Self-Assessment

[Careers Foundations with Pasan Premaratne] 0:00 [The Job Search - Deep Dive] 0:02 People work for many reasons. There's the obvious reason. 0:04 We work to support ourselves financially. 0:07 But aside from that, we work to be part of something big. 0:09 We work because we're contributing to a cause, fulfilling our passions, 0:12 and changing the world in some small way. 0:17 Working at a job where you love what you do makes a big difference, 0:19 because then you're not working because you have to. 0:23 You're working because you want to. 0:25 Finding that job is not easy, though. 0:27 Nowadays, in a lot of industries, finding any job isn't that easy. 0:29 But before we start talking about searching and applying for a job, 0:33 I want to spend some time talking about you. 0:37 Now I love what I do at Treehouse, and it doesn't feel like a job. 0:39 But to find a job like this, I had to figure out what I wanted out of a job. 0:42 Lots of people think that things like work-life balance and company culture don't matter. 0:46 But you spend the majority of your life working, and you will definitely 0:51 enjoy life more if you enjoy your job. 0:54 Not every job is a perfect match for you, though. 0:57 Before you find one that's a match, you should complete an honest 1:00 self-assessment to understand what works best for you. 1:03 And this is nothing complicated, but it requires thinking about certain questions 1:07 and how they pertain to your situation. 1:11 Let's start with what seems like a simple question but is quite a loaded one. 1:13 What do you want to do? 1:18 Answering this question requires arriving at an intersection 1:20 between your skills and your desires. 1:23 Now since you're at Treehouse and watching a video about 1:25 getting a job, I'm going to assume you have some web design or development skills. 1:27 Now you may be able to code, but does that mean you want to code for anyone out there? 1:31 Are there certain things you want in life that your job can fulfill? 1:36 Suppose you want to change the world in some way. 1:40 Maybe working for a charity will fulfill that need. 1:43 Maybe you like helping other people start companies. 1:46 What about working for business incubators or companies like Kickstarter? 1:49 What if you want to have hospitals but aren't a doctor? 1:52 Maybe you can design or develop the systems to make hospitals more efficient. 1:55 If you watched our Careers in Web Design video, 1:59 you might remember that one of our teachers, Nick, got his first job 2:01 in a healthcare company doing just that. 2:05 He also raises an important point. 2:08 You can find plenty of technology jobs outside of the tech industry. 2:10 Now think about what you want to do that will give your life meaning. 2:13 This will directly help you by narrowing down the list of companies 2:18 or industries you want to work in. 2:22 What kind of company do you want to work for? 2:24 Certain people like to work for large, multinational corporations, 2:26 where they're part of a bigger team working towards a common goal. 2:30 Others want the feel of a smaller team, where you feel more like family than colleagues. 2:34 There are certain advantages and disadvantages to each one. 2:38 With a larger corporation, you're with a recognized company. 2:41 There's plenty of room to grow and maybe opportunities to travel 2:45 and work in a different part of the company in a different country altogether. 2:48 In a smaller company, you'll work a lot more closely with your colleagues 2:52 and might be expected to wear different hats. 2:57 You will definitely learn stuff outside of your job role and can venture into new areas. 2:59 What about company culture and attitudes? 3:04 Do you want to work at a place that that has a dress code, 3:07 or do you want to wear whatever you want? 3:10 Now these might seem like trivial considerations, 3:12 but in reality they affect our moods, productivity, and energy, 3:15 and you'll be happier as a result. 3:19 Other things you might want to think about are what kinds 3:21 of responsibilities do you want and what kind of projects do you like to work on. 3:23 Do you want to manage a team or individuals? 3:27 Do you want to manage projects? 3:30 Finally, you want to think about numbers. 3:32 What kind of salary do you need to live a comfortable life, 3:34 and what about benefits? 3:37 Does the company offer any perks for work-life balance? 3:39 Can you work remotely? This is a big deal nowadays. 3:42 For some people, this isn't as important, but if it is for you, 3:45 then you need to look for jobs that offer these benefits, rather than 3:48 settling for something less and being unhappy for a long time. 3:52 Once you have a better idea of the type of company you want to work for, 3:55 your job search should get easier. 4:00 You can narrow down your list of companies and focus on 4:02 sending tailored applications to each. 4:05 You will definitely get better results with an approach like this, 4:08 instead of mass-applying on job boards like Monster. 4:11 Take some time and answer these questions. 4:14 And once you're ready, we'll take a deeper look at other aspects of the job search. 4:17