Gallup recently published a poll about people’s attitudes toward their jobs.  And do you know what they found?  We are less satisfied in our jobs now than we were in 2008.  Why is that, you ask?  Well, you’d think it’s about the economy right?  After all, it was late in 2008 when the financial crisis and recession began.  But that’s actually not it. 

People are dissatisfied in their jobs because they don’t like the kind of work they’re doing.  People feel better about their jobs when they find their work meaningful and challenging.  Although it’s a tough job market right now and many people are afraid to rock the career boat, there are some things you can do now to help you realign your career to make sure your work is meaningful to you in the long run.

Discover your career fit

John Holland put careers into six categories.  He found that people also fit loosely into one of the six categories.  His approach says that when your career is in the category that you are, you are going to have a higher job satisfaction.  You can visit www.self-directed-search.com and for an investment of $5 and 20 minutes, you can discover your category and the careers that match that.  For many people, managing their career around their fit may be less about finding a different company to work for and instead finding different ways to incorporate meaningful work into their current job.  For instance, perhaps you can work on a special project that will allow you to do a type of work that fits your category while still holding on to your existing job.

Know your career values

The Career Values Card Sort allows you to prioritize your values and then rank careers you are considering based on those values.  The online value-sorting takes 5-10 minutes and instructions follow for completing the Career Values worksheet.  You can perform the values sort periodically as one’s values often change as one’s life situation changes.

See a counselor

Working through career problems with a counselor can be a great way to help you sort out and move beyond issues that may be keeping you from making necessary changes.  Is fear keeping you trapped?  Do feelings of failure overshadow you?  Do you feel powerless to make a change?  Consider making an appointment with a counselor who can help you process your concerns and make a plan to move beyond them.

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