The Perfect Job

Does a perfect job exist? I've asked myself this many times, and I think there are some pretty sweet jobs out there... But it's a matter of finding the perfect one for you. As with garage sales, good jobs are tricky to find. What's one person's junk is another person's treasure.

One of the main reasons we settle on a less than ideal job is out of desperation. Maybe that is too strong of a word. 
Necessity. That's a better word.

But if we are not happy at our jobs, we're not very productive for the company or for ourselves. Maybe the money is too good or it's an easy job, but we just stay with the status quo, 
regardless of our happiness at work. 

I've had the wonderful advantage of having a lot of time off with my son, and I really thought that I wouldn't be going back to a "real" job. However, as life would have it, I got not one, but three phone calls in the last month asking for my résumé. 

Yes. I'm flattered. Very much so. With the weight off my shoulders of needing a job, I decided I could get creative with my new freedom of "employer hiring".

My resume did include the standard parts of a résumé:

Cover Letter- a nice introduction of yourself.
Objectives- what do you want to gain from a new job?
Education- what training do you have?
Skill Strengths- what are you good at?
Work History- where did you work that gives
 you experience for this job?
References- were you a good employee before? 

I like to keep it fairly simple; honestly, an employer might appreciate a five page resume if they were VERY serious about who they hire, but chances are, they need an employee who doesn't suck. 

I made it so simple, in fact, that I tied my cover letter into my resume with the addition of a simple column. I also added a picture of myself. People do judge a book by the cover, and a résumé where you can put a face to the name can't be a bad thing.

 By making these minor changes, I created a less than standard resume, which is a good thing when your résumé is in a stack of 500 other résumés. 

Resume by Your's Truly. Picture by T. Penner.

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Lay it out for your potential employer. I did, and it was a seriously liberating feeling. As much as I scored an interview with this one particular company, it went both ways. 

What do I want out of this job? 

It was not as much an interview, as it was a conversation. 
And there are some important questions that you, as a potential employee, need to ask.

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Is the company worth my time to go back to work? 

Are they flexible in my hours? Raising my son is 100% priority, and if a company doesn't allow an employee to put family first, their values are not the same as mine. Thus, that would not be a good match. 

Does the company interest me? Do I like their long term and short term goals? Would I be excited to explain to someone what I do for work? Working hard at something you believe in and enjoy makes work purposeful and well, enjoyable. Who doesn't want to enjoy their job? 

Am I a good match for the company? Be honest with yourself, and if it's a job that is just going to put bread and butter on your table, and you're not passionate about it, maybe the next person in line is a better match than you. Passion is what makes you happy with your career anyways, so without it, it's not your perfect job. 

If you answered yes to all of these questions, you'd better put your best foot forward going in! Chances are, if you are a good match, an employer will see that.  

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On that lovely note, I hope you all have a great day at work. Good news! It is almost the long weekend, and I know I'll need it. I'll be tired from my new job, which I am VERY excited about! More of that later!

Happy Career Searching and Finding! 

Jena xo