3 Keys to Understanding Job Satisfaction

How can you set yourself up to have a great year in terms of your career?

Do you have a vague sense of things not quite working as well as you’d like in your job, but you don’t know why? This vague feeling of unease can often be understood in relation to 3 key factors. When you focus on these 3 things, you start to get greater clarity about the career decisions that you need to make in order to have a great year.

These factors are the real Gold when it comes to making good career decisions. They will help you think more clearly about yourself and your work situation.

The 3 Keys to Understanding Job Satisfaction are:

• Fit
• Performance
• Values

If you want 2018 to be a great year for your career, take a moment to reflect on the year that has passed and ask yourself the following question in relation to each of these factors:

FIT:

• Does this job feel like a good fit for you?
• Is there enough in it to keep you engaged, and really interest you?

Even if you are tired and ready for a break at the end of each week, your answers should be positive. Working hard in a job, and being challenged and stretched can be great. But sometimes the actual tasks themselves and the degree of challenge are out of alignment with what you want and who you are.

PERFORMANCE:

• Have you been able to use your skills effectively?
• Are you being given opportunities to further develop your skills and grow?
• Do you know what your next role might look like so you can actively develop and prepare for it?

A job is satisfying when you are able to give of your best and use your skills and strengths in a way that makes a difference. If you can see that you’re making progress and getting opportunities to grow and develop, you’re more likely to be enthusiastic about your actual job.

VALUES:

• What are your core values?
• Are they being met in your current job?
• Is there a way that you can get better alignment with your values?

Values are simply the things that are important to you. Work that satisfies your core values will inevitably lead to you feeling positive about your work and your workplace. When there is not alignment with your values, you can very quickly feel like your job is not working well for you.

How did you get on with the questions?          
Were there any surprises?
Go or Stay?

Most people feel tired at the end of the year and are ready for a break from work. It is normal to want to wind down and wrap things up. 2017 might have been a particularly hard or challenging year for you. Or you might have flown through with energy levels still high in December.

As you start 2018, you should feel refreshed and ready to jump into your work. If not, it might be a good time to ask yourself:

Am I in the right job with a career that is progressing as it should?

Is it time to make some changes?

Looking Ahead

If your values are not being met, you are not able to play to your strengths, or your job is not a good fit, then now is a good time to do something about it.

If you want to really understand the best way to develop and manage your career, phone or email to make an appointment. Janet:  021 526 387 E: janet@careerclinic.co.nz

Take a look at the Career Clinic webpage to find out about the wide range of services to help you with your career management.