Start a new doc where you will capture everything about your ideal job description divided up into the following eight sections. You might make this a shared google doc and add me (cathryn@bedothrive.com) as a viewer so that I can see it take shape and collaborate on it with you.

Before anything else, copy and paste the eight sections and prompts below into the document, and off the top of your head, section by section, reflect and journal about each section and answer the specific questions. Most clients end up with bullet point lists/sentences under each of the eight section headings. Be expansive, we will edit later.

This is a living document and after each of the upcoming exercises, and after every coaching session, I encourage you to capture what you’ve learned about yourself in this document, organized by section.

Ultimately this document becomes your North Star for brainstorming job ideas with your Personal Board of Directors and during networking meetings, for strategically designing your resumes, for preparing to answer and ask questions at job interviews to get to the key points you care most about, and for consulting when it comes time to make job decisions and negotiate compensation and benefits. No one gets everything they want in a job, but if we don’t know your ideal job components, we’ll just be guessing and hoping, and hope is not a strategy :)

So here are the eight sections - happy journaling!

Ideal Job Description | Eight Sections & Prompts:

1) Favorite Skills: What am I noticing about my favorite skills? What do I do that gives me energy? What comes easily and naturally? What gives me a boost?

2) Favorite Interests & Knowledge Areas: What areas of knowledge do I find myself pursuing without effort? What do I love knowing about and finding out about and learning about?

3) Favorite People Environment: What am I noticing about my favorite people environments? How do people behave with each other in my favorite people environments? How do people behave with me in my favorite people environments? What are the dynamics of the people environments that enable me to perform at my best?

4) Favorite Working Conditions: What am I noticing about the working conditions that enable me to perform at my best? Structural stuff? Working indoors, or outside? Working during the day, or at night? Lots of travel, no travel? Do I perform at my best in an open office setting, or in a cubical or office?

5) Favorite Values: What am I noticing about what I value most? What is most important to me in this life? When do I discover that I’m doing meaningful work?

6) Salary and Level of Responsibility: What kinds of levels of responsibility and accountability enable me to perform at my best? How much money do I need to make? Want to make?

7) Geography: Where do I want to live and work?

8) Hard NOs / Red Flags: What do you know you will not put up with in a job? Even if the job was perfect in every way, what will you no longer spend your life navigating or tolerating at work?