Remember being asked that question ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ when you were young.  You saw people at work and wanted to be a fireman, nurse, doctor, teacher or postman.  You had no idea what it took to become skilled in those professions, they just sounded exciting and very grown up. 

Well now that you’re grown up, the question of what you want to be is actually a little more difficult.  Yet knowing what you want is fundamental to ensuring that you find the right job, otherwise you could land up in a job from hell.  You see, some people are really suited to teaching, yet others loathe this profession and end up tired, stressed and burnt-out before reaching 50.  Likewise some people don’t want anything to do with client contact, yet others people love client contact and get maximum enjoyment from connecting with diverse people on a daily basis.

In order to ensure you don’t end up with the job from hell you need to:

- Get to know yourself better
- Gather appropriate information about industries and jobs
- Find out what others think about where you fit

Get to know yourself better

Helping you choose a career from scratch is way beyond the scope of this article, but if you have a general idea of the type of work you want to do, then this article will ensure that you form a much clearer picture of how to avoid a job from hell.    

If you have no idea of what you want to be when you grow up, then there are countless resources online (including CareerDIY), that will help you pinpoint exactly what your ideal type of work will be. 

Another way is to write a career vision, in which you describe exactly what your perfect career would be (apart from retirement and sitting on a tropical island with a warm breeze, soft sand and tall palm trees).  Take this vision and dream about it, from the ideal company culture, type of work, through to location and lifestyle.  From this exercise, you will capture exactly the type of job that would suit you (just don’t fantasize too much, as it is essential to get the balance right between the vision and reality).

Finally, you can use a career counsellor, who can administer and interpret assessments, help you discover where you fit in the world of work and offer advice about your career choices.  For a relatively small investment, it could change your entire life.  One career counsellor we highly recommend is Annemarie Cross – check her range of services out.

Gather appropriate information about industries and jobs

If you already have a general idea of what work you want to do, then the next step is to ensure that the job actually suits you.  You see lack of information could lead to a job that is intolerable and could run counter to your personal values. 

When you undertake research, make sure you evaluate information carefully, by reading between the lines, keeping your goals in mind, considering related jobs and industries and comparing and contrasting options.

You see, if you don’t read between the lines, keep your goals in mind, contrast the job with other related jobs and undertake research, you might end up in the position of landing a job that is simply not suited for you.  This applies equally to both the private and public sectors, where a position might not be suited to you as an individual, or alternatively the job could be high pressured, under resourced, provide little scope for advancement, or the functional area within the agency has a highly political and poisonous work culture.      

For example, when you touch base with the contact officer if applying for government jobs, ask why the position is vacant, the turnover of staff in the work area, the key problems of the area, the major challenges you would face in the position and the type of resources and support you would receive.  You will be able to gauge by many of the responses you receive, whether this is in fact the dream job, or the job from hell.

Find out what others think about where you fit

A career counsellor can undertake an independent review of you and from this information gauge jobs that suit you best.  Assessments are used on a regular basis today, including by employers who want to ensure they appoint the candidate with the best profile and fit for the job.  Some of the most frequently used assessment tools are Myers-Brigs Type Indicator, Self-Directed Search, Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential, and Strong Interest Inventory.    

If you undertake an assessment however, it is important to stay objective and ask family and friends (who are honest and really know you), if the information is accurate and truly reflects you.  If you are not objective, then you could miss out on the chance of a really good indication of the type of person you really are, and what job would suit you best.  The classic example of this was my close friend who undertook a complete assessment.  The results indicated that he was a crowd pleaser and not that good at effective delegation.  He was adamant that these conclusions were false, and guess what, he was dead wrong, and now that he is managing people, he fails to effectively delegate and this is taking a toll on his happiness and job satisfaction.   

Conclusion

Although you might feel like you are under pressure to get a job (any job), a pay rise, that promotion, or that prestigious job which sound so glamorous, don’t just rush into a job search, without taking the time to determine what you really want, or whether this job actually suits you.  Otherwise you will find yourself settling on a job that does not give you much satisfaction (regardless of the status and pay) and is only there for you to make a living – and that is the recipe for landing the job from hell. 

Relevant articles and resources

• How to successfully identify your transferable skills
• How to set powerful career goals
• Career change for lawyers
• Career change for teachers
• How to successfully plan for a career change
• When should you quit your job?
• When should you stay, rather than leave your job?
• Career change - what is holding you back?
• Busting the education and trraining myths