I am fortunate to love what I do. My days are full of meaningful conversations, intentional connections, and fabulous colleagues who inspire me every day. Arriving to this place wasn’t by accident – and didn’t happen overnight. Finding my career passion has been an intentional process, and as a recruiter I am fortunate to help others find theirs. In order to find career fulfillment, we must first look at what career happiness is not.

It’s easy to feel blinded by outer factors such as competitive salary, catered lunches, happy hours, and work-from-home flexibility. At first glance, these perks lead us to believe we will be happy at work. While these factors can certainly help to cultivate culture, they are the things that attract you to a job – they do not keep you there for the long haul.

True career happiness comes from deep reflection and intentional inner work to identify your values, skills, and interests. In an ideal scenario, your career should combine what you love with what you are great at doing.

Easier said than done, right? Below is a suggested guideline to identifying your career passion.

Step One: Personal reflection and taking inventory is step one to identifying your career passion. Consider visiting a place you love, bring your journal, and answer the questions listed below. You will be amazed how this cathartic exercise will naturally highlight connections and themes – getting you one step closer to knowing who you are and where you add value.

  • What are the skills that come most naturally to you?
  • What are you passionate about? What causes matter to you?
  • What did you love to study in school?
  • How do you know when you feel valued?
  • What type of work environment energizes you? Do you work well in a team, independently, a combination of both?
  • What if you removed outside influencers and personal criticism – what would you do?
  • Where are you an expert?
  • Make a list of goals you want to achieve, personally and professionally? What does your life look like 1, 5, 10 years down the road?

Step Two: Take a personality test. One of my favorite is the Myers Briggs. This classic, tried and true test can reveal a lot about yourself - both personally and professionally. Try this one for free.

Step Three: Find a Career Mentor. Think about your professional network and work on developing a mentoring relationship. Below are a some great articles on how to do this effectively.

I challenge you to stop, reflect, and take steps towards the life you could have. Maybe you will discover an industry that is meaningful to you. Maybe you’ll realize you need mentors and strong leaders to feel motivated and challenged. Maybe you’ll learn what you thought was a hobby could actually be a lucrative endeavor. Whatever you discover, I guarantee you’ll be on your path to career fulfillment.

Here at Bloom Talent, I am grateful to play a part in this process with you. Take a look at our current opens jobs – can we help connect you to your career passion?

“It is never too late to be what you might have been” George Eliot

 

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