I spent 13 years helping companies transform their processes to make them more efficient. For the most part I saw a lot of value from the processes we were developing but there was one area that I couldn’t fully make sense of: performance management, also known as your twice-yearly performance reviews.

A little over 80% of people actively dislike their jobs. That means only one in every five people enjoy what they do and find motivation and purpose in it. If we already know 80% of people don’t like their jobs, why are companies spending so much money trying to create great processes to help employees feel motivated and engaged?

Motivated people are more efficient and frankly better employees!

If you are motivated by a sense of connection and purpose to what you do, the quality of your work will be superior. You will even surprise yourself with how much you can deliver!

Now the question remains, if so many companies put effort into motivating their employees, why do so many people hate their jobs?

Too many people are in the wrong darned job! There is so much more to choosing a job than the salary or the job responsibilities. You are going to spend most of your waking hours at this place and you need to know that you are going to enjoy it.

So here are my two tips for finding a job that fulfills you:

Find a company you admire:

When you have a job, you are essentially giving your time to a company and the very first element of your job search should be the company itself. If you feel a connection to the company’s mission and vision, you will naturally feel more empowered by the contribution you are making to it.

Find a job that fulfills your needs

 Unfortunately, we have been taught that you should just be grateful that anyone wants to hire you and I am here to dispel that myth! If you know you can deliver value to a company, people will want to hire you. But, it is up to you to define what you need to get out of the work experience in terms of: money, time, balance, ability to pursue hobbies and experiences, impact to your home life, and even the effect on your mental health.

It absolutely is possible to truly love what you do and feel a sense of accomplishment from it but it will take a high level of honesty and dedication to get to it.

I believe in you! Let’s do this 🙌