People want better jobs for a lot of different reasons, like more money, the chance to move up, better hours, better benefits, the ability to work from home, a healthier environment, and a boss who helps them. There are also a lot of different ways to get a job that gives you what you want in your career.
You should have a job where you are valued, helped, and pushed. Here are some things you can do to improve your job prospects.
How to get a better job.
Nobody wants to be stuck in a job they don’t like. If you don’t like the job you do for eight or more hours a day, it will have a big effect on your happiness and health as a whole. To get your dream job (or just a job you like more than the one you have now), it helps to know what you want, but it helps even more to know what you don’t want.
Make a list of what you want to find in a new job, like good pay and a boss who understands and respects your role as a caregiver for your elderly mother, and what you want to leave behind for good (toxic coworkers and a culture of overwork, perhaps). You might want to stay in the field you’re in now, or you might want to try something new.
The first step in finding a job you like more than the one you have now is to figure out what you can’t do without. From there, you could find a mentor who can point you in the right direction, look for career counseling services (some of which are free! ), or start the process of changing careers.
Check out our guide once you know what you want in a new job: How to Get a Job You Really Like (No Really)
Once you know what you want and what you don’t want in a new job, be honest about it during the interview process. Here’s more about that.
How to get a better-paying job
We all need to pay our bills, and we all deserve to be paid well for the work we do. But women are always paid less than men, and we rarely ask for more.
There are two things you can do to make more money.
1. Ask for a raise at the job you already have.
You’ll need to figure out what a good salary for your job is before you can ask for it. Even if your current salary is at the top of the range for people with your job and experience, you can still ask for a raise.
In our guide on how to ask for a raise, we explain how to negotiate a higher salary. And when you ask for a raise is just as important as how you do it.
2. Try to find a different job that pays more.
If your boss won’t give you a raise, you might have to look for a job somewhere else. When you’re looking for a job on a job board, filter your search results by the minimum salary you’re willing to take. Come to the interview ready to talk about your professional accomplishments in terms of hard numbers, and add a lot of numbers that show your accomplishments to your resume to make it stronger. Read reviews of companies to find out which ones get the best marks for salary satisfaction.
There’s no one right time to talk about salary during an interview, but if pay is a deal-breaker for you, you might want to talk about it sooner rather than later so you don’t waste your time. And when it’s time to respond to that job offer, check out our guides on How to Negotiate Your Salary (For Career Newbies and Industry Vets) and How to Counter a Job Offer and Get What You Want.
How about a change of job?
You might decide that changing careers is the best way to get a better job. It is possible, and you don’t have to go back to school full-time to do it. You could take coding classes online or continue your education at a local university or community college (many offer online or night classes). You could also look into training or professional development opportunities at your current company, but that’s not always necessary. What’s most important is to show off those skills that can be used in different situations.
How to get a job where you can move up
If you get a better job, you might be able to move up in the company. If you’ve been working at the same company for a few years and have made a real difference, but you’re not getting a raise or more responsibility, you might want to talk to your boss or even quit.
You can go to your current boss and ask for a raise by talking about what you’ve done well and why you deserve it, or you can look elsewhere. If you want to know if a new job will help you grow, you should be honest about it in the interview.
Instead of asking, “Will you give me a chance to grow?” Ask, “What will you do to help me get better?”
To find out more about the chance for growth, you could also:
- Where do you think this person might be a year from now? What’s that?
- Who held this position the last time? What happened to them?
- I want to make sure that my next job gives me a chance to move up in the company. How many of your workers get promotions?
- What are some examples of opportunities for professional growth, training, or learning that you offer here?
- Can you tell me about people who have moved up and what they did?
- Do you know exactly what you need to do to get a promotion?
How to find a job with flexible hours or one that you can do from home
If you need to be able to set your own hours or work from home to get a better job, it’s best to say so right away. The good news is that this kind of work arrangement is becoming more and more common.
You can talk to your current boss about it, and you could even suggest a trial period or a slow shift to full-time remote work or flexible hours.
Most job search sites let you narrow your results by flextime or work-from-home options. However, even if a job doesn’t list flextime or work-from-home options, you can still ask for them as part of your hiring package.
How to get a job where you work with better people
Let’s face it: if you like the people you work with, work is a lot more fun. If you feel like you always have to be careful around toxic coworkers or that you’re being treated unfairly, your overall job satisfaction will drop by a lot. So, how do you find all the great people to work with?
During the interview, you should ask for examples of how the company works. Ask the company how they make sure the culture is healthy and helpful. Ask how they make sure their workers use their paid time off, and even ask how much PTO their workers actually take.
Ask the person interviewing you what types of people do well at the company and what types don’t do as well.
Ask to talk to people who might work with you. If they say no or say you can only talk to them with their boss there, that could be a red flag. Ask those potential coworkers if they feel comfortable talking to management about problems, taking time off, and being able to “turn off” work when they get home. Do they feel like people need their time? Are the goals clear? How often do people switch jobs? How do they feel about the management?
Read reviews of the company to find out what other employees have to say about the way the company works.
