Every job search begins with the same first step – defining what your ideal job looks like. But it’s a trickier process than you expect. You know you want to be professionally, intellectually, and financially fulfilled, but what does that look like when it comes to an actual position? Ask yourself these three questions to get a better sense of where to focus your job search and what positions to strive for.
What apps do I use every day?
It makes sense that the apps you find most useful and essential will reveal something about the kinds of apps you would like to be developing. And since you have so much familiarity with these tools, you have special expertise when it comes to designing and building them. The old cliché is ‘it’s not work when you’re doing something you love,’ and it’s repeated so much for a reason. If you can find a software engineering job that relates to the apps you like and know, you’re likely to provide special value to your new employer and thrive in your new position.
What online tools do I regularly rely on?
Every piece of software now has an online component. And in today’s “Internet of Things,” that component is often tied to a device that exists in the real world. You understand the interconnections as a software engineering candidate and should factor it in when looking for a job. What sort of problems have online tools fixed in your own life, and what sort of problems remain that online tools have yet to address? The answer will help guide you toward positions/companies that address issues and technologies that are important to you.
What industry do I want to work in?
Your skills as a software engineer travel across industries and apply to countless different processes and initiatives. You will find your new job to be a lot more fulfilling if it’s in an industry that interests you, and if it relates to work you find important or compelling. Since your skills are so broadly applicable you can afford to be a little choosy. Remember that the goal of this whole process is not to find just any job, but to find the right job. You want to be moving in a positive direction in terms of your career.
Now that you have a better picture of what your perfect job looks like, it’s time to hunt it down. Rely on the team at The Squires Group to help you find it faster.
