How to land your dream job? Well, unless you are one of the lucky applicants who work in a high-demand career, finding a new job can be a daunting and frustrating experience. Getting a job you are satisfied and fulfilled with is probably one of the most substantial moves you should get right in life. A good job can change your life, and as it so happens, finding a great job is one of the most difficult goals to achieve. In this process, you need resilience on top of having enough experience, the right skill set, character, and personality. Those who have been through this challenging process know how easily it will break a person down and how it will make them feel unqualified and purposeless.
Tons of smart and capable candidates have tried to crack the broken recruitment system. From LinkedIn to Monster to Glassdoor, quite a few platforms are trying to solve this problem, but unfortunately, none of them have done it yet. Since it does not look like the system will be fixed anytime soon, Radviser, your intelligent adviser, prepared you a guide to make the best of it. It might take a few months and more than what you think to get hired for a job.
This happens as you try to condense your entire being into a 1- to 2-page resume and a 3- to a 4-paragraph cover letter, then wait for people who are already busy with their real jobs to:
You can make the job search a bit easier on yourself if you follow a step-by-step procedure and apply proactive strategies to find a new job. The tips for finding a new job covered in this guide apply to all job seekers, from those just starting with no experience to experienced candidates who need a quick refresher. The flowchart below summarizes the different steps of the job-hunting process at any career level:
How to land your dream job and go from where you are to joining the people with their dream careers? here are 16 steps for landing your dream job:
If you wait until you have graduated to begin thinking about finding a job, you are already behind. Job searching as a fresh graduate can take a lot longer than you imagine, leaving you jobless for weeks or months. Start as early as possible in your college/university to build your network by attending events on campus and securing summer internships. Try to gain some interviewing experience before you graduate.
Your college/university career centre is an excellent resource to conduct mock interviews. Being comfortable in an interview seat would serve you well in your post-graduate life. While you are there, talk to them about jobs for graduates with your interests and coursework.
How to land your dream job easily? Take some time to clean up your social media profiles. Many employers will research you online, so you would rather remove anything unprofessional or potentially embarrassing, like:
Not sure what social media posts are job search-friendly? A good rule of thumb is to remove any post that you would not like to see on the newspaper's front page.
Before starting your job search, take the time to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and the type of work you enjoy doing. The better you know yourself, the more likely you will find a new job that provides you with greater satisfaction. What do you want in a job? What is most important? Title, money, promotion, the work itself, location, or company culture?
Start thinking about (and writing down) your professional goals and dreams. Next, research potential opportunities and identify prospective employers in areas that might lead you to find your career goals. The more you explore your goals, the easier it will be to identify roles to help you achieve them. Similarly, the more you understand the duties involved in specific jobs, the easier it will be to tailor your resume to those opportunities.
If you are still unclear about which path to choose, you might want to consider conducting some informational interviews with people in fields that interest you. These individuals can offer insight and advice, and they might help you clarify which career is right for you.
Once you know what you want, it is time to find out what the companies you are applying to want. You want to figure out what perfection looks like in the company's eyes that will be hiring you. This seems obvious, but a lot of people go about this all wrong. They decide what they are (i.e., a programmer, a writer, a lab tech) and then start building their resume without looking at what jobs they will be applying for. Then they try to fit the job description to their pre-made resume.
The most effective way to start building your resume is to first search for jobs. For instance, when someone is looking for content for Process Engineering roles, they might have a very vague idea of what responsibilities and requirements are for that position. That is because job requirements are always changing and, if you have been out of the job market for a while, chances are you have an outdated understanding of what is now required. So, the first thing is to look up your given subject and see what is out there and what is in demand. Here is how to decipher what you see:
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Your resume is still one of the most critical tools of how to land your dream job. Many resumes are full of responsibilities instead of tangible achievements, and job seekers send the same resume to various job postings. One of the best tips for finding a new job is to have an achievement-oriented resume that includes quantifiable achievements relevant to the job you are applying for.
Make yourself an obvious fit. Study the words and phrases that are used in the job responsibilities and requirements sections. Make sure you include them in your resume, provided you have that experience, of course. You can also get in touch with someone who works in the industry or in that specific role and ask the following questions:
Here are some tips for recent graduates on how to get your resume noticed:
You should treat the cover letter as your opportunity to begin a conversation with the person you are looking to work with. This is an opportunity and a difficulty for many applicants. If you get the cover letter right, you will be called in for an interview. If you get the cover letter wrong, you will be disqualified before even speaking to someone.
First, here is what not to do:
--Dear [Name],
I’m writing in response to your recently advertised position for a [Target Job Title]. I’m very interested in this opportunity with [Target Company Name] and believe that my qualifications, education, and professional experience would make me a great fit for this vacancy.
I’m a [Personal Characteristics] professional who can [How You Can Add Value to the Company].
Enclosed is my resume that shows my background in detail, and how they relate to your position. As you can see, [Related Key Achievements to the Position].
I’m confident that I can be a valuable asset to your team. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about this position and how my experience could help [Target Company Name] achieve its goals.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Do not use this kind of template. It screams generic and adds absolutely no value to your job application.
This type of cover letter has more language than substance (language>substance). In other words, it uses lots of words and says almost nothing. Let’s look at a few sentences for instance:
You welcome the opportunity? That is like saying, “I welcome you to give me a beer.” It sounds obnoxious or at best unpassionate. And what experience are you talking about? What goals will you help them achieve? Generic.
Duh. The only thing this demonstrates is that you don’t care about wasting their time.
What experience? Which goals? How can it help? This is the equivalent of saying, “I think this beer has water in it.” Okay, maybe not the best metaphor but you get the idea.
When writing a solid cover letter you want it to show three things:
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Here is the format that can get you a 40% reply rate:
Hi Steve,
I'm a huge fan of what you and your team do at Radviser. I know how difficult it is to find the right candidate, so I'll keep this short and sweet. Here are top 4 reasons I think you should consider me for the Marketing Manager vacancy:
I'm excited for the opportunity to work with you and I'd love to hear more about the role and see if there's a good fit.
Respectfully,
James
All jobs have different levels of formality, and while the exact language might differ from job to job, the principle remains the same: say more with fewer words (substance>language). A human being is reading your cover letter, and they are not doing it for fun, so get to the point.
Let's break it down:
Using this cover letter can get a higher reply rate and customize your cover letters for every job posting in minutes. Speed is the name of the game here.
To fill out the bullet points, use the "Responsibilities" section of the job posting. To fill in the first 3 bullet points, find the 3 most important qualities they want and address them with specific areas from your experience. Again be specific, so instead of saying, "I have 3 years of writing experience." Say something like, "I've written over 57 articles for B2B companies."
The final bullet point is very important. This is a place to stand out from the rest and show a hint of your personality. Add something personal and professional. Instead of the example above, for a design job, for instance, you could write something like, “I'm an avid enthusiast of Stefan Sagmeister and constantly study his portfolio to improve the relevance of my typography, design language, and clarity.”
Building your brand means showcasing your expertise and passion online, where employers searching the Web can find it. Many recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary search tool, and if you are a professional, you have to be using LinkedIn to your full advantage. It is a great source to find people working at companies that interest you and position yourself to be found by recruiters and hiring managers with relevant openings.
First impressions get you in the door, but to win a job, you need to have lasting substance; that is where LinkedIn comes in. Your LinkedIn is your cheat sheet. Here are the steps on how to create an all-star LinkedIn profile:
Before you start applying for jobs or interviewing with employers, take a moment to develop a system that works for you in organizing your job search. It is recommended you make a list/table of target companies, the job titles that you intend to apply/have applied for, their deadlines, the job descriptions, and the status of the positions (i.e., need to be submitted, under review, invited for interview) for each one to not miss any deadlines or documents.
For most job seekers, a large and strong network of contacts – people who know you and want to help you uncover job leads – results in more job opportunities. Networking – in person and online – is essential to your success in your job search. Do not be afraid of reaching out to people on LinkedIn, and if you know someone working at a company that interests you, ask for a referral. Hiring managers would prefer to interview people who came recommended before sorting through the resumes arriving via a career website.
Career fairs are another great opportunity to build your network, hear about job leads, and improve your interviewing skills.
If you rely only on submitting online applications, you could be looking for a job for a very long time. The company might be in the final interview stage by the time you apply, or the job might have even been filled. Contact companies that interest you directly - you might contact an internal recruiter or schedule informational interviews with people who work in those companies. Ideally, you want to know the people who might influence you to get your foot in the door.
It takes a great deal of time and effort to find a new job. In a long job search, it is easy to get discouraged and distracted, but by focusing on achieving daily goals and developing new skills, you can motivate yourself while also building a foundation for success.
Looking for a job can be stressful. So, take some time to meditate, exercise, watch a movie, or do whatever helps you unwind. Create a good support network – having people to brainstorm with or vent your frustrations to smooth the entire job-seeking process.
At the beginning, you might be feeling a sense of desperation which is okay. What is not okay is to let desperation steer your path forward. The only thing that comes out of desperation is rushed work, rushed decisions, and few results.
Job-hunting is a depressing affair, no matter how you do it. You will have good weeks and bad weeks, good months and bad months. However, when you get good, and it finally clicks, you will see that you are valued, appreciated, and have a purpose. Until then, remember this: No Hurry, No Pause.
This is one of the main steps of how to land your dream job. People remember stories, so your goal should be to develop a set of interview stories you can use in networking meetings or job interviews that demonstrate your skills, achievements, and passion for your work. Be memorable! Using stories may also help you feel more comfortable talking about yourself.
People remember stories, so one of our favorite tips for recent college grads is to develop several STAR (situation, task, action, result) examples to use in networking and interviewing situations that demonstrate your skills, accomplishments, passion for your work, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities.
Prepare examples that highlight what you have achieved, times you took the initiative, how you worked under pressure, or what it is like working as a team member, and use them as you develop cover letters and prepare for interviews.
Before you get called for your first interview, develop responses for common interview questions, and then practice them — ideally using the mock-interviewing technique with a friend, network contact, or interview coach. The more prepared you are for the interview, the more comfortable you will be, and you will likely succeed.
To excel in a job interview, keep these tips in mind:
A short letter of thanks that emphasizes your interest and fit with the job and employer will not get you the job offer, but it will help make you stand out from the pool of candidates who do not bother with this simple act of courtesy. The majority of job seekers do not bother sending a thank-you letter at all.
Your work is not done once the interview is complete or the thank-you note sent. Following up with the hiring manager shows your interest and enthusiasm for the job. The key is doing so in a professional way while not making you sound pesky or needy.
You can hope to have a new job within a short period, but the likely reality is that it might take months to find the right opportunity and get offered the position. You should mentally prepare yourself for a long battle — and then you can be happily surprised if you are one of the lucky few whose job search is short.
Here are a few other tips for finding a new job if your job search situation does not fit the typical model – if finding employment will be unusually hard.
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You need to learn how to land your dream job and if you read this guide so far, either (1) you do not have a job or (2) you have a job that you do not like. In both cases, bear in mind that progress is not linear. The future may seem out of reach at first, but it is not. The path to creating your career success and personal growth is more than possible and lies in the power of your hands. You need to be cautious and consistent. The above-mentioned tips will help you find a job that lights you up, makes an impact, and pays what you are worth. To learn more about the job-hunting process and its dos and don’ts, you’d better see our Library and update your knowledge of the field.