A new year is freshly upon us, and there’s no time like the present to hop on this exciting and enthusiastic bandwagon to find a job you actually love. But sometimes, if we’re desperate to find a new position (and if the grass is always greener on the other side), we end up searching for something else – anything else. But just because a job is new and different doesn’t mean it’s the right job. So, to find a job you’re really excited about, listen to what career coach, Katie Stricker, has to say. If you’re looking to find a job you’re excited about, scroll down and read more below.

Stricker says to start your job search by first looking within and reflecting a little bit. Take this quiet time to consider any and all past experiences. This can include education, internships, volunteering and of course, job experience.

Then, take a lined sheet of paper and list all of these experiences on left side of the paper. Then, to the right, create two columns. One column should be for what you loved about that experience. The third column is for everything you didn’t love about it.

By putting it out on paper like this, you gain a clear and objective viewpoint of all your relevant past experiences, and that helps you identify what you actually enjoy and excel at. What’s more, it places an emphasis on the experience and not just the job title.

As Stricker puts it, “You’re essentially starting to write your job description”, and once you know your ideal job, you’ll have a better idea of what to look for when you start job hunting.