Clarity comes after some hard work.

Do you love your job? As a previous interviewee said in this blog, “You’re a success in life when you look forward to going to work in the morning as much as you look forward to going home in the evening. And if either of those two scenarios don’t apply, you should do something about it.”

So, I’ll ask again: do you really love your job?

Here’s the deal: life is way too short for you to spend another year at a job that you’re not passionate about. Frankly, it’s too short for you to spend another day at a job you’re not passionate about, but I don’t know anyone that can help you get a new job in one day.

I want to share with you the three secrets to finding the best job for you in the nonprofit sector. Because each tip requires you take some significant time to respond to each question, I’ve broken this up into 3 different posts over the course of 3 weeks.

This list is for anyone looking to connect with a local, national, or international charity. And it can be used by any job seeker, regardless of prior experiences. By taking the time to answer these questions, you’ll zero in on the types of jobs that are best for you.

Secret #1: You have to know what you’re looking for.

When people ask you what you want to do, do you have an answer? More importantly, do you have a clear answer? Here’s how you know it’s really clear: your listener says, “Oh, I know someone who could help you with that.”

At several points in my career, I have had to answer the question, “What do you want to do?” And my answer was an uncomfortable, “I don’t really know.” In some cases, I knew the answer but wasn’t brave enough to say it aloud. In other cases, the nonprofit world seemed so big that I wasn’t sure what to choose because I always felt like I’d be missing out on something else. Through a lot of personal struggle, I’ve always been able to find the next job that aligned with my career at the time.

These questions will help you get over that uncomfortable hump much faster. Find your next job by answering these these questions:

• What causes are you passionate about or interested in being part of?
• What size of organization do you work best in? Really small, small, medium-sized, large, super large?
• What stage of organizational development is the best environment for you? Stable, start up, innovative, traditional, growing, transitioning, merging, or a combination of these?
• At which roles and at what level are you looking?
• How has your experience positioned you for this role?
• What are your salary expectations and needs?
• What do you hope to learn from your new role, manager, and organization?
• What are the values that you bring to a workplace and which values must be shared by you and the organization?
• How will your new career align with the vision you have for your life?

Clearly these questions go way beyond what most hiring managers and those you network with are going to ask you. If you’re looking for a career that you can be involved with for a long time, grow in, and feel fulfilled, all of these questions need to be aligned with what you truly want. Don’t answer these based on what your parents would say, or what your significant other might want you to say, or even what your mentor thinks is best.

My guess is that this is a longer list than you’ve seen before. It is much more thorough and captures what you need to share with others, but also dives more deeply into what makes your heart sing. You deserve it.