The job market has recovered from its early 2000 slump, and studies show that this is the tightest job market in years. A recent Harris Interactive survey of hiring managers and HR professionals has determined that 40% are planning to add full-time, permanent employees next year, and 81% expect to increase existing salaries.



This could be the best time in years for employees to leave unwanted jobs without the prospect of advancement or future. However, finding a more fulfilling position in an industry of interest might seem an overwhelming challenge to some individuals. This is a problem that experts find could be remedied by comprehensive personality testing at the outset of a job hunt to find hidden strengths and desires.

"People get ahead by doing their best work," said Sharon Birkman-Fink, CEO, Birkman International, creators of the Birkman Method(R) for personality assessment. "We help people figure out what sectors and in what positions they will thrive in, and give them the insights they need to make changes."

Often, people find themselves trying to do the same job over and over again because it is comfortable. They make the same mistakes and trap themselves in dead-end positions, watching peers climb the ranks in careers that provide for advancement.

"The right assessment helps people quit the jobs they are barely tolerating and transition into more fulfilling career paths that better fit their core personality features," said Birkman-Fink. "They are more likely to perform to their true potential once they find careers and positions that are more aligned with their interests and work-styles."

Underemployment occurs in many ways. People may choose to take jobs that meet their day-to-day needs, thinking that will be able to focus on higher aspirations in their free time. People may also take the first available job during a job search, or the job that pays the most money.

"The Birkman Method(R) provides information. Decisions are ours to take. They are our lives after all; it is our destiny and our duty to make the very best of them that we can. The more information we have, the more educated we are about ourselves, the better able we should be to make decisions that are right for us and which lead to fulfillment," said Anthony Broadhead, of Careerfoundations of London, UK.

Salary is only one factor should be taken into consideration when it comes to job hunting, according to Birkman-Fink. Four other factors contribute heavily to reported job fit, feelings of career satisfaction and happiness in work-related relationships:

1. Personal Interests - the opportunity for an individual to have many
job experiences that energize them.
2. Situational Requisites - the opportunity for an individual to work
within a context that enables productivity and satisfaction.
3. Behavioral Style Alignment - the organization supports the
individual's personal approach to relationship and task
accomplishments.
4. Organizational Alignment - the individual is closely matched to the
organization's style of accomplishing organizational goals.

"You will absolutely know it when you have found the job that fits you," said Birkman-Fink. "We put understanding back into the equation."