Defining your objectives and your purpose to find a job. Now different individuals coming from various backgrounds have different reasons to look for a job. If I talk about myself, initially in 2005, when I started my career, my main objective was to work in an organization where most of my friends are working. After a year or so maybe two years down the line, I realized that I was learning new skills, and I had different opportunities to grow within the organization. So that became my motivation to work towards that goal, and so on. What I'm trying to get across is that they will be different individuals from various backgrounds, with different needs and requirements.

There are individuals who are under a tremendous amount of stress and pressure, because they might be the sole bread earners for that household. Whereas they might be individuals who are just looking for a job to stay connected with their friends, or maybe enhance their social circle. Whatever be the reason, if you're able to identify your objectives at the very beginning, you will be able to look for similar jobs, and hence stay motivated for a longer period. time. So you can imagine the importance this topic has at this stage. In this lecture, I will be sharing with you six questions that you must answer with honesty so that you can understand yourself and start looking for jobs which are aligned with your expectations.

The first question is that what makes you happy? Remember my words that if you are lucky to find a job that makes you happy, you will not have to work for a single day in your life. So I would recommend that you answer this question in a way that you identify all your hobbies, your interests, and especially your passions, so that you start looking for jobs that pay you for it. In fact, ideally, you should have pursued your degree in the same field that makes you happy or you're passionate about and if you have not done that, then my friend, you might be in a lot of trouble. The second question that I would like you to answer with honesty is that what is that you really want? And you can do this by assigning timelines to different things.

For example, instead of waiting for such a question to be asked at the interview, maybe this is the best time to ask yourself, where do you see yourself in five years. So if you want to become maybe an assistant manager, or maybe a manager, you should target a job that will take you to your goal in that specific period of time. What I'm trying to get across is that you should have a bigger picture in mind, or your primary objective should always be there. And all the jobs that you acquire, while you pursue your ultimate goal should be aligned with the bigger picture. So keep that in mind. And try to target and search for jobs which are aligned with everything that you have planned for yourself.

The third question that you will have to ask yourself is that what kind of a job do you like, for example, if you're a people person, then I would recommend that you look for a job that allows you to interact with a lot of people. Whereas if you're a person who likes to concentrate with zero distractions while working, then I would suggest a proper desktop for you. Depending on your personality, try to look for jobs that complement your personality so you can stay in that job role for a decent period of time, at least without getting demoralized. The fourth question is Why do you want a job in the first place? I mentioned earlier as well, that is it that you want to earn money, or maybe enhance your social circle, or probably learn new skills and so on, there can be different reasons for different individuals.

But I would suggest that you jot these down at this stage and I will show you how to target similar jobs as you progress further in the course. The first important question is that whether you want it bad enough or not, the thing is that once you start working, you will be committing at least eight hours a day. And if you include traffic hours, you can make it around 10 hours a day, at least, which will be dedicated for that particular job role and that organization. So you need to understand that all the time and energy that you're committing towards this job. Do you think it is something that you want bad enough? It is important to notice because you will be paying an opportunity cost and you must know what that cost is before you start your job hunting phase.

Then the final question is that whether you are willing to go the extra mile for this job or not, as I mentioned earlier, that if you find a job that makes you happy, you will be able to put in extra hours and extra effort. And this is important at the very start of your career. Because initially you have to put in extra hours and extra effort because other people are doing so as well. So you will have to look for jobs that don't annoy you, and you wake up every morning and look forward to going to office every day. So these are the six questions that I will suggest that you answer with honesty before you start your job hunting phase. And as a result, you will understand yourself and start targeting jobs that are aligned with your future aspirations.