Loving where you work is every jobseeker’s dream. But how do you find a job you love if you’re in the market? Jo Thurman, Regional Director of Personal Career Management, shares her thoughts.

How to find the right job is a quandary most of us have wrestled with at one time or another. If you’re between roles, or applying for an internal promotion, you’ll know that feeling of weighing pros and cons to make sure you’ll love where you work.

Whatever you look for from the world of work – salary, great colleagues or work/life balance – finding it can be the difference between a rich, fulfilling career or a permanent blue Monday.

According to Jo Thurman, Career Coach and Regional Director of Personal Career Management, finding a job you love isn’t just a ‘nice to have’. Feeling engaged and motivated at work supports productivity, collaboration and teamwork. Simply, when we love what we do, we’re likely to be better at it.

“Everyone’s circumstances are different,” says Jo, “but we all have choices about the kind of work we do and where we do it. Finding the right job within the right culture, where you feel at home and confident, will mean you have a much better experience.”

When it comes to finding a job you love, Jo has the following tips.

Know what’s important to you

“Is it about progressing your career? Or is commute length or industry sector more important? Salary will be a driving factor for many people early in their career. But if you’ve reached a stage where you already have the accommodation, the car and the lifestyle you want, something else could be as important or more important than money; for example, learning new skills to take your career in a new direction.”

Consider places you’ve worked already – good and bad.

“Think about people you’ve worked with and things you’ve done in previous roles to get a good understanding of when work was most ‘right’ for you. Get some clarity around what you want to be the same, or what you want to be different.”

Do your homework…

“We live in an information-rich world with lots of information for candidates on sites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor. Look at LinkedIn profiles of people who already work at a potential employer. How long have they been there? What language do they use? Look for red flags, or things that sound good to you.”

…but don’t take everything you read at face value.

“People’s ratings on a site like Glassdoor might apply to them, but not to you. At the end of the day you have to make your own choice based on a really good understanding of what matters to you at this stage of your career.”

Want to know more?

Talk to Jo Thurman on Twitter.