How To Define Your Ideal Job and Why You Should

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Why your passions are more important than what you studied in college.

Ideal job listing cartoon

This is a guest post by Melvin Dichoso. If youā€™d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines.

I know the word ā€œidealā€ varies from person to person but here in this article by saying ā€œideal jobā€, what I mean is a job that you want and you think you can enjoy.

In this guest writeup, I'm going to cover up why you need to define your ideal job first and foremost and how it's going to make your job hunting much easier.

A little background about me first.

I'm just 20 years old with a degree in Computer Science. I'm running my own small online business which has something to do with community-oriented websites and blogs yet still I prefer to have a day job, working as online marketing staff in one of the companies here in the Philippines. Now you know me šŸ™‚

How do I define it?

By reading the title of this article, this is probably the first question that popped into your mind.

As a general yardstick, this can vary (I know you hate to hear that) but I thought I can give out some tips on how you can really define it for yourself based on my own thinking and some that came from my friends.

You need to definitely answer the following questions first before you can determine if you really like a particular job specification or not:

  • Do I really want it?
  • Am I going to be comfortable doing this thing for the next six months (or more)?
  • What's my ideal work environment?
  • What's my ideal workspace?
  • How do I want to work?
  • Do I want to face a computer for the whole 8 hours?
  • My college degree and what I want to do, are they congruent?
  • What's my main goal in working? (financial benefits or intrinsic benefits)
  • Am I good enough to follow my passion and the job I want?

Let me cite an example

I know a guy who has a degree that would enable him to become a software developer. As we know that job pays pretty well. That guy applied to several companies to be an entry-level developer, he passed some and failed some.

To make a long story short, the guy ended up having a job that has to do something with search engine optimization, writing content and running Pay-Per-Click campaigns.

And that guy was me.

Why did I move away from that?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty competent programmer who can code well and its not that I hate programming. Its just that I'm more satisfied doing things like the above rather than dealing with code. I have been running this online business for almost 3 years now; that speaks a lot about my enthusiasm in this field.

Why you need to define it

It doesn't really take that much to figure out that 80% of people don't really stay with their first job.

Here in the Philippines, most of my friends usually get employed by 3 different companies in a 2-year period, which is a pretty high rate. Sure, it may have something to do with the companies' policies of not regularizing employees in the first place but still I believe its still mainly because most people don't like their job.

And even though they don't like it, they still take it anyway.

Another thing related to that would probably be the growth. If you're switching companies quicker than anyone else, chances are good that your designation is not growing and neither is your salary. It's simple math- if I stay for this company for 4 years, then how many salary raises would I receive as oppose to switching over and over after 6 months?

How defining it makes job search easier

Admit it, it's hard to go outside wearing that funky eccentric dress while splashing that confidence if you're not really sure you want what you're going to do. Or in the case of a job search, most people just ignore so many job listings because they feel they aren't ready yet, which is obviously related to not having enough confidence in yourself.

If you really think a job is ideal for you, why would you lack confidence? Why would you feel scared?

So here it is!

My belief with the whole job hunting thing is that people get employed more quickly depending on how much they like the job.

How is that so?

They're more confident, they have the enthusiasm to exert more effort to pass all exams (if there are any), they have the exceptional confidence to answer all the interview questions.

No rocket science in my own opinion.

Another thing about following what you think is ideal vs. going with the flow of what you learned in college is that you are likely more experienced with the former one.

I myself didn't have any formal education with marketing. I began doing internet marketing in late 2007, studied it myself and more importantly put it into work, implemented it.

So how about you? Are you following what you really want or are you stuck pretending that you want to be someone else? I'd definitely want to hear your opinion on this so let me know what you think in the comments below.

About the Author

Melvin Dichoso portraitMelvin Dichoso is your typical teenager, blogger, internet marketer and someone who has a day job. He blogs at MelvinBlog.com where he shares all his takes on things. Follow him on Twitter at @melvinblog.

This article is part of the 4th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our Gold Sponsor, Jason Alba of JibberJobber. If you want Melvin Dichoso to win, share this article with your friends.

If you liked this read, you'll also enjoy The Secret To Finding Dream Jobs.

Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for more ideas on visualizing your job search goals.

Jacob Share

Job Search Expert, Professional Blogger, Creative Thinker, Community Builder with a sense of humor. I like to help people.

This Post Has 35 Comments

  1. Debra Feldman, JobWhiz, Executive Talent Agent August 22, 2010 Reply

    While I am used to working with senior level executives, your thought process Melvin may not have to be much different than what a more seasoned professional should be thinking about as they develop specifications for their ideal next career opportunity. Being a consultant, I am able to help JobWhiz clients answer difficult questions and make hard choices that may have lifetime impact on their careers. By holding a mirror up for JobWhiz clients, I am able to quickly assess what their ideal job should look like.
    It is essential to know what an ideal challenge is because it is impossible to find that perfect job unless you know what it looks like. Hereā€™s how I begin to extract this data from oft reluctant clients.

    Addressing the issues below will be helpful to you and your peers in Gen Y as well.

    Define or describe the following attributes as specifically as possible. It is always easier to narrow down the scope than to broaden the search from a restrictive focus. There are not ranked in any priority order though it is a good strategy to make certain selection criteria paramount in order to decide between different positions you may identify as job search objectives.

    We continue to ā€œpeel the onionā€ to develop a precise picture of the ideal situation- the employment goal. Only then when we know what we are looking for, is it possible to identify for the client where they will find that position and personally introduce them and arrange a one:one meeting with the appropriate hiring decision maker. Because we focus only on the hidden or unadvertised jobs, JobWhiz clients get to create a new role for themselves within an employer organization that is most likely to appreciate their contribution and be an excellent fit for both parties.

    -industry sector(s)
    -location
    -company characteristics: corporate culture, ownership status, branch or HQ,size
    -virtual or traditional position
    -travel requirements
    -salary and compensation range
    -responsibilities/tasks,duties desired
    -responsibilities/assignments to avoid
    -learning needed for next position
    -other team members ( like, admire, trust, etc.)
    -individual vs team contribution emphasis
    -potential for upward mobility
    -fit with professional/personal interests

    To further the job search process and increase job searching momentum, we create a new targeted resume which emphasizes the skills in which the prospective employee excels and highlights only the success stories that are most consistent with the ideal role that the client wants in order to enhance the individual candidateā€™s chances for being seen as the perfect fit for the new job they want.

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  6. Carol Christen August 24, 2010 Reply

    Melvin,

    Excellent post. I share your definition of an ideal job. How cool that youā€™ve learned this already!

    Whatā€™s necessary is to get more teens to do job site visits to get a feel for what a certain kind of job is really like. Not fantasy, not projections, not how a job is presented on TV, but the day to day realities.

    Is it absolutely true that for a job search to conclude quickly and successfully, people of all ages must know what they want in a job. How else will they be able to recognize a good one for them when they stumble across it? But, for those who think such stuff as liking what you do is silly, remember this: You are 100x more likely to be financially successful if your work interests you.

    Best of life, Carol Christen

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  18. elie palima August 28, 2010 Reply

    Having a regular job is the last thing thatā€™s on my mind. Having my own Business is where my passion is. so I guess Iā€™m following what I REALLY want. šŸ™‚

    But yeah, I agree to your post (you really got a good talent at explaining things.) ā€“ Thereā€™s no point Chasing after something that you do not like doing.

    Iā€™m also from the Philippines. and Here in our country, 80% of people Take jobs that They do not like because #1 There are very limited Choices available. some times, there are NO choices available. #2 they need money ā€“ IMMEDIATELY.

    those are probably the reasons why most people prefer a business rather than a regular job.

    and not to mention, People who makes an Audition to Talent searches seen on Television Dreaming to be Movie stars. lol

    luckily, thereā€™s the world wide web who opened a lot of opportunity to billions of people in the world

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  21. mahmud r joel September 17, 2010 Reply

    success always follows passion as long as you got it i.e got talent and compete well.
    speaking of talent, i always believe it exists everywhere and just has to be nurtured[that includes hard work, pain and sacrifice]. kippitup dude and cu at melvinblog

  22. Marvia September 29, 2010 Reply

    Melvin,

    Thanks for sharing such wonderful insights. Itā€™s great they you have learned these things while you are young because it will help you navigate your life in a way that aligns with your values, dreams, and passions. There are many older folks just learning to do many of the things you mentionedā€“such as myself. We no longer live in a world where one stays in the same job for 20 plus years. Rapid change is happening all around us, so we might as well pursue what weā€™re most passionate about. Good thoughts. Keep up the good work.

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