Let’s face it – Looking for “jobs near me” isn’t always that fun and can be intimidating if you don’t exactly know what you are looking for.  Perhaps you have viewed hundreds of job openings and you still aren’t quite sure what would be a good fit for you.

In the past during my own job searches, sometimes I would be applying to jobs in several different fields, marketing, sales, analytics, operations, bookkeeping, recreation.  Seeing what would stick, or if I could even get an interview in these industries.  I might also be applying to jobs in multiple cities, looking for a move, or maybe not, seeing what was out there.  Confusion, frustration.  Lacking clarity is a great way to stay exactly where you are.

Now, let me also say that I don’t think looking for jobs in multiple industries and in different locations is necessarily bad, and I’ll explain why in a bit.

First though, let’s put this all together and try to gain some clarity on our situation.

1. I’m lost.  Well, time to find some clarity.  And we are going to do that through taking assessments and knowing ourselves better.  Here are a couple that you can do right now to find clarity.

Future Ready Iowa  – has 6 or 60 questions.  Recommend doing the 60 question assessment.

Onet My Next Move  – 60 questions.

Those are a couple to start.  If you are looking for more, check out this article from The Muse on 13 additional career assessments.

I also suggest doing an Ikigai Test.  Or filling our an Ikigai worksheet which you can find through a Google search.

Take time and do this right.  If you are struggling, taking time to figure this out will be extremely beneficial to helping you long term.

2. Location matters.  Okay so we’ve gained some clarity.  Or at least have some direction as to how our personality traits are going to influence where we like to work!  It’s time to figure out where.  Target an area, or multiple areas that you could see yourself.  In some situations, much like mine right after college I was willing to move anywhere.  That isn’t always the case, so know where you are willing to move if that would come up.
3. Explore job opportunities.  Take a look at what your assessments said may be good job fits!  This doesn’t have to be the final answer, but at least take a look.
4. At this point you have some clarity, you know what location you are targeting, and you are looking at specific jobs/industries.  Now it’s time to do a self check… how does the job description make you feel when you read it?  Are you excited to apply?  Does the work environment excite you?

Often times when I have been searching for jobs, or come across a job that I knew I would enjoy, I felt a sense of excitement when I read through the job description!  This is why looking at jobs in different fields, cities can help provide clarity.

If you don’t feel that great about it, keep looking!  Our bodies tell us things without us even knowing sometimes.

To Conclude:

Get Clarity.  Figure out where you want to be location wise (could be anywhere).  Job Search.  Pay attention to how you feel about each job you read through!  You should feel different about jobs that you are going to like vs. jobs that you are just applying for.