How to identify your ideal job

There are many tools available on how to identify your purpose or find your why. They are great, I’m all for these as they keep your compass pointing in the direction that is right for you. But sometimes you need a more tactical focus, that is a little more detailed to help push you in that direction. So here is a little exercise that I recommend keeping the eye on the prize, and to use as your litmus test for any new opportunity.

Take a notepad and write 4 headings.

1. What I love about my current job?

2. What I don’t love about my current job?

3. What does my ideal job look like?

4. What does my ideal job not have?

Step 1. What I love about my current job? Write everything you can think of such as work friends, the hours, the tools you use, the money, the opportunities.

Step 2. What I don’t love about my current job? This could be commute time, after hours work or being on call, or the office facilities, such as windowless office.

Step 3. What does my ideal job look like? For this to really help you, just writing “being wealthy and not going to the office” may be the dream, but after the bitcoin crash of 2017, which was my ticket outta here, it is important to be realistic about these things. Often the monetary side can be top of the list. So my question is how much money do you need? What is more important, the type of work or the salary? If you want to make lots of money, go to the mines, they pretty much take everyone, but the trade-off may be living away from home.

Step 4. What does my ideal job not have? This list is usually shorter than the others, it could be based on previous experiences, such as being on after hours call for years, or being located a long distance from home.

If you are hesitating to get started, here is what I wrote 5 years ago. Straight from 2015. Unedited. Fast forward 5 years and I have achieved (and surpassed) these things in my ideal job. Sure, there is room for growth as always. But this list will help keep you compass on target and when new shiny things pop up (hello, big pay salary), consider what are the other boxes you must tick on the ideal job?

What I like most about this exercise is the gratitude that you can experience for your current job. It could also be a way to identify what you can change and have control over, for example, don’t like your office, have you asked to move offices? Don’t like your commute length? Could you start earlier and finish earlier to miss the peak rush? Don’t like your salary level? What would it take to get that pay rise you want?

It is incredibly grounding to also realise that there are often things you do like about your job that feature in your ideal job. However, if the bad things outweigh the good stuff then the writing is on the wall my friend, and it’s time to plan for an exit strategy. See my post on Planning an exit strategy.

Thanks for reading, if you are interested in more ways to Think Ascend, subscribe to my mailing list so you will win that job you'll love.