10 Tips to Find and Land Your Dream Job

Finding any job can be a daunting task in any competitive field. However, when you narrow your focus to landing your dream job, this process becomes even more difficult. There are seemingly endless professional opportunities. But the perfect fit can be elusive even for the most dedicated job searchers. However, if you have the necessary skills, passion and endurance, finding your dream job could be your reality in 2019.

First, you need to narrow your focus and find out where your passions meet your skills set to determine which job is the right one for you. Then, you need to present yourself as the most unique and valuable candidate for your dream job. With this in mind, here are some basic ground rules for finding and landing your dream job this year.

Job Hunt with Focus and Intention

There is generally a catalyst, whether it’s needing a job period or being unhappy at your current position, that initially triggers a job search. Unfortunately, this catalyst often adds urgency to the process, making it more difficult to consider how opportunities match up with your larger, long-term professional goals. If you take some time to job hunt with focus and intention, then you can better align your goals and skills with the right opportunity. A clear correlation between the opportunity and your individual skills set and goals with separate you from the competition from the very beginning.

Expand Your Network

If you network with industry leaders, you automatically have better odds in the job market than those who keep to themselves. Obviously, knowledge, skills and experience are irreplaceable. But job seekers can’t apply for jobs they don’t know are available. Networking with a wide web of people in your industry, in person and online, increases your chances of hearing about your ideal job opening up as soon as it becomes available.

Don’t Be Afraid to Turn Down Job Offers

Understandably, you may be in a hurry for find a new job and jumping at the first job offer is extremely tempting. However, make sure you consider if this is going to be a good, long-term fit for you. Otherwise, you will likely find yourself unhappy before long and back on the job search once more. Consequently, it pays to bet on yourself and be patient until you find your dream job.

Tailor Your Resume for AI

In order to land your dream job, your resume or CV first needs to get past any initial algorithm screening software. This involves optimizing your resume by including relevant keywords for your dream job and using AI-friendly formats. Also, avoid getting creative with your job titles. Stick with ones that an algorithm can easily identify. If you were an “account manager,” then just say that. Don’t put down that you were a “brand Olympian.”

Do Your Research on Your Dream Job

Doing research on the company and preparing for the interview in an advance goes a long way to showing enthusiasm, passion and initiative. Preparing a list of questions for the interviewer is also a nice touch. Try to extend your research to the company’s customers or typical purchasers. You also should touch on its employees, social channels and media. This extra effort is probably one of the simplest ways you can stand out among the competition. Furthermore, internalizing and reflecting on this research will allow you to share how your specific skills, abilities and passions could help the organization’s loftier goals.

Be Genuine

Try to exude authenticity in every aspect of yourself, starting with your resume. Your resume should hit on your strengths and professional passions. This authenticity should also extend to every conversation or interaction you have with a potential employer. Being genuine from the start allows for organizations to make the best cultural and professional matches.

Demonstrate Passion with Focus

Job applicants with professional focus and passion inherently make a better impression than those who are just looking for a paycheck. Try to show clear career progression and how the position clearly aligns with your career path and goals. You should be able to communicate why you are a good fit for the company at this time.

Understand Your Value

If you really want your dream job, then you need to figure out what makes you a dream employee. Take time to reflect and understand your value so that you can communicate it clearly and demonstrate how your skills match with the culture and needs of your prospective employer.

Develop Storytelling Capabilities

Effective storytellers among candidates are few and far between. Consider your positive professional experiences and convert them into strong storytelling backed by solid data and tangible ROI. You should be able to tell interviewers how you identified a challenge or opportunity and developed a course of action to overcome obstacles to achieve positive results in an engaging way.

Follow-Up

Strikingly few people ever follow-up with a phone call or email after applying for a job. Sometimes candidates even forget that they applied to the position in the first place. Demonstrate initiative and genuine interest in the job opening by simply following up with recruiters to let them know you appreciate their time and truly desire joining their team.