As discussed in the previous article, the first step to landing our Dream Job is knowing how it should be. I'd say that this is the most difficult part for most of us, as we don't have a clear direction yet. But the objective of this stage is to do some introspection and decide what we want so we can go toward it.

There are many techniques, questions, and material related to introspection. I prefer long-term strategies like meditation or journaling. But we are not going to talk about that today. In this article, I'll highlight some aspects that people commonly consider so you can use them to develop your criteria.

Culture

Company size

• Do you prefer a Big Company? More complex processes, maybe some bureaucracy, someone takes care of almost everything for you, many departments, economic solvency, yearly performance reviews, and projects and programs.
• In a smaller company, you usually take many roles at the same time, have more autonomy, flexibility, and get to know everyone. Here you will need to figure more things out and be independent.

Communication

How do you like to communicate?

You may prefer to talk, send emails, have endless meetings, or sit side by side with your colleagues when you need to share information and discuss topics.

Do you prefer sending messages and escalating or having a more dynamic conversation? How do you deal with noise, interruptions, and non-scheduled meetings and tasks?

Competition

Some companies have a culture of fear. Different teams and people are aggressive toward each other. Blaming is too common, and they usually don't admit to doing anything wrong.

How do you like to handle the discussions? Do you prefer collaborative or competitive environments?

Is it better for you to have clear limits and reduced interdependency between the areas?

Innovation

How about technology changes, new systems, and projects going on all the time? Do you like companies that frequently change methodologies, processes, and structures, and where is a need for adaptation?

Some other characteristics include:

• Dress code
• Diversity
• Age
• Flexibility
• Sustainability
• Multi-cultural
• etc.

Career

What are your goals in professional growth terms?
Do you want to climb the corporate ladder? Would you like to become a leader, manager, or Director?
Do you prefer to do your work and don't think that much in the future?

Some companies have clear career plans for different areas. In some others, you are allowed to make your way.
In some companies, you can only grow by doing management activities, but some others have careers for specialists in the core business.
There are also different leadership approaches. Sometimes the leader also does technical work, other times they only manage. There are companies with small teams and others with a single manager for many people.

What kind of skills do you want to develop?
There are companies with constant training going on. New tools that you can learn, and different projects you can choose from to put these skills into practice.

Is your idea to use your job as a bridge to something else? Do you prefer to stay longer in a single company or to hop between different companies?

Maybe you would like to be transferred to a different area, or a different location in the future. There are companies where this can be done easier.

Day-to-Day

This one is the conjunction of every other category. But it's the most essential. The main question is:
How do you feel, after all?

Consider that you are almost half of your time on some work-related activity.
Do you enjoy it?

Activities

Track the activities that you do today and did in the past. Have you already figured out what you like? It's not possible to like 100% of the activities in your role, but it is good to seek a role where you like the majority of them.

Interactions

About the people that you work with (team members, colleagues from other teams, customers, vendors, etc.).

• How do you like to be treated?
• What are the things that you would like to avoid?
• What kind of relations do you want to have?
• Which tone in the communications?

Work-Life Balance

How do you feel when you are not at work?

• Do you check your emails and messages, and/or talk with colleagues?
• Are you always available?
• What are the things that make you think about work when you are doing something else and prevent you from enjoying your personal life?
• Which situations compromise your sleeping?

Do you use to work overtime?
It is mostly on you, but there are companies and positions where it is harder to avoid it.

If you have difficulties leaving your office on time, then you may prefer a workplace with characteristics that make it easier. Some examples:

• Fixed shifts
• Activities planned in advance
• Not many urgencies
• Most of the people go home at the right time. I remember being once to a job interview at 7 PM (first red flag) and the company was full of people (second red flag).

Some other insights that you may pay attention to:

• When do you feel overwhelmed?
• What level of pressure and exigence do you want to feel?
• Is it easy for you to get up and go to work? What makes it easier/harder?
• Are you already looking forward to the weekend on Tuesday?
• Do you prefer to work on the "traditional" days and times (Mon-Fri 9-5) or different shifts?
• What kind of flexibility do you need? Maybe you like to avoid peak hours or take some time within your workday for personal matters.

Traveling / Commuting

Do you want to be a nomad, taking planes and moving from place to place, or do you prefer to stay in your city, with or without sporadical trips?

Would you prioritize a workplace that is close to your home, or easy to get there? Is it better for you to work from home, or some shared space near your residence?

Freedom

How do you feel about expressing your ideas, doing things your way, taking your time to figure things out, the tools that you have, and the support when something is not going as expected?

Do you want to have the freedom to make decisions, prioritize topics, "disconnect" to focus on something, and be autonomous?

Or do you prefer to receive the things already analyzed so you can just execute what you are told to?

Are you curious and want to have some time to investigate, analyze and challenge? Or is it better for you to do the things that are already proven to work and avoid trying to invent anything?

What about the level of knowledge and support of your co-workers?
Which level of guidance do you like having?

Retribution

What type of contract do you prefer:

• Freelance, maybe having multiple clients.
• Employee, with some perks and feeling "safer". What perks would you like to have?
• Receiving according to your performance (bonus, commission, etc.).
• Charging your clients by time, goal, etc.

How much would you like to earn? Do you want to have periodical reviews? Who's decision would be to increment your salary or change your benefits?

Some examples

As mentioned earlier, your preferences and desires change over the years. They depend on your situation, priorities, and objectives.

I wish I had read an article like this many years ago. Here are examples of how would my "Dream Job" design be at 3 different moments of my life.

First years

• I want to work in a Big technology company. I want to feel proud when I mention its name. It should be located in the Downtown.
• It should be a safe job, where I'll be for many years, beginning as Trainee and reaching top-level positions.
• I need some flexibility to finish my studies, but I can compensate for the hours or even work overtime if required.
• Training and being up to date are really important, as I want to learn everything I can.
• Whatever they want to pay me is fine. I just want to learn and improve my résumé.

After 5 years

• I want a small consultancy where I'll work for different clients. So more people will know me and I'll have more job offers.
• There should be international projects, involving traveling and knowing different cities. I already participated in some of them and I loved it.
• The environment should be professional but relaxed. I want to get out with my co-workers and have some fun with them.
• I need a lot of flexibility, as I have issues getting up early.
• I just want to be a technical leader, so I will have autonomy and responsibilities in the technical realm, where I feel comfortable. Being a manager is too stressful and they don't earn that much.

After 10 years

• I want to become a freelancer. I'm tired of working overtime without earning anything for that. I already sacrificed much of my life because of the companies. With the new specific skills I developed, I can charge my clients higher.
• I don't want to travel that much. I'd like to find a place and be able to create a routine. I like the idea of having a few trips every year, but just that.
• I like the idea of leading teams and coaching my teammates. I prefer collaborative work, but the rest of the areas should have the same level as ours.
• The office should be close to my home, and I should be able to eventually work from home when I understand it's better for my duties.
• I want to be the person who "sells" the solutions to the clients and establishes a trusting relationship with them, so I can develop some social skills.

Next steps

After some introspection sessions, you will list the relevant things that you want to have or avoid in your job.

Doing this, you will notice that there are more things that you like in your current position than you think.

There will also be some things you can easily (or not so easily) change in your current job. Some others that you can change in the same company, and there will still be characteristics that you can only change by moving to a new company.

More articles are coming to help you decide over the above paragraph. Use the characteristics listed in this article as a guide. And include every other relevant aspect to you, so you can know yourself better and improve your daily life.

Best of luck, and I'll see you soon.