ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER JOB?
Most job seekers aren’t simply looking for a job. Some of them want to find a career where they can shine. A job you love and feel good about is, in essence, a career. A career is more than just making money, getting a promotion, or getting a pay rise. While these aspects of having a job, or career are important, they aren’t always the main factors in your dream job.
HOW CAN YOU LOOK BEYOND A PAY RISE AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING IN A ROLE YOU LOVE?
Once you are earning enough to live comfortably, turn your focus onto what will make you feel fulfilled in a role. Once you determine what will fulfil you, your job search will be easier.
HOW DO YOU PROCEED ONCE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DESIRE IN A JOB AND THE WORKPLACE?
Is the company suited to you? Employers choose the best candidates for the job. Why shouldn’t you do the same in reverse? Choose the job role that is best suited for you. Start by identifying which companies you feel passionate about and determine makes them stand out from the others. You can use the process of elimination by doing your research on company websites and on LinkedIn. Learn everything you can about the company before you even consider applying for a job they offer. If you’re in Australia we suggest you check out Jobadvisor to read real-life reviews from current and previous employees at companies of all sizes, or Glassdoor is a more international option.
Does the company match your long term goals? After you narrow your company results to those that fit your ideal, look at what they offer in terms of your goals. What benefits do they offer?
Paid training
Travel and travel allowance
Internal promotion policies
Pay rise policies
Flexible work options
Ask yourself if these aspects of the company policies reflect your own long term career goals.
What is the company culture like? A company’s culture is a mix of tangible and intangible elements - including the way they treat their staff, communication style, company structure and policies, internal transparency, office environment, and of course any social events or activities.. You can learn a lot about company culture by looking at the website, reading their blog, and by looking at their LinkedIn and social media pages. You will see their events, newsletters, and often images of what it’s like to work there.
The goal is to find the company culture that is most suited to your lifestyle. For instance, if the social aspect of work is important to you, look for a company that has a lot of internal social activities and events. Or if work-life balance is the most important factors, look for a company with good flexi or remote working policies. Avoid taking a good paying job with great benefits if the company culture is unsuitable to you.
What are the non-financial incentives of the company? When you’re doing your research on a company, look at the brands with which they work and study their mission statement. It will tell you about the quality of the workplace, services, and products. You need to know this before you can feel passionate about your role.
Do they offer a work-life balance environment? Work-life balance is one of the biggest issues people struggle with nowadays. Unless you have solutions, one or the other is likely to suffer. You don’t want your work to suffer because you have to support yourself and/or your family. You don’t want your family, or lifestyle to suffer because you are too focused on work. It’s difficult to leave work at work and home at home sometimes. Looking at their website and learning their culture will give you an idea of how work-life balanced a company is. Do they provide support? Is the company employee-focused and somewhat flexible?
These are all important questions to ask yourself and to get the answer to through research. Company websites, social media profiles and pages, blogs, and third-party reviews are four efficient ways to research a company before you make a decision to apply for a job.