Whether you’re looking for a summer job or getting ready to (gulp) graduate, you can take steps to find a career you’ll love this Valentine’s Day.

“Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.” –Author unknown

You may have heard that quotation before and, if you’re anything like me, had moments when it seemed incredibly annoying. Sure, we’d love to find a job we like and add five days to every week, but thanks, oh fancy-pants quotation writer for stopping at the “find it” part and not actually telling us how to do that and just leaving us to feel incredibly hopeful and frustrated, all at the same time!

Most students don’t have a career passion or don’t know how to describe it in a couple of sentences. Some lucky-duck-beat-the-odds people do, but they’re rare so stop kicking yourself about not knowing what your passion is.

It’s hard to figure out what you love to do because it’s usually little bits and pieces of things here and there and activities you’re doing it all the time, often without realizing it. That’s where a good friend or a career counsellor comes in. Think of them as your own personal paparazzi, listening and capturing information about all the everyday stuff you do that you never thought anyone would be interested in. People like to skip this part of career search, so be brave as you spend some time focusing on YOU.

5 starter steps to finding career “Happily Ever After”

1. Be selfish for a minute – Put aside the “should do” list and your parents’ and friends’ expectations. What would you really love to do? What are you really good at that you love to do?

2. Since you’re likely unreliable (too modest/forgetful) at really knowing what you’re good at, call in reinforcements and ask them what they think. Two heads are better than one. Eight heads are better than two and are also a good excuse to order in pizza.

3. With your reinforcements (and fuelled by giddiness brought on by excessive amounts of cheese), brainstorm a list of work that takes advantage of the things you really love to do and are good at. Don’t ignore the blatantly ridiculous things that your wacky friend Sandeep suggests because there are often kernels of really great ideas there. I know—who would have thought that Sandeep was a career genius?

4. Feed people more bevies to keep the ideas flowing, then check online, in phone books, magazines, newspapers and in your guests’ family trees to develop a list of organizations and people that you could call or write to for more detailed information about the work (this is sometimes called an “information interview”) and to help you “try on” the career ideas you have come up with.

5. Consider volunteering, going after a summer job, or applying for contract jobs that get you close to the most appealing and realistic choices on your dream job list. Keep refining as you go along through your school year, summers and the early stages of your career. Career romance is a process that will evolve and change as you do.

If it sounds simple, it’s normally not. But it IS possible to increase your odds of finding dream work. So, before you start trolling another job search site, take some time to investigate what makes you career giddy. Then, you’ll be able to describe clearly what you are looking for…and maybe even find the mythical, magical career “happily ever after” and ride off into the sunset with your dream job.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Christine Fader works as a career counsellor at Queen’s University and is the author of “Career Cupid: Your Guide to Landing and Loving Your Dream Job.”

To read a sample excerpt from the book, click here. “Career Cupid: Your Guide to Landing and Loving Your Dream Job” is available in bookstores and online at Amazon.ca and Chapters Indigo.