You’re traveling the world, you have a great relationship with your boss, and every payday you’re handed bags of money. All of a sudden there’s a loud irritating buzz and you realize you’ve hit the snooze button one too many times. You wake up and now you’re late for the job you dread going to.
Sound familiar? It doesn’t have to. True, many grads have the stress of paying off student debts once school is over, but you shouldn’t necessarily take the first job that’s offered to you, especially if it won’t make you happy. Take the time to reassess your career goals and you may hit gold the first time around.
You don’t need to meditate or light any candles to make sure you know what you want to do. Alan Kearns, career coach and founder of CareerJoy.com, says getting a clearer idea of a potential job is as easy as flipping through your past. “Look at the history of your life. What have you been drawn to?” asks Kearns. “Know your talents and values. Ask yourself what makes you tick and what you do well or what you enjoy doing.”
Career compatibility tests are also an option. Just don’t assume that all tests are created equal. Most coaches interviewed agree tests should be chosen carefully and results should be taken with a grain of salt. “Some tests are effective—but you need an assessment that evaluates your talent and personality," Kearns says. "Spend some time with an expert who can help you asses your tools and talk about what test results means relative to you and what careers they can pursue."
Once you've identified a career you think you'd like, or a company you'd like to work for, do your homework. Research is key. Make calls. Set up informational interviews with companies and take tours if you can. Visit company websites. The idea is to get as much background information about a career or company as possible, not only so you can have a basic idea of what their values are and what they expect in terms of a work ethic, but because research can also help you improve your performance in an interview.
“More than half of professionals don’t enjoy what they do,”says Kearns.“You want to enjoy your work since unhappiness there has been attributed to poor quality in health and relationships.”
“Research different jobs, read profiles of interesting people, study job ads and job boards, join online social network groups,” career coach Elizabeth Lengyel says. “After three to four weeks, review everything in your portfolio. What appeals to you specifically about these jobs? Write it down. Highlight those jobs that remain appealing and strike the others from your list.”
And don't forget to talk to other people. Tell your friends, family, coworkers that you like a particular field and see if they can put you in touch with someone who can give you information about it, advises Colleen Clarke, a career consultant, author and corporate trainer. “Ask for help, ideas, assistance, support from every adult they know and network with friends' parents, teachers and neighbors,” Clarke says. "Networking is an automatic referral and there is often no competition to contend with."

Elizabeth Freedman, author of Work 101, compares finding a good job to finding a good pair of jeans: “They can look good on the rack but you won’t know what they fit like until you go to the change room. Until you really try something, you don’t know. You might like a job, you might not and if you don’t then at least you learn from that experience.”
And there's nothing more eye-opening than actually doing the job you're interested in to see if it fits.  Interning is a great way to determine that fit. Do it through school or on your own — either way you gain experience. If you end up liking what you're doing, you've got valuable experience that will give you an in, either with the company you're interning with or somewhere else.
All of the above may seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth it. After all, this is your career and a large chunk of your life that you'll be investing in, so why not get it right? Who knows, maybe your dream will come true!
Still need help? There are a few quizzes out there that're useful to assess career compatibility.

• Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS): developed to help mainly high school and college students with educational and career planning. This assessment measures vocational interests and takes less than one hour to complete. In turn, you receive a highly detailed report, providing a comparison of your similarity to college students in specific majors.
• StrengthsFinder Profile: This assessment takes less than 30 minutes to complete. You receive results describing your five signature strengths.
• Campbell Interest and Skill Survey: This assessment measures interests and skills and takes less than one hour to complete. You receive comprehensive results covering nearly 60 occupations.
• Birkman Profile: The profile identifies an individual's work interests, natural operating style and needs from others. The three part questionnaire takes about an hour to complete and generates a personal assessment of more than 40 pages. Tests and results are delivered and interpreted by a certified consultant.

Good luck! jp