Finding Your Dream Job

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Barry B Benson, the lead character in the animated comedy The Bee Movie had to challenge the entire premise of the bee society that forced its members to choose one job for life. We, the humans, on the other hand, are not constrained by that kind of societal order. Not only we are free to change jobs, we don’t have to stay on the same career path either.  For current generations, it’s not even common to choose their career right out of school. We are free to explore different options, even though it may not always be obvious to see all of the options available to us.

The start of a New Year is a great time to reevaluate where we are in life and to embark on new beginnings, including a search for your Dream Job. Sounds unattainable and unrealistic? It shouldn’t be. I would say your Dream job is closer to you than you think. And here is why.

Let’s begin by looking what defines a Dream job. To different people, it could mean different things.

  • To some, it could be about higher pay
  • To others doing the tasks, they do best
  • To others yet, it’s about relationships with co-workers.

Research shows that money can make us happy but only up to a certain point. One study determined that after you make $75,000 per year, increasing your income further will not add to your levels of happiness. Doing tasks that you love and you are good at, definitely is a major contributor to the success and can help you to establish yourself as an expert among your peers and get various forms of recognition from your superiors including non-monetary rewards.  Humans being social creatures, we all like to have acceptance and a sense of belonging. Being among like-minded individuals does add to the positive job environment.

What should you do differently when you are looking for your Dream Job?

The short answer is – Know Yourself Well. And here is the long answer: analyze yourself thoroughly – what you enjoy doing, what kind of work environment appeals to you. Do you operate better in a command and control environment, or do you need a work environment with fewer rules? Looking at your past, who was your most favorite and your least favorite manager and why. Know equally well what made you happy and what made you unhappy in your previous workplaces.

Do your research about the potential employer. “Glassdoor” is one online tool available for looking up your prospective employers and reading any reviews left for them. Even though there is a risk of bias posed to a workplace by disgruntled employees, what you find will give you a certain idea of what to expect. Search on the internet, look through your Linked in contacts to see if you have any common connections.

You can tell a lot about the company during your interview process as well. Be equipped with the right questions you can ask your prospective employer. This will help you to determine whether you should pass on the opportunity or whether this can be your Dream Job, where you can do even a small job that will make a big difference. Just like the courageous character from the aforementioned movie did.

What is one aspect of your Dream Job – current or future – that is most important to you?

Stay tuned for an exclusive post with a top HR professional on our blog’s next issue to get expert advice on how to nail your search for your dream job.

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16 Comments

  1. My description of my dream job is being paid highly for doing tasks I do best and also having friendly co-workers :). But to me my Dream job sounds pretty unrealistic 🙁

    1. You are right, Lida: your description of Dream Job sounds kind of too good to be realistic 🙂

      In my case, the most important criteria are about doing the tasks I love and I am good at. Somehow I can bear with the work environment that is less than great but I definetly need to be an expert among my colleagues.

  2. I discovered “Glassdoor” recently and find this tool very helpful. It certainly gives us some idea about our prospective employer. My cousin recently got a new job offer. After looking the company up on the ‘Glassdoor’ and reading loads of negative reviews about it he still chose to accept the job offer for his own reasons. But unfortunately all the negative reviews left on “Glassdoor” by previous employees turned out very close to what he had to actually experience there. He didn’t last at his new job more than 2 months. The work environment was really as terrible as people described it. Lesson to learn: do a thorough research about your potential employer and carefully evaluate your results before making your next move.

    Thank you very much, Natella, for your very informative post!

    1. I believe it’s ok if your Dream Job sounds too bold or maybe even unrealistic at the first glance. It’s supposed to be that way. My understanding is that we can all dream big and go after our dreams step by step even though the path is almost never easy.

      1. Unfortunately, we all have limiting beliefs that make it sound impossible to realize our dreams. Realistically speaking, the job you land may not be filled with 100% of what makes you extremely happy, but I would say if 80% of it is exactly what you want, you can deal with the remaining 20% of it that could be mediocre. That could be your “realistic” version of your Dream job.

      2. Hi K, too bad this happened to your cousin! What a disappointing experience it must have been for him. But I guess there is a lesson to learn for all of us – you may not believe the 100% of what is posted online, including reviews on tools such as Glassdoor, but as you put it, “loads” of negative reviews must mean something.

        Thank you for sharing with us this experience. And I hope he finds his dream job soon.

  3. I feel that each of us has the power and the freedom to live into our dreams and to find the career of our dreams. A large part of what makes a dream job is the attitude of the people that make up the team. It was back in 2011 that I read the book “FISH” written by Stephen C. Lundin as part of a training seminar when I joined my company. It’s about the world famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, Wa. and how they transformed their cold, fishy, workplace from a toxic energy dump into their dream jobs by following 4 simple steps. 1 Choose your attitude: There is always a choice about the way you do your work even if there is not a choice about the work itself. 2 Play: You can be serious about the business and still have fun with the way your business is conducted. 3 Make Their Day: Focusing your attention on ways to make another person’s day provides a constant flow of positive feelings. 4 Be There: Be present in the moment and fully engaged in your work and the people you are in contact with each day. When you wake up tomorrow morning remember that you have the power to choose your attitude and how just by changing your attitude you can enjoy your work and your life. Find the book for yourself and see how The Fish Philosophy can help you live into your dreams.

  4. I suppose everyone wants to have a Dream Job. Some people find it from the first attempt and are very happy with a job of their dreams enjoying every minute of it. For some others, finding it takes a very long time. It’s really important to define for yourself what a dream means to you. For me, a Dream Job is the one where all the above-mentioned criteria such as a high salary, good relationship with co-workers and doing tasks you like most come together.

    1. Wow Jason, I absolutely love it! Thank you very much for sharing what you learned from the Fish Philosophy. I have been to Pike Place fish market quite a few times, I haven’t been aware of this magical transformation the book describes. Even though I must admit the book title sounds familiar. I loved this philosophy, especially the step focusing on “making their day”. How beautiful and how true. Made me remember that in fact, those are the most uplifting and satisfying feelings one can get – when you know you made a difference for another person!

      On another note, reading the comments you share makes me think that it might be the time for you to publish another post of your own :).

  5. Good post Natella. Finding a “Dream Job” can be easy and it can be hard at times. For some the “dream job” might be working for yourself with your own schedule. Readers and Debaters had a meeting with a speaker who is an IT expert talk about artificial intelligence and automation and the threat of job loss. Our next meeting had an economist talk about the Guaranteed Annual Income as a solution to cope with job losses. I spoke about an old solution from the 1930s (“Social Credit”) which deals with financial reform and a guaranteed annual income in the form of a national dividend. If we are successful our “regular work week” will be shorter and we can pursue our “dream job” as a leisure activity. My “dream job” is to be a full time independent writer.

  6. Wow, what a treat to hear from all of you! Thank you, my friends, for such enlightening comments. So many interesting perspectives and various views on the subject of a Dream Job!

    1. Alex, it’s really great to hear from you again! Sounds like Readers and Debaters have been to some exciting start to 2018 with those thought-provoking topics and interesting discussions. The topic of the future of workplaces is the one of great interest for me personally. I myself gave a speech at a conference in Vancouver on what is going to happen to the Quality Professional in the future. So what was the prognosis from the IT expert on the loss of the jobs?

      Also very interesting two concepts – of the Guaranteed Annual Income and the Social Credit. I need to learn more about how would that kind of system work. Where would the money come from in one case and who and how would pay off the credit, if the jobs are lost. Thank you very much for sharing again!