Finding their dream job eluded the overwhelming majority of 17,363 respondents who completed a survey on a website for job hunters.  Only 5% (811 people) reported that they have their dream jobs. D. A. Smith, President of RDG Careers, the career management company that sponsored the poll, said that to find a dream job, workers must start by identifying what they enjoy doing most.

“A staggering percentage of people settle for positions that pay the bills, but leave them emotionally unfulfilled,” said Smith. “Many people simply don’t know what they really want to do. It takes imagination and a strategic game plan to find your dream job.”

Dreading going to work is one of the most obvious signs that a position isn’t a match. Feeling totally overworked, bored or unmotivated are additional signals that it’s time to look for something better.

Smith, whose company has helped clients around Toronto, across Canada and globally, offers the following tips for identifying your dream job.

• Take a personality test. Determine which fields you may have a natural affinity for.
• Draw upon your happiest childhood memories. If those experiences share something in common, such as being in nature, that could point to a job outdoors.
• Fall back on your education. Most people majored in topics that appealed to them.
• Turn to your hobbies. Identify what you love about them, then find a position that incorporates those qualities.
• Search want ads for interesting job titles. Look for common patterns and themes, then search for something that incorporates those elements and fits your background.
• Ask friends and family. What do the people who know you best think you would enjoy doing and be good at?
• Get involved. Join groups, go to meetings and participate in organizations that revolve around your interests.
• Consider compromising on salary. It may pay off in the long run to get a foot in the door at a job you’ll love.
• Don’t give up. Take intermediary steps that will move you closer to your long-term career goal.