not as easy as just picking a career from a list. You also have to factor in your aspirations, goals, family requirements, and lifestyle.
Reference the chart below for some help:
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3. Identify your core skills and strengths
Now we’re going to get into the weeds so buckle up. I hope you have your notebook nearby still because you’re going to make a list of all the things you’re good at. That’s a good prompt, right? And a bit of a confidence boost, too! The road to career clarity runs directly through self-awareness and personal clarity, so we want to start by understanding our competencies. Ultimately, the right job for you is one where you fit naturally.
So! How do you go about this? Start by listing your current job requirements and write about your experience so far. What are your duties, tasks, and skills? What kinds of metrics do you track? KPIs and data-backed results can be a big help here. Include internships and volunteering experience and make some room for things you’re naturally good at like your talents, soft skills, even your hobbies.
This list is our sandbox, and definitely doesn’t have to be finalized! For a more detailed evaluation, we encourage you to take our SkillGap quiz, which can help you pin-point what areas you’re strong at and where you might need to spend some time improving.
Read this next: What am I really good at?
4. Create a career vision board
You ask us “How to know what job is right for me?”, and we have a question in return. Do you know what a vision board is…because you are going to make one for career clarity! Why do vision boards work? It’s all in the power of visualization.
The medium doesn’t matter quite so much as the visualization. You could make one on a piece of posterboard, or paper, or use an app, whatever works best for you.
Start by writing your career goal at the top or the center of the board. Next, populate the vision board with different categories or keywords; such as some example companies you want to work at, what your ideal financial life looks like, what your work/life balance looks like, the lifestyle you’ll have because of your new career path. Make it powerful and aspirational.
Be ambitious! Add in things like recognition, awards, the pay you want. Your vision boards are your vision, so, add absolutely anything you want to see happen.
Next and final step is finding pictures to put the ‘vision’ in vision board, which helps with your brain when you’re doing the manifesting. (Pro-tip: you could also add motivational quotes!) The idea is to make your career vision board a source of motivation, visualization, and positive reinforcement.
You’ll also want to make sure that this board is in a place you can see it daily so it can inspire and motivate you on the regular.
Watch this next: YouTube series: Career clarity
5. Schedule coffee chats with people in various fields
So by now, you have a better idea of what you want! That’s half the job done, congrats! The remaining half is getting the job. Start with networking and learning. Ideally, you’ll want to connect with people who are already at the companies or job titles you aspire for. LinkedIn, MeetUp, Angel Investing Forums, or even Reddit can provide folks to network with and, subsequently, learning opportunities. Consider joining professional communities such as PowerUp, which bring talented and ambitious professionals from all around the globe to learn together. Who better to guide you on how to choose a career path than people with an established career!
Read this next: How to network like a pro
6. Test the waters with low-stakes opportunities
This is where you’ll finally step into the game, or at least dip one foot in. We always recommend slow and steady moves. Before you plunge into this still-new territory, get a look-and-feel of it for yourself, beyond what your new connections and professional network have told you.
If you’re able to, start with a part-time role or a contractual job. Freelancing platforms can help you find a project.
We recommend this approach especially if you’re planning to do a complete career transition (if you can). It’s a nice and safe way to get some experience and see what you do and don’t like about your new direction. For example, you might love copyediting, but end up preferring B2B over B2C.
Watch this next: Finding your "gig" in the gig economy
7. Prioritize and narrow down your options
Uh-oh, I have way too many options - help!
We get it! Compiling all of your likes, skills, and lifestyle goals could lead to confusion, but there’s a silver lining to this cloud, we promise, because having a ton to pick from means you can pick from the best from the lot…provided you are clear on the pros and cons that come with each choice!
When it comes to choosing the right career path, it’s a numbers game. The more options you have, the more likely you are to choose the right one.
Here’s how it works:
Conclusion
So, how do you choose the right career path for yourself? It’s a bit of heart, a bit of mind, lots of skills and self-awareness, and PowerToFly is here to help you every step of this life-changing decision!
Join us this January 16th as career coach Rachel Serwetz discusses more ways to get the career that fits you.
Register for Career clarity: What is it and do I have it?
