Finding The Perfect Job

"Can I really find a perfect job?" Absolutely! But sometimes we all need a little help.

This is the first in a series of articles with useful tips and information to help you hunt for the perfect job. This information is also available in The Job Seeker Survival Guide, a free publication from The Employment Guide®. Check back here each week for more tips on finding the "Perfect Job", (or pick up a copy of the The Job Seeker Survival Guide at our next Job Fair scheduled for February 20, 2007 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte.)

Survival Tactic # 1

Preparation!

Before you begin your job search, you need to identify a few things about yourself and your personal goals. The following questions will help you take stock of your current situation and where you want to go before you accept the next job offer. Write down your answers. Once you see them in black and white, they will be more real to you. You may find yourself changing your answers.

Some employers will require that your take a personality assessment during the interview process, so the more you know about yourself, the better. There are lots of personality assessment tests available. You can find a number of them in the library or on the Internet.

On-The-Job Inventory

These questions should help you understand what types of job responsibilities satisfy you most. Think of the jobs or class of work your have experienced. In the next few questions, first answer the question and then figure out why those experiences were important to you.

1. What job responsibility did you like the most? Why?
2. What job responsibility did you like the least?
3. Why did you accept your current position or your last job?
4. Why are you looking to change jobs?
5. Are you interested in changing fields?
6. What’s the most important factor in selecting your next job? Money? Location? Hours? Work environment…?

Personal Inventory

These questions are designed to help you understand what you want from a job. Sometimes we take jobs that we think are right for us, but they don’t really fit our personalities. Be honest with yourself. Answer the following questions with explanations.

1. Is full-time work important to you?
2. Do you have family or other obligations that require you to have flexible hours?
3. Are you naturally outgoing? Is it easy for you to talk with others?
4. Do you enjoy working on a team?
5. Do you prefer working alone?
6. Do you enjoy teaching others?
7. Do you enjoy working with your hands? Building things?
8. Are you detail oriented? Do you like working with data and numbers?
9. Do you like to work outside or in an office environment?
10. Do you prefer to work from home?
11. Are you creative?
12. Do you resist conflict situations?

Goals Inventory

We all have goals for our lives. There is a great feeling of satisfaction when we accomplish a goal. Give good explanations to each question.

1. Have you set career goals for yourself? If yes, what are they? If no, why haven't you?
2. Do you aspire to a position that requires a high school degree or GED? If so, what is that position?
3. Is a college or graduate degree important to your overall goal? Why?
4. Do you know what courses you need to take to get that degree? List the courses.
5. Do you need to take special courses to be accepted into a particular field? What are they?
6. Do you aspire to a position that requires years of work experience? What is that position?
7. Have you started accumulating experience towards that goal? Explain.
8. Do you need to accept non-paid internships in order to get experience?
9. Are there other work/study opportunities to help you get the experience you need?
10. Do you want to be a manager?
11. Define what "manager" means to you.
12. How will you meet your goal of becoming a manager?
13. What would the ideal job be for you?

Review

Once you’ve answered these questions, compare the results to what you know about jobs that area available. Are these the same positions you were looking at before you completed the questions?

To find that perfect job, pick a copy of this week's edition of The Employment Guide at locations all over the Charlotte area, including all Petro Express stores, or go online at www.employmentguide.com/.

For more information about The Employment Guide call us at 704-676-0051 or 877-676-0051 or click on the Media Kit link.