How to - get a job you love

'Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined,' - Johnny Carson, television presenter. Gwen Cheeseman helps you get happy.

Know what you want - if you are feeling unhappy in your current job, make sure you analyse why. Is it you, or is it your job? Quite often, the more you put into a job, the more you get out of it. Make sure you're 'giving your job a chance'. If you know you are, yet you're not getting satisfaction or feeling any reward, then it's probably time to move on and find something you'll really enjoy. Make a list of 10 things you want out of another job, and look around for what fits.

Choose your career - if you know you're not happy in your current role and are sure you want to try something new, it's a good idea to work out which industry or role will be good for you. The best way to do this is to write down all the best aspects of the jobs you've had so far. Then look for a role that covers these aspects.

The grass isn't always greener - it's easy to fantasise about landing a job in your dream industry, but you must take a reality check first. It may be that your vision of what the industry is like doesn't quite tally with what it's really like. This is where some research comes in. If you have any friends working in the sector you're keen to break into, talk to them. Find out what their working day is like, ask them about salary (but be aware this is a sensitive question and don't push them), and whether they'd recommend a career in this area. If most of what they say is positive, then you know it may be worth pursuing. If you don't know anyone in the industry, do some research on the Internet, look at books, newspapers and magazines, and find profiles of people working in a role you're interested in.

Make sure there's room to grow - make sure you're not backing yourself into a corner if you take a new job. Presumably the industry you want to be in is the one you'd like to forge your career in - so make sure you will have the opportunity to do that. And don't forget you may have to start a little lower down the career ladder than you'd like, and work up. So don't be afraid to take what's offered, if you're sure you want to take that career path.

Can you afford it? - sometimes, as well as taking a role which may be less senior than you're used to, you will have to take a pay cut. This is something you really need to think about. Work out your finances first - don't accept anything which may leave you struggling to make ends meet. If you know approximately how much the job you are after will pay, then you can work out if it's a viable option. You can always save for a few months, then try to move on later.

It's not always perfect - so once you've landed your dream job, if it's not as great as you thought, remember that every job you ever do counts as experience. Learn from it, put in all you can, and if it still isn't working for you, don't be afraid to try again and make a different choice.