10 Tips for Landing your Dream Job
“The Dream Job” sounds like a perfect but elusive concept that no matter how hard you try to grasp, always slips away.
Here, at the Million Dollar Mama Club, we understand just how impossible it may seem to both find and land your dream job, but we’re here to tell you it is 100% possible! You were made for more. We believe you should follow your dreams and always, always keep looking ahead.
If you’re a woman that works any kind of job or a woman in business this article on landing your dream job is just for you. You may not be entrepreneurial minded or want to start your own business and THAT IS OKAY. All that means is that being a business owner isn’t your dream job. ONLY YOU know what is.
Here is MDMC’s breakdown on how to get where you want to go in your career, through a series of 10 helpful tips so that you can land your dream job.
1.) Conduct your job hunt with intention and focus: Setting about with the right intention is half the battle. There’s typically a catalyst that leads you to begin looking for a job. This catalyst presents itself in a multitude of ways – from being unhappy at your current job to needing a job period. However, these types of catalysts can often lead to a sense of urgency and rush.
The issue here is that an urgent and panicked job search will most likely result in a short-term fix, instead of a long-term “dream job”. The approach you should take instead is to job hunt with intention and focus. This helps you better formulate your goals and discover the right opportunity for you.
2.) Research, research, research: In case that wasn’t clear enough, we’re telling you that research is incredibly critical when it comes to landing your dream job! Most successful women in business have discovered their dream job after mountains of research and insight into their chosen field. Research is also what helped give them an edge during interviews.
Doing research on your chosen company and preparing for your interview is what sets you apart from the others. You need to let your passion and enthusiasm for the work shine through! Simple things like preparing a list of questions for your interviewer go a long way. If you want to go the extra mile you could even extend your research to cover the company’s customer base and typical purchasers.
3.) Set up a mock interview: There are so many business opportunities for women entrepreneurs in this day and age. The way to go about getting these opportunities is by nailing the interview for your dream job! Mock interviews go a long way when it comes to preparing for the real deal. You can practice with a friend, roommate, professional job coach, or even just in front of a mirror!
Practice answering the most commonly asked interview questions. Mock interviews serve as great practice for your non-verbal communication skills. They also help you muster up the confidence to master your real interview.
4.) Make ten new professional connections: Expanding your network, specifically your women in business network, is a great way to find and land your dream job! Make it a goal to expand your current network by making at least ten new professional connections.
When networking with new contacts, be sure to ask about their position and the organization they work for. Plus be sure to dig deep in order to make a real impact and connection with the individual. Maintain these connections by staying in touch over time, and leveraging these contacts as referrals or references when the time is right.
5.) Authenticity is key: Women who want to become entrepreneurs do so by being authentically themselves! You should try and exude authenticity in every aspect of your journey to landing your dream job – this of course starts with your resume.
Your resume should cover your passions, skills, strengths, and goals – and be a true representation of who you are and what you hope to achieve in your stated profession. Your authenticity should spread beyond your resume though, and should be present in every interaction and conversation you have with potential employees.
6.) Figure out your values: In order to land your dream job, you need to figure out what makes you a dream employee! By taking the time to understand and reflect on your values, you’re able to better represent them to future employers.
You should also take the time to understand how the values you represent match up with your skills. By conveying all this to future employers, they’re able to gain a deeper insight into who you are and how you’ll fit into their organization.
7.) Foll0w-up is critical: Women following their dream job know that the best way to get there is through strong connections and follow-up! After you apply for your dream job, you need to truly focus on following up with a strong email or phone call. Demonstrating a genuine interest in the job will convey to the recruiters that you are very serious about this opportunity.
8.) Pair passion with focus: If you’re able to demonstrate both focus and passion in your interviews then the path to your dream job will get a whole lot clearer! Candidates that demonstrate these two qualities make a far better impression that those who are simply looking for a paycheck. During your interviews, you must make sure to demonstrate career progression and a sense of why this role entices and excites you!
9.) Remember that everything is an opportunity: In this day and age, not all companies use recruitment agencies and job sites. These days, one of the best tools at your disposal is social media! Smaller companies in particular tend to employ based on recommendations through LinkedIn, so it’s critical that you use everything as an opportunity – including your social media.
Be sure to elevate your online presence and represent yourself in the best way possible. Remember that you are your own product. In order to become a successful business woman, you need to market yourself in the right way!
10.) Fine-tune your storytelling abilities: Painting a vivid story is so important when it comes to standing out at interviews for your dream job! Effective storytellers among candidates are so rare, so if you’re able to fine-tune that skill you’ll find yourself ahead of the herd!
Convert your positive professional experiences intro strong stories that are backed with solid data and tangible ROI. Interviewers should gain a deep understanding of who you are and how you excel in your field through the stories you share with them.
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