How do you find a job that will make you happy?

If you work full-time, a significant chunk of your week is bound up with your work life. Not only are you engaged eight or more hours a day, but you’re likely to think about things going on at work even when you’re doing other things. So, while your job doesn’t need to be your primary source of life satisfaction, you will be happier overall if your job is one that you find fulfilling. Up front, it is worth pointing out that your ultimate aim should probably be satisfaction at work rather than happiness. Happiness is a momentary state that reflects how you’re doing at that moment. Satisfaction is a mixture of joy and pride that reflects the accumulated benefit of your work over a longer period of time. Happiness and satisfaction are not unrelated. Chances are that if you’re miserable most of the time at work, you also won’t find it that satisfying. But you can have periods of stress or frustration at work and still find it satisfying overall. Think of a marathon runner: The athlete may find significant portions of a race physically uncomfortable, but still have a lot of pride and satisfaction at having completed the effort. So, here are a few things to think about if you’re contemplating a new job: 1. Accentuate the positive Two important factors influence your sense of satisfaction with work. One is that you’re more likely to find work satisfying when you have some agency. That is, you should have some ability to control at least some aspects of the way you work. Being able to select the projects you are doing, the way you allocate your time, or your work hours are all examples of this type of agency. The more you can control some of these factors, the more likely you are to feel good about your work. The second is the fit between the tasks you do and your core personality characteristics. If you have a job that is detail oriented, you’re more likely to find that work engaging and enjoyable if you are high in conscientiousness (and naturally gravitate to the details