Whether you’ve been hanging on for the pre-Christmas annual bonus or you’ve started to think looking for a new job is an essential for the good of your health, today’s post is for you. If you’d like to make 2018 the year you find a role that’s an oh-so-perfect fit, why not make planning your best career move your Christmas present to yourself? Instead of something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read, when it comes to finding the right job, it’s all about finding something you love, something for life and something for you! So, what kind of career will you be putting on your Christmas list?
Something you love
Loving what you do for a living might seem like a luxury you can’t afford but there are people out there for whom being paid is simply a bonus. Of course, financial constraints like bills, rent, mortgages and family commitments may mean you have a certain salary you can’t afford to drop below, but often a bit of juggling can allow some flexibility. If your dream career happens to pay thousands of pounds less than your current role, it’s time to do your sums and work out what you can realistically afford to live off.
If you’d love to cut your commute, could the money and time saved on travel offset a drop in salary? Perhaps working outside of office hours to build up your own business would let you cut childcare costs and focus on your passion?
The budgeting tools on the Money Advice Service website can give you a great headstart in working out what’s feasible financially. However, talking to your family and being honest about your own wants and needs is often a more important starting point.
Moving career could mean more money in the long term or more or less hours to spend with those you love. So, along with doing something that makes you feel great, you’ll need to balance how changes could make others feel.
Something for life
The days where pupils left school and went straight into the job they worked in for most – if not all – of their lives have long gone. It’s now common for people to work for dozens of companies and even to change careers completely several times over the course of our lives.
However, in recent decades many companies have made strides towards creating workplace environments that actively support physical and mental health.
A recent report for the organisation Mind found that mental health-related issues cause 300,000 people to leave their jobs every year in the UK. And many of those people will have been working in careers they loved, highlighting the increased importance of lifestyle fit.
In Denmark, employees work an average 37 hours per week with overtime off the menu. It’s perhaps no surprise that the country’s inhabitants are consistently placed in the top 10 of the Global Happiness Index.
Achieving work-life balance is only one part of finding a job that’s a lifestyle fit though. Your work environment, whether you feel listened to and supported and being able to set your own boundaries when it comes to clocking off work are all equally, if not more important than features such as flexible working, shortened commutes or extra holidays.
Finding the balance that’s right for you may not even involve shortening your working week at all, particularly if you find you love your work so much that time flies away from you.
Something for ‘you’
Sometimes even when we have clear interests and the talent and qualifications to match, we can let our perception of our suitability for certain fields of work get in the way of pursuing our goals and fulfilling our potential.
For example, if you’re the type of person who really doesn’t enjoy a chat about last night’s TV and comes over all anxious at the thought of having to engage in small talk of any kind, you may have fallen into home working to protect your own comfort levels.
Hard though it is to overcome, introversion needn’t be a barrier to achievement. Medicine is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious fields of work to be in and according to this piece on best medical careers for introverts there are plenty of options out there who want to pursue medicine while limiting social interaction levels.
At the other end of the spectrum, if you’re currently cooped up in a quiet office and you’re a social butterfly who yearns to meet people and make friends, now could be the time to explore roles that combines your skillset with your natural personality.
Why not create a career that’s truly ‘you’?
Think you’ve already landed your dream role? This article from The Independent lists 13 signs you’re in the right job including having friends among co-workers, lack of Sunday night dread and banging on about how great your job is to anyone who will listen. Does that sound like the place you’re in?
