It’s easy to find yourself swept away by glamorous job adverts, only to end up six months down the line feeling unsatisfied and wondering where all your passion has gone. So here are 4 key rules to help you to find a job that you’re truly a passionate about and where the novelty won’t wear off!

Define what success means to you

Success and passion go hand in hand, so before looking at the detail of new roles, it helps to get clear the bigger picture and understand the type of success that you want to have in any job. Ask yourself what being “successful” at work means to you and what you need for this to happen? You may find that this differs from what you might have been looking for earlier in your career. By understanding your own definition of success and what is important for you, this will help you focus on the bigger picture, in both your search and when you’re in the role.

Know what motivates you

Whilst external motivators such as salary and reward packages are important, these alone are unlikely to leave you feeling truly satisfied. Finding out what drives you from the inside is critical for keeping you passionate in any role. Think back to a time in a job when you felt motivated – how did you feel and what were the reasons for this? Alternatively, look at the reasons why you are NOT motivated in your current role to then help figure out what it is you want. Knowing your intrinsic motivators will help you ask the right questions at interview time to ensure that the role, manager and organisational environment align with your internal drivers.

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Understand your strengths

We tend to be more passionate about the things that we are good at or naturally interested in and so passion can run out pretty quickly if the environment you’re working in doesn’t play to your strengths. Write a list of all the things that come naturally to you, areas where you feel at your strongest or most confident as well as the things that people always come to you for, both in and out of work.  Sometimes it helps to ask colleagues or friends for their thoughts. You can then use this list to match against job descriptions to ensure that your strengths will be utilised.

Be open to exploring

Passion comes in many different forms so start exploring a variety of new opportunities, both in and out of work. Organise some job-shadowing in your current company to gain insight into different areas of business, attend networking events outside of your profession or try taking up a new hobby that may spark a fresh passion in you. It may take some time so be patient and enjoy it, but the more you explore, the more you’ll understand what it is that really lights you up.