It must be the time of year, all the summer holidays are over, the weather is getting colder and the days getting shorter, and I am noticing that career moves and job changes are very much at the forefront of many people’s minds these days.

Are you one of the many thousands of people who log onto recruitment websites first thing every Monday morning and scroll with anticipation to discover that perfect job that jumps out of the screen shouting – “you found me – yippee”? Some people can be lucky and discover their perfect job by chance in this way but I would prefer to take a little more control of the situation and be a little more planned and structured in my approach.

When I do the weekly shopping, (on the few occasions I actually do it) I have a shopping list which allows me to get my shopping done quickly, it ensures I get everything that I need and I don’t end up buying lots of things I don’t need.

We can apply similar principles to our careers and jobs. If you are not happy in your job, you typically have 3 options (a) grin and bear it and hope circumstances change for the better in the future, (i.e. don’t go shopping at all and hope someone else notices there is no food in the house and goes and buys some) (b) quit or move on hoping the next job will be better (i.e. go from shop to shop hopping you will discover what you are shopping for) (c) identify what specifically you are unhappy about and decide what you can do to change the situation (i.e. go shopping with a shopping list).

I personally have tried all 3 options, I had as many jobs as years at one stage of my working life and have found that the most productive and effective approach by far is option (c) identify what specifically you are unhappy about and decide what you can do to change the situation. Another way of looking at this is in reverse, which is to say, identify what specifically is most enjoyable and most important to you about work and focus your time and energy in seeking employment that is a good match to these characteristics. You may find that with some minor attitude and behaviour adjustments, you would be happy to stay in your current roll, or if you decide it is time to move on, at least you have your “shopping list” to guide you in your choice of a new job or career.

How do you go about establishing what your shopping list for your ideal job or career is?

I invite you to take a few minutes to jot down key words that answer the following question. What is most important to me about my job/career right now? Once you have at least 8-10 items, leave the list aside and return to it tomorrow and ask the question, what specifically is so important about each of the items in your original list. For example, you might have “working with people” in your original list. Does this mean all the time, some of the time, what kind of people, young, old, suppliers, customers, colleagues, in what capacity – giving advise, negotiating, motivating. The more specific you can be the better. Repeat this exercise for each item on your original list and subsequent lists and you should find certain phrases starting to crop up repeatedly. These will constitute your core values about work. Your core values are like the Bread and milk of your shopping list. These are the essentials that you need to have in your job to feel fulfilled and happy. Once you have your list of core values identified, rank them in order of priority. The higher-ranking items are those you would never compromise on regardless of the circumstances and those ranked lower down may only apply in certain circumstances or may be compromised in favour of a value higher up the ranking. Allow me to explain using my own values as an example. My core values about work include Contribution to others, personal growth, having no regrets, control, honesty, and value for money, being organised, being effective, and work/life balance. I will never compromise on contribution to others but may on occasion compromise on being organised depending on the circumstances.

If you are struggling with this exercise try enlisting the support of a friend or Coach. They may be able to provide some new insights to help you tease out what your core values actually are.

If you like, you can send me an email and share how you got on with this exercise. My email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Good luck.

Remember: You become successful the moment you start moving towards a worthwhile goal.

Fergal O’Connor is a Business and Personal Life Coach working in partnership with his Business and Private clients providing a supportive, confidential, challenging and non-judgemental environment to make their ambitions and dreams a reality. Fergal can be contacted at Synergy Coaching Services, Tel: (061) 467287, www.synergycoachingservices.net

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