By: Genesis Moreno

Finding the perfect career match is a lot like believing in soul mates: it sounds too good to be true, inspiration most likely came from a Disney movie, and when the opportunity does arise, it’s likely a hit or miss.

But even if you want to orbit the earth or be the next CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you can beat the odds if you set yourself up for success. And if you’re an optimist like myself, anything is attainable if you’re up for the challenge.

Assess yourself and your surroundings in these three categories to find out where you are on the ultimate scavenger hunt.

Finding a Supportive Environment

Tim Gunn, an iconic American entertainer once said, “Life is not a solo act. It’s a huge collaboration and we need to assemble around us the people who support us”. Ask yourself: Is the pace and culture at my current job suited to keep me on track towards my end goal? Am I at my most efficient to level up or do I feel constantly stressed, bored, or wiped out? If you don’t implement positive changes in real-time, you’re less likely to pave the way to success.

If you prefer a fast-paced environment, a large-sized company with a competitive edge might be just what you need to spark purpose. Others might enjoy a moderate pace and a quieter atmosphere where team-oriented collaborations stimulate ideas. If you’re fixated on your dream job and want to monetize your lifestyle doing what you love, you need to be in a suitable working space. Ensuring you’re in a supportive environment will create momentum towards your end goal.

Matching Your Personality Type

We’re all born with certain strengths and weaknesses. According to Don Clifton’s Strength Finder Research, “each person has greater potential for success in specific areas when the key to human development is building on who you already are”. If you use what you have, you don’t have to start from scratch! The time you spend developing your skills and building your knowledge-base are multiplied when you work with raw talent.

Find out who you are and put your natural-born talents to work! 16personalities (hyperlink: https://www.16personalities.com/), DISC Profile, and Don Clifton’s Strength Finder, are great assessment tools that will evaluate your leadership style, your personality type, and give you some pointers on how you can build on your strengths. Many of these assessment tools examine key aspects our make-up like what we focus on, how we process information, how we make decisions, and how we interact with outer life. Understanding what makes you a dynamic individual and how you can utilize your trademarks to grow, will definitely help you land your dream job!

Determining Growth Potential

Accomplishing a goal, especially something as daunting as landing your dream job, not only requires a lot of time and energy, but constant growth and career development. Working with experts and mentors in your field of interest will definitively accelerate the learning process and help you avoid common mistakes. Work with someone who gives you the opportunity to learn new skills and put them to work and assigns new challenges and responsibilities that increase your capability and management experience.

A mentor will push you forward and provide honest and constructive criticism (even if it’s something you don’t want to hear). Going for the gold is easier said than done. At each phase of career development, there will be challenges like economic hardship or life circumstances beyond your control. There’ll be times you might want to give up or even doubt whether you’re cut out for the job.

It’ll get tough, but remember,

“whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re always right”- Henry Ford.