You’re ready to make a shift in your career—you’ve turned the page and you can feel that you’re ready for something new, different, exciting. But the rest of that book is…well, blank.
Most of us have spent years hearing the same advice for strategizing career moves: follow your passion. And while that advice sounds lovely (and does work, for some people!) it’s more common than you think to feel like you’re lacking that all-powerful passion to steer your next steps.
Here’s how you can find a job that means something to you, even if you don’t know where to start.
Three Places to Start to Find Your Career Passion
Before you start actively planning your next career move, you deserve to reflect. Don’t lose all hope for finding a career that lights you up! Here are a few tips to help you figure out what you truly want.
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Shift Your Expectations For What Passion Means
First thing’s first: remember that passion looks different for everyone. There’s no one set way that feeling passionate manifests in your day-to-day life.
Most of us tend to think of explosive, unstoppable drive when we think of passion. In relationships and careers, we imagine passionate people as those who can’t wait to hit the ground running in the morning. We imagine passion shows up as being happy no matter what challenges come along.
But in reality, passion shows up differently for everyone. It can change in your daily life and show up as more simple emotions like relief, comfort, or even pleasure. So as you move through your work life and personal life each day, take note of the times where you feel calm, relaxed, or happy. Those could be signs leading you to identify your passion.
Take Personality or Work Style Quizzes
When you’re stuck in a cycle of feeling like you have no passion, it’s easy to feel defeated. This can lead you to stay stuck in that cycle. Sometimes all you need is an outside perspective and a little self-reflection.
A personality test can unlock a whole new realm of possibilities and passion. A couple of popular ones include the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs’ 16 Personalities.
With Teal's Work Style Quiz, you’ll discover tailored career insights. You’ll find out what energizes you and drains you.
Work With a Career Coach
If you think you’d benefit from an outside perspective, it may be time to consult a career coach. Speaking with an expert helps you organize your thoughts and discover things you might not see so clearly on your own.
Career coaches specialize in helping you identify your unique strengths. This type of framing is helpful to have when speaking about yourself in job interviews.
How To Find A New Career Without Relying Solely On Passion
After you’ve done some work to identify (or rediscover) your passions, your next big move is to start strategically taking steps toward a career change. Even if you’re not totally sure of your passions yet, you 100% can build a career that’s meaningful and lights you up.
Consider this your guide to making a career change, whether you’re feeling the burning passion or not. These tips will help you make practical changes that lead to purposeful career growth.
Do Your Research and Make a Decision
Once you have an idea of what you want to do, it’s time to dig in and do some serious research.
What kinds of companies do you want to work with? Are certain company values more important than others? What are your non-negotiables for you to feel joy in a role?
Now is the time to explore different companies and roles. You aren’t boxed into any specific job description, whether you feel the spark of passion or not. The best part of making a career move is that you have a blank slate in front of you and a pen in hand!
Once you finish up your research, you’ll feel confident making a decision. To make the right choice for you, focus on which role will bring you the most joy, satisfaction, or fulfillment based on what you’ve learned about yourself and the role.
And remember, it’s okay to change your mind down the line! Your passions are going to shift, grow, and evolve over time — and your career should do the same.
Filter, search and explore opportunities with Teal's Job Board.
Create an Action Plan With Your New Goals
Now that you’ve identified what move you want to make, let’s break things down. You’ll need to identify what your long-term and short-term goals are, but that’s just the beginning. An action plan helps you actively organize the steps you’ll need to take to achieve those goals.
Breaking down your goals helps make them more achievable. Goals are often overwhelming when they’re big. It’s up to you to snap them into snack-size bites that you can tick off one by one.
Refine Your Resume
With your dream career move and plan in-hand, it’s time to refine (or build!) your resume. Teal’s AI Resume Builder tool helps you craft a resume that stands out. You’ll be able to easily store your work experience and career history in one place, highlight your skills, and custom-tailor your resume to different job postings without the stress.
Get Organized and Start Searching for Your New Role
Hooray—your shiny new resume is polished and ready to go. It’s time to start actively searching for jobs!
The key to success in the job search process? Organization!
When you’re applying to tons of jobs, it’s important to evaluate how fulfilling they’ll be. With Teal's Job Application Tracker extension, you can keep track of all your job opportunities in one place and rate them based on your excitement level.
Stay Engaged and Excited
Once you land your new role, it’s okay to not feel fully invested right away. Changes take time for us to process. Try to be mindful and notice what parts of your new role you enjoy. It’s up to you to nurture your excitement and explore your passions.
Prioritize active engagement in your new role. Keep track of your goals, and reflect on your progress. Don’t be afraid to learn and step outside the box! Learning is one of the best ways to stay engaged and improve performance.
