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Are you one of the 80% of candidates who haven’t found their ‘ideal career’ yet?

Are you one of the 80% of candidates who haven’t found their ‘ideal career’ yet?

ideal career

Earlier this month, Career Ambitions was a guest at the Cambridge Network Recruitment evening. Based in the Career Zone, we had the opportunity to talk to Cambridge’s candidates about their career motivations… and whether they had found their ‘ideal career’ yet. The results were clear.

80% of the people we spoke to said they had not yet found their ideal career. What’s stopping them? Most replied that they simply didn’t know how to assess whether a job would be right for them or not (or what they were looking for).

According to research by Investors In People, almost half of the UK workforce were planning to change jobs in 2018. A fantastic opportunity for candidates to re-evaluate their career path, and find a role that challenges and motivates them, leaving them excited to go to work each week.

How can you identify your ideal career? 

  1. First, think about what motivates you. What makes you tick and gets you out of bed in the morning? When are you “in flow” completely absorbed in what you are doing?
    If money was no object, what would you do in life? Go back to your childhood, what were you obsessed with, fascinated by, interested in? 100% of candidates told us it is ‘very important’ to enjoy what they do for work, yet we seem to forget this when looking for work.
  1. Think about what others applaud you for too. What do your friends and family say you are good at? Ask them! What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  1. Try a good old-fashioned job list. Scribble down all the jobs you’ve worked in so far. What did you enjoy about them, and what didn’t you enjoy so much? Are there any jobs have you always wanted to try, and why haven’t you tried them?
  1. What do you look for in a job? Think about the essential things that a job must have for you. Candidates we spoke to listed career development opportunities, a great workplace culture, and team communications as important when looking at job opportunities. What’s important to you? 

Evaluating your job motivations and interests.

What jobs would fit with the interests, passions and motivations you’ve highlighted? If you’re a very sociable person, perhaps you would be best suited to a job in events, hospitality, or one that works closely with people. If you’re more strategic, think about working with figures and planning. Or perhaps you’re more creative and need to find a role that allows you to flex that grey matter in more colourful ways? 

The secret to finding your ideal career is to forget about work-life balance. As Confucius said, “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. Over the course of your lifetime, you will spend 90-100,000 hours in work. Find a job you enjoy, and don’t waste a single hour. 

If you’re still struggling to identify your ‘ideal career’, email Katherine for a chat! Using the LAB Profile technique, we can help to uncover your subconscious motivations and discover what really makes you tick – and then get you that dream job.