Blog: How to Choose your Dream Job – Our Top Tips
You make some food and a cuppa, sit down, get all comfy, open Netflix and….it’s been 15 minutes and only now do you decide what to watch. Annoyed with yourself, you down your lukewarm tea like a shot before it freezes, chew on your now-cold food and watch something that you’re still not 100% sold on.
Sound familiar? We’ve all been there; these sort of situations happen so regularly that they even have a name. They’re called the ‘Paradox of Choice’. It’s when we’re confronted with so many different choices we end up making no real choice at all.
The world of work can seem like a paradox of choice. From Aerospace to Zoology, there’s thousands and thousands of careers to pick from. Why can’t we just combine them? Zebras in space. We can call them Zebranauts and they can live on the International Stripe Station and…ahem.
If you’re studying with us, then you likely already have a career in mind (which is great!), but there are several jobs within each area of work. So, when confronted with the dreaded paradox of choice (spooky lightning sounds) how do you know you’re finding your right fit? Let’s have a look at our top tips below!
Say yes to no more yes/no snap decisions
Want a quick and easy answer to if you should do Job A or Job B!? Tough luck, there is none! Like this tip’s confusing title, when you hear about an interesting job your decision is never as straightforward as it seems. Many of us often see something right up our street and make a decision right away – now it’s 5 years later and you’re either in a job you’re not fond of or regret missing out on what could’ve been.
Want our advice? Don’t immediately say yes or no to a job. Once you’ve allowed yourself to feel, then think. Is it really an issue that it’s a little further away? Is it amazing that every Friday evening they make plans to send Zebras to space? (that totally would be!). Once you’ve thought about how realistic those pros and cons are, then allow yourself to feel again – how do you feel about the job now? Feel, think, feel. Then make your choice.
What’s your favourite recipe?
We all have favourite foods. When we cook we often find ourselves reaching for the same ingredients and following our tried and tested recipes. Let’s think about jobs like food. Ever heard the phrase ‘recipe for success’? Think of the job as the end result – your meal. Have a go at making a wish list of ingredients for your dream job – do you like to work individually or as a team? Do you like work with duties that vary a lot, or prefer similarity between different working weeks? Throw a spoonful of your personal values to the mix, stir, and hey presto! That’s your dream job criteria! Jobs that don’t meet the majority of your ingredients aren’t worth your time.
Perfection ISN’T real…or enough!
We can’t stress this enough! Ever thought that you don’t really know what your dream job is? You’re not alone – a lot of people get blindsided by the thought that there’s some holy grail of a job out there for them that will be perfect. It’s such an immensely high bar that it’s not realistic and feels unreal. That’s unfortunately where a lot of people sit; they wonder if there’s something out there that can fulfil everything they want. We’re here to tell you there usually isn’t – but that isn’t a bad thing. Your ‘dream’ job should be something you love – but don’t’ expect it to complete your life!
Passion isn’t enough. That’s what gets people stuck on a fantasy. You need to be actively interested in something, and that means spending time. Time spent talking to your mates about it. Time spent reading about it online. Time spent daydreaming or thinking about it. If you regularly do this then you’re on to a winner….look for a job where you can spend time doing what you love learning about.
Put your passion to practice.
And finally – find your fit
There you have it! Remember – it’s YOUR time, passion and energy going into a job. When choosing your dream job always remember to look before you leap, match the job against your favourite recipe and don’t place any job on an unreachable pedestal. Bearing these three top tips in mind will get you on the track to choosing a job you can be happy in.
If you’d like any further advice, pop us an email at ucr@rotherham.ac.uk.