After getting out of a job that made me miserable, I landed in a job that interested me. If you want to know how, read my last post. I liked certain aspects of my new job, but overall it was not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So, after a while I started looking again. This time I wanted to get a job that I truly liked and that incorporated as many aspects as possible of my ideal work environment. I still wasn’t entirely sure what my dream job was, but I had collected a few more clues. Here is what I did:
- I kept adding to my skills and talents list (which earned me the nickname “List-Heidi”).
- I reviewed and changed the list of areas I was interested in working in.
- I thought about what I DID NOT want in my next job which can be an easier place to start if you are drawing a blank when thinking of your dream job.
- I wrote a scenario of my perfect work environment including for example independently managing my work load, a friendly relaxed work atmosphere and working in an international company.
- Again I started asking friends, family and people I met if they knew of jobs that would fit my ideal work environment. I got all of my jobs bar one through personal connections.
- I scanned the job ads for companies and positions that offered what I wanted.
- I wrote the summary at the top of my CV in a way that included elements of the description of my perfect work environment, for example:
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- manages workload independently
- multi-lingual
- works towards deadlines without supervision
Again, within 3 months I got a new job that had all the elements of my perfect work environment. It was one of the most relaxed and calm periods of my life. But I had to move on again. This time I went for a job where I knew exactly what I wanted. Find out how I ramped up my job search even more in my next post: How to get a job you really, really want.
Was this post helpful to you? What is your perfect work environment? What are your strategies to find a new job?