rfect boss who is dying to have you work on interesting projects and promote you at every opportunity. Think about the colleagues you're working with and how you might realistically interact with them at networking events. Can you see yourself bowling with them, or perhaps having each other's families over for dinner? Visualize yourself in the office kitchen at 3pm in the afternoon singing "Happy Birthday" with your colleagues. Who do you want to be singing with? Imagining your ideal job in great detail puts your intention What do you do when you're looking for a potential mate? Go to the gym, go out on dates, go places you like. Ask around to see who's still single or newly single. Think about the time and energy you devote to dating, which if successful, will comprise maybe 20% of your waking hours. Now think about your career. You probably spend about 50% of your waking hours at your desk, commuting, or traveling for work.

When we're dating, we're very specific and choosy about whom we'll spend 20% of our time with. Yet often times, we settle for the first job that comes along that meets very little of our criteria, often money. Would you be willing to spend the next three to five years with a mate just because you had one nice meal? Of course not. But that's exactly what we do when we're deciding on our next job – we have a couple of great interviews and the money's good, so we agree to join the company and then stay until a better one comes along. Where's the passion in this picture? I say, it's time to have a love affair with your next job!

The good news is that this is easier than you think. Just remember what AFFAIR stands for:

• A -- Admiration -- Love Your Work
• FF -- Faking Fails -- If You Fake Who You Are, You'll Be Miserable in Your Next Job
• A -- Acceptance -- What Are You Willing to Compromise?
• I -- Intermingling -- Interviewing Not Just Any Company, But the Cream of the Crop Companies
• R -- Reward -- A Job You Love and Pays the Bills

ADMIRATION. We often have an idea of what our ideal mate looks like. Hair texture and color, eye color, physique, the sound of his or her voice. Likewise, this is the first step to take when you search for your next job. That's why magazines often promote the top companies to work for -- these are companies that people admire. What kind of employer do you admire? Think about the job environment. Do you want to aspire to a window office, or do you prefer open environments where everyone's equally accessible?

Think about the perfect boss who is dying to have you work on interesting projects and promote you at every opportunity. Think about the colleagues you're working with and how you might realistically interact with them at networking events. Can you see yourself bowling with them, or perhaps having each other's families over for dinner? Visualize yourself in the office kitchen at 3pm in the afternoon singing "Happy Birthday" with your colleagues. Who do you want to be singing with? Imagining your ideal job in great detail puts your intention i

we settle for the first job that comes along that meets very little of our criteria, often money. Would you be willing to spend the next three to five years with a mate just because you had one nice meal? Of course not. But that's exactly what we do when we're deciding on our next job – we have a couple of great interviews and the money's good, so we agree to join the company and then stay until a better one comes along. Where's the passion in this picture? I say, it's time to have a love affair with your next job!

The good news is that this is easier than you think. Just remember what AFFAIR stands for:

• A -- Admiration -- Love Your Work
• FF -- Faking Fails -- If You Fake Who You Are, You'll Be Miserable in Your Next Job
• A -- Acceptance -- What Are You Willing to Compromise?
• I -- Intermingling -- Interviewing Not Just Any Company, But the Cream of the Crop Companies
• R -- Reward -- A Job You Love and Pays the Bills

ADMIRATION. We often have an idea of what our ideal mate looks like. Hair texture and color, eye color, physique, the sound of his or her voice. Likewise, this is the first step to take when you search for your next job. That's why magazines often promote the top companies to work for -- these are companies that people admire. What kind of employer do you admire? Think about the job environment. Do you want to aspire to a window office, or do you prefer open environments where everyone's equally accessible?

Think about the perfect boss who is dying to have you work on interesting projects and promote you at every opportunity. Think about the colleagues you're working with and how you might realistically interact with them at networking events. Can you see yourself bowling with them, or perhaps having each other's families over for dinner? Visualize yourself in the office kitchen at 3pm in the afternoon singing "Happy Birthday" with your colleagues. Who do you want to be singing with? Imagining your ideal job in great detail puts your intention

he good news is that this is easier than you think. Just remember what AFFAIR stands for:

• A -- Admiration -- Love Your Work
• FF -- Faking Fails -- If You Fake Who You Are, You'll Be Miserable in Your Next Job
• A -- Acceptance -- What Are You Willing to Compromise?
• I -- Intermingling -- Interviewing Not Just Any Company, But the Cream of the Crop Companies
• R -- Reward -- A Job You Love and Pays the Bills

ADMIRATION. We often have an idea of what our ideal mate looks like. Hair texture and color, eye color, physique, the sound of his or her voice. Likewise, this is the first step to take when you search for your next job. That's why magazines often promote the top companies to work for -- these are companies that people admire. What kind of employer do you admire? Think about the job environment. Do you want to aspire to a window office, or do you prefer open environments where everyone's equally accessible?

Think about the perfect boss who is dying to have you work on interesting projects and promote you at every opportunity. Think about the colleagues you're working with and how you might realistically interact with them at networking events. Can you see yourself bowling with them, or perhaps having each other's families over for dinner? Visualize yourself in the office kitchen at 3pm in the afternoon singing "Happy Birthday" with your colleagues. Who do you want to be singing with? Imagining your ideal job in great detail puts your intention

> We often have an idea of what our ideal mate looks like. Hair texture and color, eye color, physique, the sound of his or her voice. Likewise, this is the first step to take when you search for your next job. That's why magazines often promote the top companies to work for -- these are companies that people admire. What kind of employer do you admire? Think about the job environment. Do you want to aspire to a window office, or do you prefer open environments where everyone's equally accessible?

Think about the perfect boss who is dying to have you work on interesting projects and promote you at every opportunity. Think about the colleagues you're working with and how you might realistically interact with them at networking events. Can you see yourself bowling with them, or perhaps having each other's families over for dinner? Visualize yourself in the office kitchen at 3pm in the afternoon singing "Happy Birthday" with your colleagues. Who do you want to be singing with? Imagining your ideal job in great detail puts your intention

rfect boss who is dying to have you work on interesting projects and promote you at every opportunity. Think about the colleagues you're working with and how you might realistically interact with them at networking events. Can you see yourself bowling with them, or perhaps having each other's families over for dinner? Visualize yourself in the office kitchen at 3pm in the afternoon singing "Happy Birthday" with your colleagues. Who do you want to be singing with? Imagining your ideal job in great detail puts your intention into motion.

FAKING FAILS. Be yourself – otherwise once you get the job you'll just have to keep on faking. Have you heard of anyone who sent out over 200 resumes in their job search? Are you one of them? As in dating, it is highly unattractive to solicit yourself to every available employer and then call for days on end asking if they love you and want to marry you, figuratively speaking. Be a little choosy here. Employers want to know you're a good catch. How can you be selective?

Well, you can reach out to your friends, family, and trusted colleagues. Have a hobby you love? Join a group. Volunteer for a cause you believe in. Join networking groups in your area of expertise and volunteer for those activities that sound fun, even if they add a bit more time to your schedule. The key here is to do only those things that you absolutely love. If you're joining just to get noticed, you've missed the point. Just as in dating, you're more likely to meet your potential mate, or employer, when you're simply being yourself and having fun!

ACCEPTANCE. Now here's the kicker. Be willing to accept less than perfection. I know, this goes against the first "A for Admiration" in designing your ideal employer. But really, do you know of anyone who has the perfect significant other? With dating, you can love someone and be willing to compromise on shortcomings. It's the same with a potential employer. Know your core values and beliefs so that you're clear in your interviews what you must have and what you're willing to let slide.

Let's say you're interviewing to work in an advertising agency and you're a creative person who loves flexibility and wants a boss who provides lots of autonomy but is accessible for brainstorming when you're in a rut. Let's say you crave open space with ping pong tables and dart boards in a creative war room environment. But let's say that this agency's clients are predominantly traditional corporations with organizational hierarchies, long approval processes, micromanagement of details, and slow to act.

Are you willing to a