Last month I wrote about the importance of good wellbeing and restoring the balance in your life between five areas (health, contribution, learning, relaxation and relationships) to make your job search easier.  This month we are placing your career into the balance by considering the importance of taking the time to think about how you can find a job you enjoy that fits in with these five areas of your life.

The work mug!

Now I know many of you will own a work mug and feel a strong attachment with this mug, especially when others request to use it.  Often it is the design of the mug reflecting part of our personality that forms this strong bond.  It becomes part of you and who you are!

I want you to now imagine you have two work mugs.  Although they are different mugs, the design of each reflects information about you.

The first mug is plain and simple.  It has your previous and current job titles written on it in big, bold writing.  Your attachment to this mug is strong because you have worked hard for these positions.

The second mug is colourful and has the word ‘Me’ in big, bold writing across the centre.  The detail surrounding the word ‘Me’ includes information about your skills, knowledge, personality and interests.  However, it does not mention your previous job titles.

You are now going to give two people you don’t know one of your mugs to look at.   You give your first mug to Person 1 and your second mug to Person 2 and ask both individuals which careers they think would best suit you based on the design of the mug they have been given.

Who do you think was able to give you the most useful and comprehensive answer?

Perhaps Person 1 was able to give you a good answer.  From your previous job titles, they could work out what experience you had. You would also prefer this to be the answer as you have worked hard to get to where you are now and would like your previous job titles to feature in your decision.

In fact, it was Person 2 who came up with the best suggestions.  Despite not knowing your previous job roles, they were able to provide you with the most comprehensive answer based on detailed information about you and your life.

The challenge for Person 1 was that a job title says very little about who you are and what you want.  Person 1 didn’t know about your interests, the skills you enjoy using, the environments which suit your personality and the extra knowledge you may have.

The second mug is now your focus.

When looking for the best job for you that fits in with your life, it is important to take the time to understand who you are, what you want and what makes you be at your best.  Ideally, you want to find a job that uses your most enjoyable skills in a field based on your favourite subjects.  Without this information, this job is hard to find.  Take the time to understand who you are and design a mug that reflects everything about you. This will enable you to discover suitable career options that best suit your personality.