St. Louis Business Journal
A blueprint for finding
work you enjoy

By Anna Navarro

July 2001 - A few lucky people are BORN knowing what kind of work they want to do. A few more FALL into work they really enjoy. But what about the rest of us, the bulk of the population? How do we figure it out?

Twenty years ago I set out to answer that question for myself. I had been very successful in my career to that point, but not very happy and I was determined to correct that. What developed as a result of that quest is a process that has worked well not only for me, but also for thousands of my clients since then. It's an approach that has been thoroughly road tested.

It has three major component parts. The first part is like building a jigsaw puzzle about you and what you want in a work situation.

You start by crafting the individual pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. Most of us can answer questions about what we'd like in a work situation, even if we don't have a vision of how that translates into a specific job. Here is a list of the jigsaw puzzle pieces you need to gather about yourself:

• Skills - both natural and acquired
• Working conditions
• Financial parameters
• Passions
• Life priorities
• Fantasy careers
• Location
• Limitations or constraints

The trick to doing this well is not to compromise. Your goal is to craft the jigsaw pieces that describe a job you would look forward to doing -- one that would make you jump out of bed, eager to go to work.

The reality, of course, is that you won't get it all. But the clearer your jigsaw puzzle pieces are, the better your chances are of finding or creating your perfect work.

When you've assembled the individual pieces of your jigsaw puzzle, you need to put them all together to start developing a composite picture. To do this, I recommend you sift through all your puzzle pieces and pick out the 15 things you most want. This ends up being like a super well-thought-out wish list. Another way to think of it is as a set of criteria for satisfying work.

The next step is very similar to scientific inquiry. It's a process of building hypotheses about what kinds of jobs might fit your wish list, then testing them to see which ones hold up.

If you've done a good job of step one, some ideas about types of jobs that might interest you will generally start flowing naturally. Also brainstorm by yourself, with friends, on the internet, at the library, and in the career section of bookstores. Come up with a list of jobs you might want to consider. Then start investigating them by doing in-depth research to see which one is the best fit with your composite picture of what you want.

Be forewarned: This part of the process can be an emotional roller coaster. If you are like me, or like most of my clients, you will test 3 - 8 different hypotheses (career or job ideas) before you find one that fits. The "up" part of the roller coaster is when you are enthused about a new idea. The "down" part is when you discover a type of job you were excited about isn't a good fit. It can be a bumpy ride.

The third and final stage of the process is selling yourself.

Once you have focussed in on what you want to do, you usually have to persuade someone to offer you the opportunity to do it. Whether it's a new employer, a college or university where you want to do additional training, or a customer or client for your new business, they all have to be convinced that you are the person they are seeking.

The entire process from building the jigsaw pieces to closing the sale generally takes most people about a year of dedicated effort. Some people are able to do it on their own once they grasp the overall method. Others find it worth their money to get expert help to grease the wheels and move through the sticky places.

The investment of time, and effort (and perhaps money if you hire help) required to do this has a rich payback. Most of us spend more time working than in any other waking activity. Enjoying your work (even if it isn't 100% perfect) will contribute immensely to the quality of your life overall.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.