Imagine if you had to spend your working days beating deadlines after deadlines. Everyday seems to be a chore and you’re wishing you could get away from the mundane tasks. Things would be totally different if only you were working for your dream company and you managed to land your dream job.
Admit it, if you’re just starting your career, landing your dream job would feel as if you have just won the lottery. To some, it could be a product of luck. But for most people, it is certainly a product of creativity and perseverance. Here are some tips that could help you land your dream job:
1. Contemplate whether or not your dream job is really your dream job.
Oftentimes, you get into thinking that a specific career path is the best for you because of the perks that you would receive from the company you would be working for. While it is practical to think this way because you have lots of bills to pay, it is also important to note that perks are just extrinsic motivators. When you do something because you love doing it, regardless of the perks and other extrinsic motivators, you’d feel that your load is not that heavy to carry.
2. Hone your skills and be a better version of you!
Your dream job is supposed to fulfill you, not just career-wise, but it should also allow you to improve yourself and discover your strengths. Your dream job should be able to prepare you for bigger responsibilities in the future and will not make your skills stagnant and irrelevant. So while you’re still looking for the “perfect job”, find ways to invest in yourself and learn essential skills that will make you competitive and highly sought-after by your target organizations.
3. Make a list of the companies or organizations you wish to work for.
You might have specifications about what type of job you will consider as your “dream job” but you should also be able to identify which kinds of organizations you’d like to belong to and what causes you’d like to support. You can make your own list of companies depending on the criteria you will set such as: culture, leadership style, flexibility, salary or company reputation.
Having a list would make it a lot easier for you to weigh your options in case you receive multiple offers from your target organizations. You have to be able to narrow down your choices and pick the company that aligns with your goals and your values.
4. Know the structure and the VMGs (Vision, Mission, Goals) of the company.
Human Resource (HR) managers usually ask aspiring applicants during the interview if they know the structure of the company and whether or not they have an idea about the job descriptions of the role they are vying for.
You have to let the hiring managers know that you’re eager to get the job so you should spend time doing your own research before coming to the interview. Aside from that, having a concept of the company’s VMGs will help you understand why the company was established, what it seeks to do in the community, and what problems it wishes to solve.
Studies show that applicants are now more interested to work for companies that allow them to take part in achieving the organization’s goals and visions. Knowing the company’s VMGs will help you identify what role you can play when it comes to helping the company fulfill its mission.
5. Have a career-specific resume for a better impression for your application.
HR managers who seek to hire new employees would not want to spend a lot of time reading a 5-page resume. As much as possible, focus on putting experiences and skills which are relevant to the job you are applying for. If you make your resume verbose altogether with unnecessary information, the HR manager would just take it negatively. The worst thing that might happen to your document is that it would be thrown into the nearest trash can.
6. Create a good impression by arriving early, being polite, and being honest during the interview.
The worst thing you can do during your interview is to arrive late. It could just be a few minutes from the call time, but it could still create a negative impression to the management. Thus, it is very important to prepare yourself a week before the interview. The preparation includes the clothes that you would wear for the interview, the time that you would be travelling, the documents that you would need to show for the interview, and the other minute details.
7. Make your social media accounts marketable to prospective employers.
Nowadays, HR managers check on the applicant’s social media accounts before proceeding with the interview. Managers check on the person’s lifestyle through the posts being shared by the person. They want to make sure that the reputation of their company is safe from ungrounded allegations especially on social media which has a bigger sphere of audience. Make sure to set your account to private or delete posts that may jeopardize your job application.
8. Join networks or communities that create an impact.
Companies hire people who are engaged with community building. Your role in the community does not need to be that extravagant for you to get hired though. The fact that you had been doing something, or supporting social causes for instance, is a plus point for you. As mentioned, there are HR managers who are values-oriented and wish to hire people who are not of stature but of good values.
9. Establish yourself and your portfolio.
Success is not achieved through shortcuts but through experiences. You start from the bottom, grow professionally, and gain skills pivotal for you to be an effective employee. If you have certain achievements to brag for, or projects that succeeded with your help and dedication, make sure to highlight them on your portfolio. Be specific and don’t be afraid to show how much effort you have exerted to make projects succeed.
10. Bear in mind that dreams jobs are never perfect.
When you land your dream job, remember that problems and challenges are always present in any workplace. According to American motivational speaker Robert H. Schuller, problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. Always brace yourself for the possible things that might happen once you land that dream job of yours. You might be involved in a conflict or get called out by your boss or your coworkers, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop trying to become the best version of yourself in your workplace.
When you are about to give up, always go back to the reason why you applied for your dream job. Aiming for your dream job is exhausting, but all these efforts that you will exert will certainly be worth it.
