SETTING YOUR CAREER PRIORITIES
By Karen Conole
The happiest workers are those
who have found jobs that satisfy their most important needs. It’s amazing
how many of us say, “I just want a job” without thinking about
whether it will fulfill our professional needs once we’ve got the job.
In order for you to be happy,
productive and stable in your next position, you should know what you want and
need out of your next job, and that takes a bit self reflection.
Think about what elements of a
job matter most to you. You may think you need it all, but at the end of the
day there are things that would be nice to have and things that you must
have (the “non-negotiables”) and only you can say which ones are
which.
Consider what you most
appreciated in your former jobs, including volunteer work, and then rank your
priorities in order of importance. Some elements you might consider:
Priority
Ranking
Security
Pay
Benefits
Location
Hours
Job satisfaction
Advancement opportunity
Pleasant boss
Nice environment
Challenges
Other: _________
Other: _________
Other: _________
Other: _________
Once you’ve established your most important, non-negotiable job priorities, keep your sights set on finding the job that most closely matches your criteria. When you find what you think is a good prospect, you’ll be more motivated to give it your all when applying for it (and that much more happy when you do get it!).
