So you love the industry you work in, but you've mastered your current position and want a new challenge. Or perhaps you landed that dream job, which turned out to be a complete nightmare, and now you're contemplating a whole new field. Worse yet, maybe you've been "downsized" and have no idea which direction to turn.
No matter the situation, you're not alone. A survey by The Conference Board found that only 14 percent of employees are very satisfied with their jobs, 40 percent feel disconnected from their employers, and 25 percent are just working to get a paycheck.
What a downer, considering how much of our lives we have to spend working. That can't be all there is. Should we expect a job to be more than a mere means to an ends? Yes, according to the Bible. Ecclesiastes 3:13 says it's a gift from God to enjoy your work. But how do you find - and get - a position you actually enjoy?
1. Know who you are.
According to Dan Miller, author of "48 Days to the Work You Love," finding the right job comes from knowing yourself. "Look at what God has already told you about yourself," Miller says.
"Eighty-five percent of the process of having confidence about proper career direction comes from looking inward. Fifteen percent is the application - job search, interviewing, negotiating, salary ... ."
"It made so much sense to look at my gifts and passions," says Ana-Christina, a Colorado resident who followed Miller's advice. "This fall I was able to talk to my boss and tell him that I was probably within a year of burnout in my present job and told him the types of things I would love to do in the future." Her company actually created a position that fit her talents and passions.
2. Ask good questions.
But what if your scenario isn't quite so perfect? In "What Color Is Your Parachute 2007," author Richard Nelson Bolles recommends finding at least three people actively working in your chosen career and asking them foundational questions: How did you get into this field? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it? How would I get into this career? How much demand is there for people who can do this work?
Gathering information from people in the field will give you a better idea of whether you want to pursue it. And, notes Tony Zeiss, author of "Build Your Own Ladder," "It helps you establish a rapport with people in your chosen career field." And that's important since rapport is often what tips the scales when final decisions are made.
3. Find the right position.
After the legwork of figuring out what you're looking for and talking to people in the industry, it's time to dig in to open positions. Where do you begin your search? Do you pick up the local newspaper to scan the classifieds? Not according to Miller.
"Don't just look in the want ads. What you see, 3,000 other qualified people also see," he says. Miller doesn't suggest using the Internet for the same reason. "Use the Web for getting company information, but not for finding leads or making contacts."
So where do you start? Miller recommends identifying 30 to 40 companies that match your skills and contacting those organizations, which he says works 87 percent of the time.
"All companies are interested in getting the right people on board," says Rick Perry, human resources director for Dave Ramsey's The Lampo Group, Inc. "Be a patient and persistent applicant but not obnoxious with your phone calls and e-mails. Give the company time to respond before you contact them - at least a week or two."
If you're hoping to change positions within the company you work for, Perry offers this advice: "Keep your eyes focused on your current responsibilities - let your work speak for you. Make your interest known to your manager and seek their advice before you notify another department of your interest."
4. Make the write moves.
"The primary purpose of a resumé is to get yourself invited for an interview," Bolles says. He says to think of your resumé as a business card not a biography - it's just to get an invitation.
Human resources departments receive hundreds of resumés and try to narrow down the candidate field. "Your resumé is a marketing instrument read to be rejected," Perry says. "Make sure the content of your resumé matches the position and your career objectives ‘wow' the reader. Your resumé should be organized, grammatically correct, and use the best choice of words. Read it, reread it, and reread it again." And with all the models available online, there's really no excuse for a poorly written one.
Miller warns not to put salary requirements on your resumé, though. Negotiate that after you're offered the position. And don't end your cover letter with "I look forward to hearing from you." Be assertive and follow up with the employer one to two weeks later - this is the time to take initiative.
5. Answer and ask.
According to Bolles the interview is as much a time for you to find out if you really want to work for a company as it is for the employer to decide if you're a good fit, so interview the interviewer. The questions you ask set you apart from other candidates as much as the answers you give.
Some questions you may want to ask include: What are the backgrounds and personality types of the people I'll be working with? As far as the team's experience is concerned, will I be a mentor, or will I be mentored? What area of the team needs the most polishing? Why did you come to this company? What do you see as my strongest assets and possible weaknesses? Do you have any concerns I can clear up in order to be the top candidate? Check out the "job hunting advice" tab at The Wall Street Journal's www.careerjournal.com for more ideas.
Perry says along with the traditional interview questions about communication, decision making, teamwork, and technical skills, HR professionals are also asking questions about a candidate's passions and skills they may need in future positions.
So figure out what your dreams are - and take steps to make them reality.