Tired of your professional career? Do you finally want to make a change for the better? If so, why not start the year by finding your dream job? Although there are a lot of cliches attached to the term ‘dream job’, it doesn’t mean it’s out of your reach.
Finding the perfect job is about matching your interests, preferences and skills as accurately as possible to your scope and place of work. Below are a few steps that will help you to determine, find and land your dream job.
Step 1 – What are your strengths?
Create a list of favourable skills and characteristics – be it your ability to work in a team, your organisational skills or your creative ability. Do also take a look at your last performance review to see what your manager said about your professional and personal strengths. Knowing what you are good at is not only useful for finding your dream job, but is also something that will come up in your next job interview. Without showing off, it’s ok to be confident about your strengths.
Step 2 – What do you enjoy doing?
It might seem like a very ordinary question, but it is quite fundamental when determining your dream job. Don’t just refer to the tasks you have performed in your previous roles, but do also include things that you might only do in your free time, such as photography or travelling. In order to avoid a job that you are not satisfied with, it’s important to know the things you really enjoy doing more of.
Step 3 – Where do you want to work?
Finding that ideal position, you have to look beyond the actual role. After all, you need to remember that you are working with people. Ask yourself whether you prefer a startup or corporate environment – or feel more comfortable with something in between. Getting the best out of your own performance, you need to put yourself in an environment that lets you bloom.
Step 4 – Get your pitch ready
Once you have successfully determined your own preferences and strengths, you need to work on communicating them to potential employers. Turn your attention to your CV and cover letter, and work in all the necessary details. Many job-seekers often make a mistake writing their CVs in a way that will eventually haunt them later. If the scope of work in your previous roles included tasks you really didn’t like, then you shouldn’t highlight them in your CV or cover letter.
Step 5 – Get networking
Before sending out your CV like Christmas cards, you need to take a closer look at the industry. No matter if you are switching careers or company – activate your professional network and start attending industry events to find out more about your ideal job. Try answering a few fundamental questions, such as what’s important to the people you might work with or what are some of the current industry trends.
Step 6 – Find opportunities and apply
Don’t get desperate and apply for the first thing you find. Do your research and apply only for the positions that you actually want to get, as your motivation will be reflected in your application. When it comes to finding opportunities that match your passion, quality will always win over quantity.
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