Job Therapy: Finding Work That Works for You

When we think about changing jobs, we turn to traditional career advice that focuses on skills, qualifications, and interviewing techniques. We tend to ask ourselves, “Do I want to move from a full-time to a part-time job? Do I want to leave my company and start my own business?” But this line of thinking doesn’t get to the heart of the problem―why you’ve been so unhappy at work in the first place. What if, instead, we asked ourselves a different question: “What psychological needs aren’t being met now that need to be met in my next job?”

In Job Therapy, Dr. Tessa West helps you turn inwards to identify the psychological reasons why you are unsatisfied, whether you’re having an identity crisis at work, your job has changed so dramatically you don’t recognise it anymore, or you aren’t receiving recognition for your contribution.

Whether you’ve only just entered the workplace or considering your final move, Job Therapy will help you identify and land your best role yet, one that’s deeply rooted in a clear sense of self.

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About the Author

Tessa West is an Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University. A leading expert on interpersonal interaction and communication, and quantitative analysis and statistics, her work has been covered in the New York Times, The Guardian, the WSJ, TIME, the Huffington Post and The Globe and Mail.

Her experiences as a rising leader in the world of academia - often as the only woman, and youngest person in the role by a magnitude of decades - have given her a unique perspective on jerks at work. She regularly gives talks to global organisations including Capital One, KPMG, Gilead and Pfizer, to help employees improve their relationships.