7 Questions You Can Ask Yourself When Looking For the Job You Love

Like any relationship, how you feel about your job changes overtime. Most of us have had our fair share of jumping from one job to another, searching for the “one” that fulfills our passions, talents, and values. When you can’t find it, you start to shrink into all sorts of mixed emotions—desperation, confusion, frustration. But maybe we’re not asking ourselves the right questions. In his TED Talk, Scott Dinsmore, founder of career and connection platform Live Your Legend, speaks about how you can go about finding the job you love. Ultimately, it all leads to how you evaluate yourself.

How well do I know myself?

“Become a self-expert and understand yourself, because if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’re never going to find it.” And this is the first question you should ask, because no one is going to do it for you. It is in your hands to figure out who and what you truly are, and what you believe in, to know what kind of career you’re looking for.

What is truly important in my life?

“Do we care about people, family, or is it achievement, success? We have to figure out what it is to make this decisions, so we know what our soul is made of, and not go selling it to some cause we don’t give a sh*t about.” If you choose this or that company, are you doing it for money’s sake or for experience? Are you choosing to take the offer because it sounds like a prestigious company you’d like to be associated with? Is it because it’s closer to your family, who needs you there? Think about your priorities, and set them straight.

What am I really good at?

“What are the things that we wake up loving to do no matter what, whether we’re paid or not, the things that people thank us for?” Focus on this so you’ll know what strengths you need to improve. Scott recommends reading the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath to help you sort out what you’re naturally good at. If you keep on trying to learn new skills all the time, you’re shortchanging yourself by letting your natural talent go to waste. Once you figure out your strengths, start investing on honing those talents — join a workshop, attend talks, or maybe even enroll for a short course in TESDA. There are loads of classes out there that you could try. You can even use the Internet to look for online classes to build your skills.

What did I learn from my past experiences?  

“I spend time just reflecting on what went right, what went wrong, what I want to repeat, and what can I apply more to my life.” When we don’t spend time paying attention to what we’re learning every day and applying it into our lives, it’s going to go to waste. It’s like watching a movie but not knowing what the moral of the story was. Pointless. When looking for the right job for you, think about your successes and your mistakes and see how they can guide you in making better choices.

Who inspires me?

“Write down what it is about [people] that inspires you.” When you jot down the things or qualities of someone who inspires you, over time, you’ll be able to build up an inspiration list that you can use, and apply their good qualities into your life as well.

Who are the people that surround me?

“The fastest way to do things you think can’t be done is to surround yourself with people already doing them.” It’s a lifehack, according to Scott. The people you choose to put in your circle will help you in getting to where you want to be. You can either spend time with people who tell you it’s a stupid idea, or with people who inspire possibility.

What’s my limit, and how can I push it?

“The things that we have in our head that we think are impossible are often just milestones waiting to be accomplished if we can push those limits a bit.” Everything is impossible until somebody does it. Scott says to dream up your own little impossibilities, and accomplish those first. And as soon as you feel like you can conquer the world, set greater impossibilities. The only limit to your growth is yourself. The great thing about these questions is that they are a hundred percent in your control. No one can tell you that you can’t learn more about yourself, or invest in honing your strengths, or do the impossible. You call the shots. Are you pumped up to go find the job you love yet? Sign up and explore the Kalibrr website for job openings, and you may just find that company with the perfect job waiting for you.

Watch the full video of Scott Dinsmore’s TED Talk “How to Find the Job you Love”