3 Ways To Fall In Love With Your Job

By: Katie Ramirez, Assistant Recruiter, Manpower 

When you reflect on the things you love, does your job come to mind? If not, we are here to help you discover ways to increase your professional satisfaction.

At Manpower, we have the pleasure of working with candidates in various stages of their careers and having conversations with them about the role of work in their lives. Despite having different jobs and goals, we have found that those that are the most satisfied have three things in common. 

So whether you are trying to fall in love with your job, or your heart is already there but you are always looking for ways to improve, here are three things you can do today to help you get there!

Compliment A Job Well Done

We truly do have to be the change we wish to see in the world (of work)! If you would like to feel more appreciated in your place of work, contribute to a culture of gratitude. When you see a coworker going above and beyond or doing a particularly good job at handling a project, compliment them on it. By appreciating the hard work of others, we can boost morale, develop a stronger sense of comradery, gain a sense of perspective regarding our own efforts in the workplace, and create a more positive and rewarding work environment.  

Look At The Bigger Picture

Having a sense of purpose is a fundamental component of personal satisfaction. When it is missing, it’s difficult to motivate ourselves when times are tough. But regardless of your title, or how far away you are from your dream job, your work has purpose.

Let’s say you are currently a dishwasher at a busy restaurant. Your work is key to the overall success of the business. I know I would not frequent a restaurant that served food on dirty dishes, and I don’t know anyone else that would either. You protect the health and safety of your diners, and you do your part to ensure they leave satisfied with their experience. If it weren’t for you, health inspectors would come in and shut the restaurant down.

If you think about your work in the context of the entire organization, it will be easier to derive a sense of purpose from it because you’ll have a more thorough understanding of how vital what you do really is. Take pride in great work, whatever your work may be!

Know Your Goals, And Seize Opportunities 

Never underestimate how each and every task can impart some kind of knowledge. When it comes to hiring, one of the biggest differentiators in candidates is the number of transferrable skills they possess. Hone your ability to provide excellent customer service skills (both internal and external), find ways to improve efficiency in your role, master that task you have always found a bit daunting – whatever opportunity your job may offer, take it all in. Make the most of it and learn everything you can! If at the end of the day, the only wisdom you have gleaned is that this job isn’t the one for you, sometimes that’s okay too. Just be cognizant of what did & didn’t work for you in that role, that way you can apply that knowledge to help you find opportunities that are better suited to your talents and goals.

Ultimately, there is no single strategy guaranteed to increase your happiness in the workplace and make you love your job, because everyone has different expectations of what they want and need. The tips above, however, are a great starting point for developing the mindset needed to find career satisfaction. What’s not to love about that?

If you are looking for something new, or curious about what opportunities are out there, take a moment to register. Who knows, maybe one of our current openings is just the fit you’ve been looking for!