Are you about to graduate from college or university, but have no idea what career path to take? Or are you a seasoned professional who feels lost in your current position? Either way, it’s important that you know what type of job is best for you. Sometimes, trying out different positions and even careers can help you figure out the perfect fit. But whatever route you choose, one thing is for sure: finding your employment niche can open doors not only in the workplace but also in everyday life.
Discovering Your Niche
In the past, having a “niche” meant being known for a special skill or talent. However, in today’s workplace, we might think of it as knowing what you care about and enjoying doing it so much that you want to do it every day. That’s because a career niche helps encompasses who you are and what your passions are. It’s not just something you did yesterday, last year or even right now. Rather, it is who you are as person and how what you do for work promotes the growth of both your professional life and personal life.
If you don’t already know what type of career fits you best, then it makes sense to start by asking yourself a number of questions. These are typically summarized in the following four types:
1. What exactly makes you different? This can mean what your future employer has described about your skills and can also be based on a particular proficiency, interest or skill that you have. For example, if you are a great writer and are looking for a job in publishing, it’s important that you show potential employers how well you write by completing this free sample resume outlining your skills and experiences.
2. What are you passionate about? You might be excited about saving money or developing new business relationships, for instance. If you care about the environment and want to work for an organization that helps find innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions, there is a growing market for such positions. Whether it’s social causes, medical issues, arts and entertainment or something else that truly excites you, it should definitely play into your employment niche.
3. What type of employee are you? You might be a “people person” who enjoys collaborating with others on projects or someone who prefers working alone on objective-focused tasks. Likewise, you may also be more of an introvert or extrovert. The type of job you want may depend on your personality and which team you will play best on.
4. Why do you want to work for this company? Go back to the first question and do some research to see the company’s goals, vision, mission and values. If they align with your own values, then it’s a plus. Then ask friends or professional contacts who know the company if they think it’s a good fit for you as well.
Finding the Right Environment
You might have noticed from the past four questions that they were not just about what you want in a job, but also where you’re comfortable. Do you enjoy a fast-paced environment or one that is much more relaxed? Do you like to work on projects with others or would you prefer to work alone? Similarly, if there is an opportunity to move up in your career by working at another company, do you prefer to stay with your current employer or move on somewhere else? Your niche doesn’t have to be a job title, such as psychologist or engineer. Rather, it can be more of a career pathway, such as healthcare services technician. In this way, it can be as much about the environment you want to work in as it is about what you want to do for a living.
Once you find the right environment for you, this means that not only will your work be valuable, but your employer will also respect you and most important, enjoy working with you and seeing how well you do your job. If that’s not something that matters to them then there is no reason why they should hire or keep you on their team.
Finding Your Niche may have been easier than expected. But, just remember one thing: the goal here is not to only go for the largest and most popular jobs in your field. You don’t want to spend years slaving away at a job you don’t enjoy, getting paid less than you should be and never even knowing if it is what you want professionally. Instead, if a job isn’t right for you according to this guideline, then it is probably time to take another look at your career path. Ultimately, it may be a question of maximizing your potential and finding new opportunities that better fit who you are as a person. In short, you should be happy with what you do, where you do it, who you do it with and how those things make you feel.