We spend a significant part of our lives at work, so it’s worth ensuring that our job duties are, as much as possible, in line with our interests, and certainly that what we do for a living gives us satisfaction and joy. I think everyone would like to be paid for what they like to do. Find out how to successfully find a job that you will enjoy.

Why should I like my job?

Doing a job that is rewarding is one of the most important indicators in choosing our career path. Why is it so important that we enjoy our work? Here are some basic factors:

• greater satisfaction, and thus also greater motivation to perform it, as well as greater productivity and better results. When you like what you do, you feel like developing yourself, getting better and better, climbing the career ladder.

• Less stress, which means better mental condition. It is much easier to face different challenges at work if you are consistent with your priorities and principles. Performing duties that annoy us or are not within our competence can severely disrupt our peace of mind and enjoyment.

• Professional fulfillment, which translates into the quality of private life – people who are satisfied with their work are more confident, as well as calmer and less stressed, which helps maintain proper relationships with other people.

How to use your interests and aptitudes

Unfortunately, not everyone has interests that can be translated into a desirable job in the market. However, one may have specific aptitudes and skills that are important for a particular job, or enjoy performing tasks that are part of a particular position.

So when looking for a job you’ll enjoy, it’s worthwhile for you to think about a few things:

1. Analyze your interests. Think about what you are good at, what works well for you and at the same time gives you pleasure. What tasks in your daily life, school or previous jobs you found easy and enjoyable to perform. If you can’t evaluate yourself objectively, ask those around you to help you.

2. Think about what kind of personality you have and your character traits – both your strengths and weaknesses. Or is there something that sets you apart from other people? People who know you well and in whom you have confidence can also help you identify your advantages and disadvantages. The popular CliftonStrengths survey, also known as the Gallup test, can also help you learn more about yourself, your talents and strengths.

3. Your personality and character traits are also related to what you need to feel happy and fulfilled in your work. Do you like human contact and know you need it to feel motivated, or maybe you don’t like monotonous tasks and need a dynamic work environment to be more productive? Your needs can tell you a lot about what jobs will be good for you, and which ones you’ll just get tired at.

4. Set your goal and start working toward it. Think about what you would like to achieve in your professional life, what your ambitions are, what position you would like to hold, what responsibilities you would like to have, what tasks you would like to perform, and then think about what you can do to make this vision a reality. Maybe you lack specific skills that are required for your dream job, but are able to acquire them? Or can you already take up a position from which you will later have the opportunity to climb the ranks directly to your dream job?

5. Before you start browsing job listings, consider what you would like your dream employer to be. It’s not just the job position that’s important, but also where you work and the people you work for and with. Before submitting your resume, look for reviews of the employer in question on the Internet, check what the company’s motto, goals, ambitions are, and, above all, prepare interview questions that will allow you to see if the offer matches your expectations and that will allow you to get to know the future employer better. Remember that a recruitment interview is not just for a potential employer to see if you are a good fit for their company and the position offered. It is also for you to pre-screen whether the employer/position will meet your expectations.

Trial and error method

It’s also worth remembering that it takes time and vetting to both find a hobby and a job to pursue. If you don’t have any passions, and the things you like to do won’t be useful in the job market – don’t worry, you’re not the only one. It’s often the case that until we try something, we don’t know if we like it. But the problem is that people are afraid to try new things because they are afraid of failure. Some will succeed in finding their dream job on the first try, while others will find “their place” years later. It is important to try and not give up even despite failures.

It may also happen that your original dream job, at some point, no longer excites and satisfies you. Over time, our goals, ambitions, and needs change, and as a result, the right job for us also changes. When the lack of motivation in your current job has been going on for a long time, and you are sure that it is not a matter of a “worse time at work” or the need for a rest – do not be afraid of change and look for your new career path.

Everyone has the right to feel tired and need a break, so in order not to lose the motivation and excitement of your profession, remember that it is also important to properly balance work and rest. The ideal solution is to be employed by an employer that follows a method of work-life fit, that is, working flexible hours, in accordance with the needs of employees and open to a variety of forms of employment anywhere in the world.