It was one of those reality TV shows where a woman gets a complete makeover including wardrobe, makeup, hairdo, even plastic surgery. Jennifer sat transfixed as she watched, and was astounded by the final results. As the show ended she said to herself, "That's what I need at work. I need a career makeover!"

Ever feel that way? Ever feel like you're in the wrong job at the wrong company? Surveys show that over half of all workers do. Most people never do anything more than complain about it. They don't know the secret, but I'd like to share it with you.

What's the secret?
The secret to finding the right job is this: take the first step.

Most people want to know what the perfect job is, and ALL the steps leading to it, before they'll budge. In the real world, it almost never works that way. The way it really works is you take one step, and when the second step is clear, you take it, and then the next, and the next until you land in your dream job.

Tom is a good example. His passion was to produce and direct snowboarding videos. That's a far cry for his real job of delivering pizzas and trying to keep the wolf from the door. He took the first step and enrolled at a community college to learn about video production. When that was over he took the next step; he got a job at a ski lodge, and on his off hours he used a handheld camera to shoot video of snowboarders doing tricks. Next he edited the video, packaged it, and sold it back to the snowboarders on the tape. They shared it with their friends, one of which was a producer for a major cable network. The producer contacted Tom and offered him a position as a cameraman and editor. The next step was directing, and now Tom is a producer. The moral of the story is that you can almost never see how you're going to reach your dream job when you take the first step. There's no accounting for serendipity.

What's your first step?
How about getting in touch with what you find motivating and satisfying. The fastest way to do that is with a good career assessment. This is the most cost-effective, comprehensive way to discover what drives you.

The end of this story: The secret to finding your dream job is taking the first step.

Article by Henry Neils, President and Founder of Assessment.com, the leading online career assessment company focused on helping employees and employers work together for their mutual benefit. Millions of people have gained personal insight into their careers by using the tools, such as MAPP™ (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential), provided at Assessment.com."