If you’re someone like me who wants to live their best life to get the most out of life, and spend your time working a dream job that leaves you feeling fulfilled, you have come to the right place!
Before we dive into the steps you should take to land your dream job, I would like to remind you that it’s absolutely possible for you to start working a job you love! In this article I will lay out the best steps to actually identify what your dream job is and how you can make it your reality.
What We Will Cover:
- How to identify your dream job
- Dream job example(s)
- How to land your dream job
How to Identify Your Dream Job
If you’re unsure what your dream job actually is and need to get clarity around it, this section is for you. We’ll cover 3 steps you can take to figure out what makes you happy and how you can thrive in your next job.
1. Start by thinking about what makes you truly happy and leaves you feeling fulfilled.
Reflect on jobs or hobbies you have had in the past that made you feel good about yourself and the work you were doing. Are there any that come immediately to mind? That could be a great thing to start thinking about.
Task: Write down a list of 5 positions you’re interested in learning more about or getting back into.
2. Figure out your personal values and ideals.
The next step to is to identify your values and ideals. Your dream job has to align with who you truly are as a person, and your values make up a huge part of that. This will ensure you have long-term fulfillment and are happy in your new position.
Task: Write down your top 10 workplace values in order of importance. Examples can include the value of freedom for creativity, organizational culture, work/life balance, and leadership principles.
3. Write down your goals.
Think about your top personal goals that you want to set out to achieve. This can help build clarity around what type of career will be in alignment with your goals.
Once you have identified your goals, create a timeline you can use as a point in time that you will achieve the goals by. These may even be skill sets or certifications you want to achieve by a certain date that will help you get into your dream job.
Task: Write down your 3 top personal goals and a timeline to achieve them
Dream Job Example
If you’ve gone through the above exercises but are still looking for more clarity around what you would like to do with your career, I’ll lay out some dream job examples in this section you can use as a launching pad.
Here are some examples to get your dreaming about your next job or career field!
Dream Job Example List.
- Personal Trainer
- Artist
- Pilot
- Lawyer
- Marine Biologist
- Networking Technician
- Ethical Hacker
- Content Creator
- Singer or Musician
- Creative Director
- Engineer
- Writer / Author
- Speaker
- Sommelier or food taster
- Doctor
I hope this list inspired you to start thinking more about what’s possible and what will light you up. Write down a few of your top career fields and jobs you’re aspiring for!
How to Land Your Dream Job
This section will lay out the steps you’ll need to take in order to get an interview and get hired.
Before we begin, I want to give you another friendly reminder. You are a badass! No dream of yours is out of reach or too high.
Aim for the sky and believe in your power to achieve it. You are creative, strong, and able to work a job you love while making good money. You’re not only capable of it, you’re worthy of it too.
Try not to lose sight of your goals you’ve set thus far and remain positive. It may take some time before you can pivot into a more enjoyable position but just keep holding on and making progress every day.
Let’s get into the steps!
Identify the qualifications
The first step is to figure out what the job qualifications are. Do a quick google search for the job and/or company you want to work for to find out what skills and experience you need before you decide to apply.
From there, you can reverse engineer. You can do that by writing a list of skills you need to acquire to qualify for the job and be better prepared. For example, the job may require industry certifications, a certain number of years experience, or a college degree in a particular field of study.
If you need a certain degree, certification or license you can sign up for a class online or in person to prepare you. It’s a great way to become an expert and really stand out when you get into the job.
After you identify the job requirements, you’ll want to start positioning yourself to be the best candidate for the job.
To do that, start working on getting the right skills! This may not happen overnight. Depending on where you are in your journey, it could take weeks, months, or even years to achieve your goals.
Focus on working towards your goals for a few minutes each day. It will compound overtime and eventually you will get to where you want to be.
Start dreaming about where you want to be and get your dreams onto paper. Then write down where you want to be, what skills you will need to get there, and an action plan you can start working on today.
Prepare your documents
It’s time to get your documentation together! This is a crucial step in how to land your dream job.
This includes updating and revising your resume, cover letters, and LinkedIn profile.
I have another article that outline everything you need to know about updating your resume and how to write or revise your cover letter.
If you’re not a pro at resume writing or editing you can consider hiring a professional from Fiverr.com. There you can easily find someone with years of experience who can update yours professionally and quickly.
Prepare for the interview
It’s time to start preparing for the interview. These are the steps to follow to get prepared and confident going into the interview process.
- Research the organization – Review the company website and start to understand the history of the business, their culture and values, and what type of services they provide.
- Review common interview questions – Find common interview questions for the position you applied to and think through the answers you would use to answer the questions. You can type our your answers as well.
- Plan your day-before – Plan out the route you’ll take to get to the job, what time you need to be ready by, and what you’re going to wear. You want the day to go as smoothly as possible and it helps when you have the details figured out ahead of time.
For a comprehensive outline of how to prepare for a job interview check out my ultimate guide to prepare for job interviews.
Follow up After Interview
This is often an overlooked step but it’s an important one and that is to follow up after your job interview. The best time frame is to follow up within one week after your job interview if you haven’t heard back from the recruiter yet.
Just because you have not heard back yet does not mean they are not interested in continuing the interview process with you. Any number of things could have gotten in the way.
That’s why you should always follow up and I recommend following up twice if necessary.
How to Land Your Dream Job Key Takeaways
Remember to always believe in yourself and your ability to make your dreams a reality! Take action each day and take steps to first identify your dream job. Figure out what career would make you happy and be a good fit for you.
Create personal and professional goals with timelines and target achievement dates.
Then continue building up your skills and preparing your resume and cover letter.
You’re off to an incredible start and I wish you the best in your dream job journey!
I love hearing your feedback and chatting with my readers so please leave a comment and tell me if you found this article helpful.
