Three questions all jobseekers should ask themselves

Before you even begin the job search process, take the time to ask yourself these three questions so you don’t rush in blindly. Preparing properly now will save you mistakes and time in the long run. Clarity is the first and most important key to finding the right job.

1. Do I really need to change jobs?
Ask yourself why you’re doing this. It needs to be a valid enough reason for you and it needs to make sense to anyone who’s going to employ you in the future. It’s best to choose to move jobs for positive reasons rather than running away from the negative.

2. What do I want to do?
Before you start looking, get clear on what you’re looking for. Understanding what it is that you’ve done, both in work and in your life, that has given you the greatest buzz is always a good place to start. When you understand this and know what’s in your skills set, you are at the beginning of a process that will lead you to define clearly what you’re going to do next.

3. Where do I start?
Start with what you enjoy most and also what you’re best at. Think about the moments in your life when you have been most engaged, most interested and when you’ve enjoyed yourself most. If you’re not sure, ask people that know you. Look at your appraisal reports. Only go into the recruitment market when you’re clear about what you seek to do. If you go too early, you may end up in the wrong place.

About the author: Nisa Chitakasem, created Position Ignition to help support professionals through their career challenges. She has co-authored a range of ebooks to help people through various career challenges including: How to Get the Job You Want, How to Ace the Interview, 125 Twitter Job Search Tips, 125 LinkedIn Job Search Tips and 135 Networking Career Tips.