A lot of people do not know what their dream job is in the first place. I am going to help you to define your dream.

First of all we need to know what kind of engine you have. What is the force that gets you boiling? A good indicator is as simple as the news. What kind of news makes you angry? Why do you react in this matter? What kind of news makes you happy? Both good and bad news should be based on the same values. The news that makes you angry is the news that steps on a set of values within you, and vice versa, the good news that makes you smile represents something good that matches your values.

The company you should work for should hold the same values. If you feel strong about education, you might want to work either with education or for a company that supports educational programs in some way. Maybe you care about other people and love to help out; this could indicate that you should work with people.

The table below is a quick check about your dream job, this does not represent values, but simplywhat you like to do. Print it, and fill it out. Write yes on the items that are true, and no on the items that are unimportant to you. Then in the third column check the “yes” from column two to see if you can apply this to the job you are considering, or to your current job.

Now that you have filled out this form, you need to count the yes matches. If you have 10 things you like to do, and 8 that you can perform at this job, you have an 80 % score. This score isn’t worth anything alone; there is no right or wrong score. Now it is time to sort the yes in order of importance. Put 1 on the most important, continue with 2,3,4… until you have made your list. If you still have an 80 % score, where did the 20 % mismatch end up? Is it in the top third of the scale? In the middle? Or at the bottom? If you have a line that is very important and it is a yes/no mismatch you might be holding or considering the wrong job. 1-4 in importance should be a yes/yes match. Keep in mind that this is not exact science, and is just intended to give you a helping hand in your search of your dream job.

To be able to truly find your dream job, you must first know yourself. I meet a lot of people that does not know what is important in their life. The first thing we need to do, is to get you to know yourself. You can also read this short blog post about finding your values while you await part two of our dream job hunting – Job application and interviews.

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