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Perhaps you once loved the job and now your enthusiasm has waned, perhaps you are realizing that the position is different than you imagined, or maybe you never even liked it in the first place. Either way, this is what to do if your 9-5 is more pain than pleasure:

See the Bright Side and Challenge Yourself

Even though you don’t love your job, it can’t be all bad. To get yourself through the day, focus on the aspects that you do enjoy about the experience. Perhaps you are good friends with a couple of your co-workers, you get employee perks, or you just love the free donuts in the break room. Pick out the things that you do enjoy and savor them, while trying not to focus on the bad. Another way to get yourself excited about getting up in the morning is to challenge yourself more. Perhaps you hate your job mostly because you feel bored and uninspired? Is there a new project you can take on or a new skill you can learn that will get you interested again?

Make a Plan to Get Out

The recently deceased founder of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs, once said, “When you wake up and you look in the mirror, ask yourself, do I really want to do what I’m about to do today? And if the answer is no too many times in a row, then you’ve got to change and do something because life is short!” If you truly hate your job, it’s time to make a plan to change your situation and do something different. Think about what your ideal work environment would be, and start to make a plan to transition from your current job to one that will make you happier.

Use It for Your Own Goals

Now that you have decided to transition out of your unsuitable job into a better one, don’t quit right away. It is much easier to find a new job while you are still employed, and continuing to work while you job search will eliminate any financial pressure so that you can take the time to find the job you really want. You can also use your job to achieve your new goals, such as switching to night shifts so that you can work while going back to university or taking employee training courses that will help you get your new position. Be discrete though, and don’t get caught printing out copies of your resume on the company computer!

Don’t Burn Your Bridges

When you finally get that new position and are ready to leave your despised job, you might be tempted to walk right up to your boss and finally unload that tirade of frustration that you have kept festering for so long. Don’t. Not only is this truly immature and unprofessional, but word gets around and you never know if your new employer might call your old boss for a reference. Always leave on good terms and be respectful.

Dealing with a job that you hate is not a fun experience, but don’t let it ruin your life.

Life is too short to spend 40 hours feeling miserable every week, so take action and do something about it!

What’s your worst boss story? Please share!

If you are applying for your dream job, it is definitely worth it to take the time and make sure that your resume is the absolute best it could be. Your resume is the first impression that your potential employer will have of you, and you want it to knock their socks off so that they have no choice but to invite you for an interview! Writing a killer resume that gets you in the door at your dream position is challenging, but completely worth the extra effort. 

Did you know that the techniques that fiction writers use to make a story more realistic can also be used to improve your resume? If you were writing a fiction story, you would want the reader to envision the scene that you were describing in strong and palpable detail. You would use powerful words and concrete descriptions to create this image in their head. This is no different than crafting a resume, as your goal is to make your potential employer create an image in their mind of you doing the job well. You can evoke this by using powerful words and concrete details.

Powerful Words

When you are describing your accomplishments on your resume, stay away from stale, passive and cliché words and use “action” words instead. For example, saying that you were “responsible for increasing productivity in the group” is quite boring and doesn’t really say much about what you did. Use a powerful word like “Led” or “Directed” or “Accelerated” to show that you took control of the group. Then, explain exactly why the group was more productive when you were finished with them. Did you motivate them, develop a new organization strategy, or set direct goals and a plan to achieve them? Your final statement will end up saying something like “Accelerated group productivity by creating efficient methods of organization and time management.” That sounds much more dynamic, doesn’t it?

Concrete Details

To truly persuade your potential employer, use concrete details to make your achievements seem more real. Use actual specific numbers to show what you have done. For example, “Managed a profitable department” doesn’t sound nearly as good as “Managed a marketing department of 100 employees at XYZ Industries which grew profits by 56% in 2011.” Instead of just saying that you graduated from your University with a Bachelor of Science, boast about your 3.8 GPA and your $1200 in scholarships. Use stats, numbers, figures and specific achievements to highlight exactly how amazing you are. 

Using strong, active language and concrete facts and numbers will really make your achievements jump off the page. Writing your resume with these tips in mind will help you impress your potential employer and snag that ultimate job of your dreams!

Perhaps you dream of renting a tiny cheap apartment in the Marais district of Paris and spending your days strolling along the Seine, sipping coffee in quaint cafes, and reading poetry in the Jardin de Luxembourg?

Or maybe you have always wanted to go hiking in Peru, and watch the sunrise over the holy ancient ruins of Macchu Picu?

Do you fancy the idea of living for a season in a small beachside town on Australia’s Gold Coast, learning to surf and staying up to watch the stars? Or perhaps you want to trace the genealogy of your ancestors back to a tiny village in England?

However, whenever you think of taking a month or two or several to pursue one of these experiences, you ultimately freeze up with dread at the thought of quitting your job and having to find another one when you return.

Ultimately, many people will give up their dreams of traveling the earth and discovering its many wonders because they are afraid that taking six months or a year off from work will permanently damage their career prospects. They fear that if they wander off the career path for too long, their goals will not be achievable when they return. They are terrified that the empty gap of unemployment or unrelated work abroad will stain their resume and banish them from future jobs forever.

The answer is: It won’t.

If you are good at what you do and have a good work ethic, you will always be able to find work in the career field you choose once you return from your worldly adventures. In fact, travelling will actually be an asset to your resume for many reasons!

Why Traveling Looks Great on a Resume

• Going abroad requires planning, organization, and confidence, and the fact that you have been on an adventure of your own overseas will demonstrate this to a potential employer.
• Doing something interesting with your travels, such as volunteering, working abroad, or visiting somewhere out of the ordinary, will make you stand out from the other applicants and provide an interesting conversation starter in an interview.
• Experience interacting with other cultures can be a huge advantage in many jobs, especially when you are dealing with the public.
• If you go on a working holiday or international internship, you can demonstrate that you have experience working in your field in another country, demonstrating adaptability.

The truth is that if traveling is your true dream and passion, it is absolutely worth it to go for it! You don’t need to worry about your career, because you can always pick up where you left off when you return, with a whole new set of skills and experiences from your travels to draw on that will make you better at what you do. Don’t let your job get in the way of following your dreams!