How to find a job you’ll love
Is your new years resolution to find a new job? Congratulations, you’re not alone! According to statistics, around 15% of the population switch jobs annually. At any given time, over half of the workforce are more or less actively looking for new work.
This means that many, many people are facing an interesting question: How do I pick my next job? Which factors should matter? Which should I forget about?
Many make the decision based mostly on salary, titles and responsibilities. That’s a mistake.
Instead ask yourself this: Will your next job inspire you, energize you and allow you to do great work? Will you be working with nice, talented people and managers? Will your job help people out and make the world a better place?
In short, make sure that your next job is one that will make you happy at work. Here are the steps you should take to make sure that your next job will be just that amazingly great!
1: Decide to switch sooner rather than later
No one has ever told me “I quit Company X in June, that was a mistake. I should’ve stuck around longer.” The vast majority of people who quit, only wish they’d done it sooner.
It’s highly tempting to hang around in the old workplace waiting for things to get better. Don’t! If it’s time to go - make that decision and start actively looking for something else. The longer you stay in a bad job, the more it eats away the energy and self-confidence you need to find a new one.
2: Give yourself time to find your new job
The very first job you look at may be just the right one… or it may be the 20th.
Give yourself time to actively look for something better and don’t let economic pressure, peer pressure or uncertainty force your hand.
3: Focus on what you like at work, not on what you hate
Many people switch jobs to get away from a bad situation. However, when you’re picking a new job, it’s not enough to look at all the things you want to avoid. Partly because there are an infinite number of things to avoid. But mostly because even if you avoid every single bad thing, that can only guarantee that you won’t be unhappy. To be happy at work, you also need good things, not just the absence of bad.
The best way to find out what you want at work, is to look at what has previously made you love your job. Here’s how you do it:
- Think back to some specific situations, where you’ve been happy at work.
- Ask yourself what made these situations possible.
- Find out what will give you more of these great experiences in the future.
If you want to do examine this in more detail, page 3 of this workbook has a worksheet for doing just that.
4: Ignore salary
Most people think that having a higher income would make them happier. They’re wrong! That is the conclusion of a study by Two Princeton professors, economist Alan B. Krueger and psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. They say this:
The belief that high income is associated with good mood is widespread but mostly illusory. People with above-average income are relatively satisfied with their lives but are barely happier than others in moment-to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more time in particularly enjoyable activities.
I don’t mean to ignore the economic necessities we all face but they should not determine what work we take. What is a 25% raise worth, if it means being stressed, frustrated and unhappy 40/60/80 hours a week?
5: Ignore other irrelevant details
Some people choose their new job because of:
- The title. “They want to make me First Assistant Manager.”
- Perks. “They’re giving me a new car and use of the executive bathroom.”
- Status. “I get 8 direct reports. Today I only have 5.”
- Peer pressure. “If I take this job my husband/wife/friends/dad will be really impressed.”
None of these factors will make you happy! Forget about them.
6: Ask for what you want
It’s a lot easier to get what you want if you actually ask for it. In your job interviews, let them know that being happy at work matters to you, and tell them what it takes to get you to love work.
It’s true that asking for these things may mean not getting the job, and that’s precisely the point! If that job won’t make you happy, you don’t want it!
7: Make that job great
It’s up to you to find a good job, and then it’s up to you to make it a great job!
You can sit passively on your butt and wait for your co-workers and your manager to make you happy - but that means nothing will ever happen. It’s your responsibility to:
- Know what makes you happy at work
- Tell others about it
- Do something about it
8: Make yourself free to leave
A bad job is bad. A bad job that you can’t get out of is excruciating. In fact, knowing that you’re free to leave can make it easier to make a job great, as I wrote about in a previous post.
Also, reducing your expenses can be a great way to give yourself more leeway at work.
The upshot
Forget about salary, perks, titles and status. Choose your next job based on one, single consideration: Will it make you happy? Will it make you go “Yes, it’s Monday, I get to work!”
Do this and you’re sure to enjoy your job more, enjoy life more AND be more successful at work.
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Mike Said,
January 4, 2007 @ 1:34 am
Alex –
As usual, this is another great article. I wish I could convince more people of the reality that being happy at work is a hell of a lot more important than how much you make (at least, at a certain minimum level) or what kind of status, etc it brings you.
A lot of this even works for making the job you’re in now a lot better, if there’s potential for that.
Keep up the great work!
Inquisitive Employee Said,
January 4, 2007 @ 3:29 am
Great advice. I’ve been going through some job transition and the hardest thing for me is giving myself time. After being unemployed for six months (and LOVING it!) I took the first job that was offered to me. A mistake. So I left after 5 months for what I thought was a better job, but now I’m finding that still, it’s not the right job for me. So, I’ve given myself permission to get out. Wish me luck!
uneasy rhetoric Said,
January 4, 2007 @ 8:13 am
I just left a job that was an extremely poor fit for me — it made me miserable but I was making good money. On a whim, I applied for a position I had been considering for about five years and received an offer.
I’m taking a 25 percent pay cut to close a chapter of my life that needed to close years ago.
Honestly, I don’t know whether this will take me to the happy place, but it is certainly closer to what I feel is “right.” However, right up until the moment I gave notice, I was making myself sick worrying about the pay cut. Two things helped me through it:
1) I learned a long time ago that if money isn’t your problem, money won’t be your solution and
2) The budget penciled out.
As soon as I gave notice, I knew it was the right decision. My boss said a number of nice things which, if she’d said them earlier, might have led me to a different decision. And that in itself was a reason to leave.
Alexander Said,
January 4, 2007 @ 4:13 pm
Mike: That is my quest - to get as many people as possible to reconsider the value of happiness at work and to prioritize it over money, titles and power. The good thing is that more and more people are coming to this realization - things are definitely shifting away from the whole “my job is just a job” attitude.
Inquisitive: Good luck. Your story shows the value of taking some time finding the next job instead of just accepting the first offer that comes along.
Uneasy: Yay, way to go! If there’s one thing I have learned from life it’s that every single time I have worried about money, things have worked out fine in the end. Worrying really didn’t help in any way.
Isn’t it interesting how praise sometimes only comes to us too late!? Why should praise be such a hard thing to get, considering how effective and easy it is!
Steve Roesler Said,
January 5, 2007 @ 4:47 am
Alex:
I really like the line in your subtitle that says “Choose a job that makes you go.”
Without that, the chances for happiness and success are doomed from the beginning. Maybe we should propose the following:
Before accepting a job or creating a business , one must be able to say with genuine energy and a smile of hopefulness: “This job makes me go!”
If that
Steve Roesler Said,
January 5, 2007 @ 4:49 am
Alex:
I really like the line in your subtitle that says “Choose a job that makes you go.?
Without that, the chances for happiness and success are doomed from the beginning. Maybe we should propose the following:
Before accepting a job or creating a business , one must be able to say with genuine energy and a smile of hopefulness: “This job makes me go!?
If that isn’t possible then it’s a good indicator that this isn’t a good long-term choice.
Timothy Johnson Said,
January 5, 2007 @ 5:46 am
Alex - great post. I went through a stretch of job switching in the late 90’s, and I learned many of these lessons the hard way. The bottom line is always move toward something you want rather than run away from something you hate. In my work with mentoring other professionals, the first thing I ask them to do is determine their own values, goals, and their “true north” - often that helps them make better career decisions.
Excellent recommendations.
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - SOB Business Cafe 01-05-07 Said,
January 5, 2007 @ 8:01 pm
[...] How to find a job you’ll love [...]
Deb Said,
January 5, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
Alex
I am keen to work through your workshop exercises on how to look at what you really enjoy. I spent 9 months last year looking for a new job. I got offered one that I turned down as I thought that the environment would be too restrictive and then was offered another one that had the characteristics that I ‘thought’ I would enjoy.. contact with students and team working.
Sadly the job has very little contact with students and is deadly. As for teamwork,,, well we all get on ok but that doesn’t constitute teamwork - not in my book anyway . I don’t want to leave without something else to go too - and I am afraid of making the same mistake again. I will be looking to see if I can change the emphasis of the job and will use the exercise first to try and highlight exactly what it is that I enjoy.
I find your site amusing and helpful. Many thanks
Human Volunteer Management - a new science « AccMan Said,
January 7, 2007 @ 7:32 am
[...] You could do worse than to visit Alexander Kjerulf - the Chief Happiness Officer and see what he has to say about having the perfect job: Instead ask yourself this: Will your next job inspire you, energize you and allow you to do great work? Will you be working with nice, talented people and managers? Will your job help people out and make the world a better place? [...]
Dennis Howlett Said,
January 7, 2007 @ 8:16 am
The same goes for business selecting customers. Yes, they should be selected. I want customers whom I can delight. Not ones that want me to be a shoulder to cry on as they bitch and moan about stuff. ‘Cos you can be sure as anything that the next person they speak to, they’ll be moaning and bitching about you - deserved or otherwise.
maol symbolisch » Job suchen? Said,
January 8, 2007 @ 9:20 am
[...] Im Normalfall schreibe ich ja über die Seite des Recruiters, aber diese beiden Artikel kann ich Euch nicht vorenthalten. How to find a job you’ll love ist speziell interessant für Leute, die es noch nicht so gut haben wie ich (d.h. noch keinen Job haben, den sie lieben), und fragt: Will your next job inspire you, energize you and allow you to do great work? Will you be working with nice, talented people and managers? Will your job help people out and make the world a better place? [...]
Alexander Said,
January 9, 2007 @ 12:21 am
Steve: Thanks. What’s the alternative, really?
Timothy: Yes! It has to be toward. With a healthy respect for the things that haven’t worked for you, that you want to avoid, but mostly with your dream destination in mind. True north is a great metaphor for that, because the compass needle can only point towards that goal.
Deb: That doesn’t sound like a nice situation, but at least you’re aware of it. Please let me know how the exercise works for you! And thanks for the kind words about my blog, I’m delighted you like it!
Dennis: Yes! I could not agree more. Maybe we could make a list of “how to select customers you’ll love.”
FRACAT - Free Resume and Career Toolbox - Home Said,
January 19, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
[...] A good overview of How To Find A Job You’ll Love from the Chief Happiness Officer. Who still won’t send me his comfortable Sumo Omni beanbag chair. [...]
How to deal with a bad boss Said,
January 23, 2007 @ 11:30 am
[...] How to find a job you’ll love. [...]
Marilyn Paisley Said,
February 16, 2007 @ 2:30 am
I work in a resteraunt, have been doing this for 20 sum years.My problem is my boss expects us to be perfect. If we make even 1 little minor mistake, he chews us out in front of other employees and sometimes customers. Yet if he makes a mistake it doesnt seem to matter.
I am so tired of this, yet when you try to reason, or explain your side of the story, he just rambles off, most of the time he wont even let you get a word in inch wise.Yet if I look for another job, how do I know for certain I will not be treated the same way.How do you know ,from an interview, that you have landed a good job, where a boss will repect you?
Top 10 reasons why happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster Said,
March 27, 2007 @ 9:53 am
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Some killer questions to ask in your next job interview Said,
March 29, 2007 @ 10:09 am
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search » How to find a job you’ll love Said,
April 2, 2007 @ 12:45 am
[...] Kim wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptIs your new years resolution to find a new job? Congratulations, you’re not alone! According to statistics, around 15% of the population switch jobs annually. At any given time, over half of the workforce are more or less actively … [...]
Sergio Said,
April 10, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
Alex,
Alex,
hello. Thanks for the stories and the posted comments. They’re really helpfull. I’ve changed my job three times in the last seven years. I’m 29 now, and I’m evaluating in changing again. The first I time a left, I made a mistake, because the company and co-workers werent cool at all. So I learnt about it, and started to look again but asking myself some of the questions you say. So, here is my advice, try really hard looking what you think makes you happy at work: what you do, what the company does, what the compromise with the societe is, e..
That will make that your heart spread all over the company your happiness when you are there. Think that is the most of the time you’re there.
(sorry my english)
Sergio.
Eliot Said,
April 23, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
Alex -
You bring up such important points - thank you! One practical way I’ve discovered to have happiness at work I can share with your readers - use a tool that helps you find your true passions.
Dr. Brian Schwartz has 30 years’ experience as a career psychologist helping people find the career that makes them happiest - by helping people determine what motivates them, what skills they have, and which career is right for them. He’s distilled his work into a great online tool - http://www.careerdna.net. Thanks!
Happiness is just around the corner Said,
May 15, 2007 @ 11:08 am
[...] How to find a job you’ll love [...]
Unhappy Said,
May 17, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
I am taking this article very seriously. Thank you for it! I am currently working on the most anti-motivating job ever. + the company HR policies are not to even talk about. Will try to stand it for over summer. My problem is, I don’t really know, what kind of a job would make me happy. I feel I am just drifting and it is making me sort of numb and extremely frustrated. So now, I will study some more material linked to your blog and hopefully get myself organised. Happy job, here I come!!
How to find the 'Perfect Job' « Life! Said,
June 2, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
[...] How to find a job you’ll love [...]
Find Your Quitting Point Said,
June 6, 2007 @ 7:51 am
[...] How to find a job you’ll love [...]
Jessica Said,
June 7, 2007 @ 3:35 am
Alex:
This is a terrific article and it is very helpful because I am currently looking for work. I want the next job I select to be a good fit. A prospective employer asked me what was more important to me, the job that I wanted or the money. Thanks to you, the answer was a no-brainer: the job, of course. Money is not insignificant, by any means, but I think that I would rather make less money in the short run and actually like my job.
For love or money? How should you choose what to study? Said,
June 7, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
[...] How to find a job you’ll love [...]
ALAMISMAVE Said,
August 5, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
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Can you be happy in an evil business? Said,
August 30, 2007 @ 9:59 am
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Links for today / ADRIFT by Jose Marques Said,
August 30, 2007 @ 12:19 pm
[...] How to find a job you’ll love [...]
Kuri Said,
November 1, 2007 @ 5:53 pm
Just an FYI - the “Worksheets” link in this post goes to a “Not Found” message.
Preben Arentoft Said,
January 17, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
Hi Alexander,
the “Worksheets” link doesn’t work. Can you direct me to it ?
Thanks.
Fountain Pens and Handmade Paper » Blog Archive » links for 2008-04-13 Said,
April 13, 2008 @ 11:31 pm
[...] How to find a job you’ll love In short, make sure that your next job is one that will make you happy at work. Here are the steps you should take to make sure that your next job will be just that amazingly great! (tags: happiness work lifehacks mlf) These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
Shiloh Stephens writer/3D design artist/recording artist Said,
June 1, 2008 @ 12:21 am
Hello, my name is Shiloh Stephens and i really enjoyed your article on how to find a job you’ll love. I am a full time student-graduating from highschool-so i can attend collage to study to become a recording artist/3D-design artist/writer. In the past I have been influenced by others in to thinking that writing may not be the best career choice for me, and that another career choice may be wiser to fit my financial needs. I have always had a passion for writing and i hope to become a great author like Ernest Heming one day. Hemingway did so many things in his life its like he lived a thousand lives. From running with the bulls, to shooting mountain lions, and participating in the spanish civil war, Hemingway was always doing something adventurous. He must have written a couple hundred books, not including the millions pages he must have written in his life time. Furthermore, I have been told that that writers do not make that much money. I figure if Ernest Hemingway can do all the great things he did as writer, than why can’t I. Of course to even get close to his amazing acheivements i would have to start right now. In addition, reading this article helped me realize a few things. For one it helped me realize that choosing a job based on money or to impress or satisfy other people is as ridiculous as not doing something because you are afraid of what others might think. I feel that that is one of the worst things that a human being can do because it limits all of their possibilty’s and confines them to a prison of fear which can be hard to free one self from after doing it for so long. Also, One should choose a job that is fun, enjoyable, challenging, and that makes you want to go work to have a good time. Its not a party mind you, but you should enjoy work. For me creating and watching something turn into exactly what i had in my minds eye that i didnt know think i could create is invigorating and challenging. As my 3-D Design teacher once told me “art is what makes realize you have a soul and that art is what saved my life, with art i would be dead.” I can create and love my life because of art, it is what makes me whole and as i aspire to create more works of art they only get better, and as do i as a human being. because art is like my teacher, it teaches me patience and work ethic. if you step away from your art you lose all your skills, like everything else that is ever worth doing art takes practice to devlop your skills. like the poster in the baseball dug out of my former Warrior highschool baseball team says “strive for perfection and have fun!” I want a job that we will take me places, where i can be free to have fun and express my ideas and creativity, but more importantly that pushes me to my full potential. I want a job that i am in love with, that makes me happy, where i wake up in the morning and say this is what i want to be doing for the rest of my life. If i have to struggle to get there than so be than so be it, because like with all goals and successess in life it takes hard work to get there. It takes a constant dedication and desire to overcome the sky high obsticles towering in your way. I guess thats why they tell you to reach for the sky, or to reach for the stars so if you miss you land on the clouds.
Shiloh Stephens writer/3D design artist/recording artist Said,
June 1, 2008 @ 1:42 am
Hello, my name is Shiloh Stephens and I really enjoyed your article on how to find a job you’ll love. I am a full time student-graduating from Westmont high school this year-so I can attend De Anza collage in the fall to study to become a recording artist/3D-design artist/writer. In the past I have been influenced by others in to thinking that writing may not be the best career choice for me, and that another career choice may be wiser to fit my financial needs. Well what I have to say to them now is that I want to create, and that I am a creator, and writing and art seems to be the best way for me to create so that is what I am going to do regardless of the time, the effort, or the money it takes to do it. I have always had a passion for writing and one day I hope to become a great author like Ernest Hemmingway. Hemingway did so many things in his life and it’s hard for me to believe that I could even get close to his amazing accomplishments. It’s like the guy lived a thousand lives. I mean he ran with the bulls, wrestled with wild animals, and participated in the Spanish civil war for Christ’s sake! Not to mention all the books the guy wrote, I mean the guy was incredible. I figure if Ernest Hemingway can do all the amazing things he did as a writer, than why can’t I. Of course to even get close to his achievements I would have to start creating right now which I am at this very moment so it looks like a possibility. Every person is unique and I am not saying that I am on Ernest Hemingway’s level by any means but I am just saying that every person should have the right to succeed in what ever they want to do. M.C. Escher the famous Dutch graphic artist once said “life can take strange turns” and he succeeded in a field that was very unlikely for him to succeed because he was the son of a civil engineer. So all in all I see it so that no matter who you are or where you’re from, you should use your uniqueness to follow your own goals, and to create your own goals, because you have to create your goals, you cant find them in someone else’s handbook. This will make it so you create your own path to follow and you don’t follow some else’s. In addition, reading this article helped me realize that choosing a job based on money or to impress or satisfy other people is not the right thing to do if you want to be happy, and that it is ridiculous to not following your heart because you are afraid of what others think about your career choice. Being afraid is one thing, but not following your heart because you are afraid is one the worst things that a human being can do because it limits all of their potential and possibility of being great. Fear then confines them to a prison in which they are contained for the rest of their lives because after being contained for so long doing they become stuck in a hard cycle that is extremely hard to break. Also, one should choose a job that is fun, enjoyable, and challenging. For me creating and watching my art work turn out exactly how I wanted is one of the best things in the world for me to do. To be able to create exactly what I had in my minds eye and put it out there for other people to see and listen to is invigorating and challenging. As my 3-D Design teacher once told me “art is what makes you realize you have a soul, and that art is what saved my life, with art I would be dead.” I can create and love my life because of art, it is what makes me whole and as I aspire to create more works of art they only get better, and as do I as a human being. Because art is like my teacher, it teaches me patience and work ethic. The art only gets better with time. If you step away from your art you may loose focus and some skills that where beginning to prosper as you practiced more but you can always pick up from where you left off. Art work is like everything else that is worth doing it takes practice to develop the finely tuned skills it takes to be an artist. Just as your artwork was beginning to break through you quite and stopped what you where doing because you got distracted by other things whether it was sports or school. But you can always go back and you always will go back because art is a huge part of your life. I want a job that we will take me places, where I can be free to have fun and express my ideas and creativity, but more importantly pushes me to my full potential. I want a job that I am in love with, that makes me happy, where I wake up in the morning and say this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. If I have to struggle to get there than so be it because like with all goals and successes in life it takes hard work, a constant desire to succeed, and dedication every day. It takes a larger than life amount of effort to climb over the Everest Mountains let alone do it blind, which a blind man has done. Michael Jordan had to believe he could fly in order to soar from the free throw to a basketball hoop emerging 10 feet above the ground, and I will have to do the same and jump higher than ever before in order to overcome the sky high obstacles standing in my way.
Sindhu Said,
June 25, 2008 @ 8:19 pm
Thanks for this wonderful article!
Jdocih’s Weblog Said,
July 18, 2008 @ 7:58 am
[...] How to find a job you’ll love [...]