This is the time of year that most people start evaluating their current career status and for many, the time when they start looking for new jobs.

I recently had a client who was desperate to break out of the corporate mould that was stifling her. Whilst she was highly skilled and really good at her job, it provided her with little excitement and fulfilment. She had risen up in her career because she took roles that were a logical use of her skills as well as what seemed a logical progression in her career.

The problem was, she had only listened to her brain (logic) when evaluating new job opportunities and had completely neglected her passionate heart or gut instinct.

If you are evaluating jobs based on these justifications, “I am good at this, therefore it makes sense to apply” or “I will apply for this job as it is the next logical step in my career progression”, then you could be setting yourself up for disappointment later down the track.

I have worked with so many people who after 6 months into their new role, feel a lack of fulfilment and purpose in their job because they only listened to their logical brain and ended up doing very little in terms of what they are truly passionate about.

So, what’s the solution?

When evaluating a new career opportunity, it is essential to balance logic with passion, so listen to what your gut (instinct) is telling you. Here are 4 checklist questions to ask yourself:

• How excited does this job make me feel?
• Will it give me opportunities to fill the day with the activities that I love to do and that really engage my top skills?
• Is going to give me a sense of purpose?
• Can I do it and do I love doing it”? Ideally you want to answer ‘yes’ to both of these.

 

Having skills and passion both in alignment is a great formula to finding a career that gets you out of bed on a Monday morning with a sense of purpose and excitement.

Remember, just because you can do a job, doesn’t mean to say you should apply for it!