How to identify good opportunities for yourself

Mastering the job hunt starts with thinking about what's best for you. Rarely do people take the time to assess their opportunities and think about what they really want from a job.

We believe the best way to job hunt is to be methodical and focussing on Front Loading. Don’t rush into the trap of creating for the sake of creating. We don’t want to be the fastest; we want to be the best.

We recommend taking some time to do the exercises recommended in this article to really get the most out of it.

We believe there are 6 steps to identifying your needs. Let's take a closer look.

1 . Decide what matters to you right now.

Normally, when looking for a new role, we look at tasks, look at skills and experience, and think, “I can do that”. But what about the ingredients that really matter to you? These are likely to change over time. As we get older, we prioritise different aspects of working life.

We developed a 21st Century Career Framework on the ground at the Escape School in London, tested with research conducted on Escape’s community, guided by our faculty of career psychologists and coaches and informed by research. Based on this, we decided on 6 career ingredients that we recognise to provide fulfilling work.

Hygiene Factors

These ingredients typically prevent dissatisfaction at work. However, by themselves, they are not sufficient for career motivation, fulfilment or a sense of thriving.

• Engagement: I find the work fulfilling, and I feel supported by the people, structures and culture.
• Health: My work supports and actively enables my physical and mental wellbeing.
• Security: I can comfortably support myself (and others if relevant) through my work.

Fulfilment factors

These ingredients are intrinsically satisfying and highly motivating but unlikely to help you thrive without strong foundations on the Career Hygiene Factors.

• Growth: I am developing skills I value and feel my work is helping me fulfil my potential.
• Contribution: My work allows me to have a positive impact more broadly in areas I find meaningful.
• Ownership: I can shape the work I do and my routine to suit my strengths and preferences.

We recommend putting each of the 6 factors onto a scale of 1-10. Which are the most important and which are the least important?

2 . Think about what you need to be happy.

Think about this beyond work. You’ll find so many of the things in your life are impacted by work; they are inextricably intertwined. This part is thinking about what you need to be happy in both your life and work. 

Write down the following 4 questions, the things you need, and how much of a priority they are:

• What do you need to feel well mentally? e.g. I need to be able to switch off at the weekend. I want to have the energy to get up early.
• What do you need to feel well intellectually? e.g. I want to be learning all the time. I want to be creative. I need to see the impact of my work.
• What do you need to feel well environmentally? e.g. I want to be able to work from anywhere. I don't want a commute longer than 45 minutes.
• What do you need to feel well financially? e.g. To live a comfortable lifestyle, I need to earn £x. I want to be able to save every month.

Having these written down may be able to help you choose between different paths or opportunities later down the line.

3 . What are your values?

Values are important because they'll help to drive your decisions and choose between conflicting opinions.

We feel happiest when we are living closely aligned with our values. Thinking about where we might be out of alignment and where we might not be is essential.

Think about your values - If you need some inspiration take a look at this list of values. Next, choose the 5 that appeal to you the most. Then, think about if you're living these values when it comes to your career, life, and relationships. It's also a good idea to think about how you can bring more of these values into your life.

For example, if compassion is in your top 5 values but you feel like you lack compassion in your relationships, could you make an effort to reach out to a friend for coffee each week?

4 . What do you like and dislike?

Ok, here is where we get into the detail.

List out all of your past jobs and roles since you started working, including unpaid work. What did you like and dislike about each role? Were these likes and dislikes situational or fundamental? e.g. were they due to the situation you were in, like a bad boss or terrible hours? Or were they fundamental parts of that role? One way to check is to ask yourself if that like or dislike is likely to change if you did the same job in another company, if yes then it's likely situational, if not then it might be fundamental.

5 . How much change do you need?

Looking at all these likes and dislikes and all your needs, you might realise that you don't need a complete career change or even a new job. There are lots of other options which you could consider including:

• Job crafting: making shifts in your current situation, such as moving to part-time, working from home, asking your manager for more of what you want, or freelancing for your current employer.
• Mindset shifting: changing how you think about work. For example, finding more meaning in your current situation, finding more meaning outside of your work, and managing expectations from your job.
• Radical sabbatical: taking time off! Sometimes taking a break, travelling, taking a delayed gap year can be exactly what we need.
• The Escape Way: test your new direction by launching experiments, trying new things and building experiences while in your current job.

Ultimately it's about seeing which options might be able to help you meet some of the needs and desires you have. Sometimes small changes can make a difference, and sometimes you need a big change. All paths are valid, it's about seeing which works best for you.

6 . Look at your compass (all of the elements you've pulled together)

What are your must-haves, nice-to-haves, and elements you don't want? This makes up your compass, you can use this to be really clear on what you want and don't want in your life and career going forward. Hold tight to this compass, as it's how you will be able to assess the right path for you.

When you're ready, take a look at the organisations and roles which appeal to you and use your compass to assess which might be right for you.