Are you completely lost while searching for a job? Are you applying for ALL the jobs that are coming on campus? Then you are in trouble, my friend.

Students often take whatever job that comes their way without putting much thought and consideration. This leads to job dissatisfaction and frequent job switches. Changing your career path becomes a tedious task, later. Hence, it’s crucial to start thinking about what job suits you and what career you wish to pursue, early on.

Here are some tips to help you understand what job would suit you:

Professional Skills

Make a list of your skills i.e., skills acquired in college and additional professional courses (if any), skills learned in internships, live projects and freelance work, and natural aptitude (communication, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, etc.).
Now while applying for jobs, compare the JD with your skills list. This will help you gauge whether you will be good at it and where you will be able to stand out in the recruitment process.

Ambition and Career Path

Ask yourself – Who do I eventually want to be? What’s my ideal career? It is essential for you to think about your career ambition in college itself. You may not directly get your dream job, but make sure every step you take helps you get that job. Focus on building skills, networks, and experience for your dream job. Study the career paths of people you look up to.
Knowing that your current job is a stepping stone for your dream job will motivate you to excel and will help you take better future decisions.

Core Values

Identify what is important to you as an individual. Your values define who you are. Consider your ambition, motivations, and beliefs to identify your core values. For example – If you value creativity and innovation then look for a job where creativity and innovation are an integral day to day activities such as R&D or Design.
If your job conflicts with your core values, you will end up getting frustrated and would feel unfulfilled. Use Aon CoCubes Core Values Worksheet to help identify your top five core values.

Interests

Make a list of things you like doing or find interesting. Ask yourself – What do I like about that thing. For example – Do you love your dance class because you love dancing or because you enjoy interacting with people in the class? If it’s the latter, it means that you would love a job that involves interacting with people. Maybe, product management is something that would interest you versus data science.
You spend 8-12 hours at work; hence to stay engaged, it’s vital for you to enjoy your work.

Personal and Professional Constraints

Make a list of constraints such as geographical, financial, skill, education/ qualification, family, opportunities, etc. Select job opportunities closest to your ideal job and slowly try eliminating these constraints to get your dream jobs.
Remember, that constraints can only restrict you in a short run, but it’s important to keep them in mind to get a job that best suits you. 

Looking for your first job, and that too, a job that suits your personality and skill sets, can often be a complicated task. However, if you keep the above pointers in mind while applying for jobs, life would become easier, and nobody would be able to stop you from eventually getting your dream job.