12 STEPS NEED TO LAND YOUR DREAM JOB
With the present world being nothing more than a rat race where mortals are competing to prove themselves better than the other, the whole struggle of landing your dream job can be daunting.
While it’s certainly possible to turn your dreams into reality, it’s also true that it comes with its side of lows. Especially when you’re just starting, everything might seem like a mess. You probably have not figured out what you want to do yet, or maybe you just realized that the job you’ve been in for the past ten years is a drudge and you never liked the profession in the first place.
As terrifying as all this may sound, we want you to know that’s alright, and that’s natural. We’ve all been there and done that. The first thing you need to do to embark on your journey of landing yourself up a position in your dream join is to ‘start’. Start somewhere, small or big. If you’re feeling lost and all over the place, we’re here to help.
We have carefully chalked out the initial twelve steps that are essential for you to work upon, to bag yourself a job in your dream company. From figuring out what you want to build your resume – every crucial step that can make or break your career has been jotted down below.
So pull up your socks and delve deeper. We hope you get started as soon as you finish reading!
CONTACTS MATTER
The world might say that talent comes first, and it most certainly does, but what comes next is contact. Use your network wisely, build contacts in the field you want to prosper.
A few references here and a few recommendations there might land you up in your dream job. Socialize more, meet new people, scrutinize your social circle, and pick out the ones who you think might be helpful for you in the long run.
Approach them and try to make an impression, You never know who might turn out to be someone you would forever be grateful to.
BUILD A STRONG RESUME
Resumes are there for a reason – to help a recruiter judge a prospective employee solely based on their talents and experience, and not looks or personality or behavior. These do come in the picture though, only later.
So make sure that you have a strong and impressive resume that can make a powerful first impression. A resume is an inanimate incarnation of you, that would represent you when it first reaches a recruiter’s hands.
Fill it with all your accomplishments – it can be as small as you leading the student council back in school, to you working as the Vice President of a company. Every little achievement matters, so jot down as much as you can recall.
Mention your work experience as well, as it plays a key role in showing that you know how to work in the corporate world. Mention your strengths, and always keep updating your resume.
Before submitting, glance through it once and check whether it’s properly updated or not. A strong resume can take you a long way.
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START AFRESH
Even if it’s been years that you’ve been working in a firm, it’s alright to start afresh. It’s possible that you landed up a job by chance, or that it was not your first choice. Age is just a number, and you can start from scratch whenever need be.
Chalk out your likes and dislikes, find out what you’ve always been interested in- it can also be a minor hobby that you like to do once in a while, and see if it can be changed into a legitimate profession or not, and just go for it.
Always remember, if you are passionate about something and like doing it, you will undoubtedly be good at it. To err is human, to go after what you want is divine!
BE WILLING TO KEEP LEARNING
The process of learning knows no bounds. You learn when you’re a kid and you learn when you’re older, and the point is to always be willing and open to learning new things. Be open to new ideas and seek knowledge.
If you feel someone younger to you is more experienced than you, keep your ego aside and listen- they might offer you some life-changing advice or insight. If you refuse to learn because you wish to nurture your petty ego, you will hinder your growth.
Do freelancing or volunteering to make your resume stronger, bag an internship even if it pays you meagerly to gain experience. Don’t keep your knowledge limited to books and papers, you’ll always learn a lot more when you apply those in practical life.
Nobody ever started big, but the only difference between successful and unsuccessful people out there is that the former were willing to start small.
You will have your own “know it all” moments in life, but keeping that kind of attitude always-on will take you nowhere.
KNOW WHEN TO APPLY
Finding out the right time to apply can be tricky. Some recruiters claim that the holiday season (the whole of October, November. December, and mid-January) are the hardest months as a lot of applications come in.
Similarly, summer months are hard too, due to vacations. You can directly ask the recruiter when will be the right time to apply or apply anytime apart from the above mentioned months.
Get your timing right!
REALISM OVER IDEALISM
You have to be realistic while weighing your options when you’re figuring out what to do. Let’s be honest, sometimes your ideal job cannot pay you enough to help you cover your bills.
While you’re considering the profession you’d like to take up, you need to make sure that its pay matches the lifestyle you’re accustomed to.
Some aspire to become a journalist, but we all know how much writers are paid – so if you’re unwilling to wait for quite a long time to become an accomplished journalist to earn you enough bucks to help you lead the life you’ve always wanted to, you need to reconsider.
In an ideal world, you’ll probably have an ideal job paying you an ideal amount of money, helping you lead the ideal lifestyle. Reality often comes with its dark side.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Maintaining an open-minded nature and being open to new ideas is important. Sometimes, the interviews that you’re least interested in can turn out to be your big break.
Life’s uncertain, and you never know when you might be hit with an opportunity. The important thing to do here grab it as it comes.
Especially in your beginning stage, you must explore each every chance that comes your way. Whatever you learn from it will always be invaluable.
BE WELL PREPARED
If you show up in an interview with little to no research done about the company, chances are that it can turn your recruiters off. They might think you’re not zealous enough, and hence not consider you for the opening altogether.
And this rule applies to any job.
A famous scene from Gilmore Girls was when Rory Gilmore was pursued by a newspaper company, pleading her to work for them. When she arrives for the interview, the recruiter asks her, “How do you plan to grow and market our company with your writings?”, to which Rory replied, “I’m sorry, I did not know that I had to come with a pitch prepared.”
And yes, as obvious, she did not land the job.
So even if you feel you’ve almost bagged the job and the recruiters are dying to have you working for them, do your homework. The best part about situations in life is their uncertainty, but it’s the worst part as well.
Be prepared to answer any question that they might shoot at you.
Also, if you don’t know the answer to a particular question, just be blunt about it and own up that you don’t have enough knowledge about it. Either your employer will enlighten you on the topic that will be helpful in the future, or you’ll successfully come off as an honest, straightforward person who isn’t ashamed to admit that they don’t know it all.
Either way, a win-win situation.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE MATTERS
About seventy percent of employers have said that they screen a potential candidate’s social media profile before deciding to hire them.
Henceforth, your social media presence matters. However, this does not mean that you have to alter your social life altogether every time you apply for a job. If you’re applying for a company, consider changing your profile privacy setting to “private”.
When it comes to social media and private affairs, the less they know the better.
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO
One of the most primary steps towards bagging a position in your dream company is figuring out what you want to do. There is no age limit on changing careers, and you never know when you might realize what you were born to do.
Maybe your hobby can turn into your profession, maybe midway while pursuing a career that you opted by chance rather than by choice is when you would realize where your interests lie.
The opportunities are abundant, so take some time to figure yourself out.
If Chandler from Friends could realize that he was never meant for numbers, but was good in marketing instead, at age 30, you’ve got plenty of time to do your little research as well!
CLIMB THE LADDER
The very first misstep that a lot of people make is expecting to land a huge position in their dream company in the very first go. First of all, if you’re just starting, it’s next to impossible (unless you have unrivaled talent).
Don’t get disheartened if you are offered a junior role or a ‘not so big’ position in the very first go. It’s important to understand that to achieve success, you are bound to start small, but you should be willing to work your way up.
Be mentally prepared to take up the job and work diligently. If you’re good enough, you won’t miss your employer’s eye, and they’re sure to promote you with time.
In a few years, you’ll be exactly where you always dreamt to be, and you’ll thank yourself for being persistent. If you don’t climb the ladder, you’ll never make it to the top.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Stand in front of a mirror and rehearse religiously of how you plan on greeting your recruiters. Questions like “Tell us more about yourself” are really basic and common, make sure that you have rehearsed your answers well before heading for your interview.
You can even google the basic questions ask, see suggested answers, take inspiration from them, and add your personal touch to it. Practice makes perfect, so the more you rehearse it over, the less are the chances of you faltering.
Organize your thoughts, fix your goals, and chalk out the steps. Start by applying to jobs through online job application portals, there are plenty! Keep your aim fixed and strive harder.
Even if you falter initially, dust your knees and get back up. Knock the idea that getting a job in your dream company is going to be a cakewalk out of your head because quite blatantly, it is not.
You have to strive and strive harder to achieve success. Sometimes you’ll see yourself fall, hit rock bottom, and back to square one. But you have to be motivated enough to be willing to start again. Instill in yourself a “go-getter” attitude.
If you know what you want and you work hard enough to achieve it, no one can stop you.
Or as Manot Arora from ‘From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom’ puts it: “Got an idea to start”, “Thinking to start” and “Committing to start” is one aspect of life. Actually “Starting” what you truly want to do in life, is a completely different ball game.”