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How to land your dream job

8 Practices to Secure Your Ultimate Dream Job

Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Career Reload Team

The truth about landing your dream job is that there’s no perfect formula for it. You will have to learn to work hard to materialize the dream career you’ve always been aiming for. In securing your ultimate dream job, you will realize how hard it is to carve a stepping stone to make progress. But remember, every step you take counts. So, make sure every effort you exert is for the benefit of your dream job.

Here we’ll break down the eight practices that will help you score your dream job.

Identify what you really want

Knowing what you want keeps you focused on one goal. With a clear goal in mind, you will avoid straying away from it when faced with tons of options. The job market will tempt you by means of several unrelated opportunities. You won’t have any problem ignoring these when your eyes are set on one prize.

Meanwhile, if you are only starting, you have to be careful in choosing your prospects. Ask yourself if this job is going to be the stepping stone to your ultimate dream job. If it’s not, then it is not worth your time.

A personality test can provide career guidance and help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses.

Know your limitations and expectations

Planning your job search isn’t as easy as doing a resume submission spree and hoping for the best to happen. It needs a thorough evaluation of your expectations and how willing you are to go beyond what you can do.

Before you even begin your job search, know first your strengths, weaknesses, negotiables and non-negotiables, red flags, and overall role expectations. Knowing these will help you find the role that’ll perfectly sit at your heart’s desire.

Conduct your own research

Thorough research will bring you points of advantage once in the playing field. You will find out the scope of work, average pay, best companies to apply for, nearby workplaces to pursue, related careers, and basically almost everything you need to prepare yourself for in your job hunt.

Treat research as your best friend in getting the know-how of your career. Familiarize yourself with the industry so that you know what to do and what to avoid when you start job hunting.

Seek guidance from people you trust

Know somebody who’s in your career field? Why not ask for some career advice on working your way up? Most likely, these people will be more than happy to share their wisdom with you. So, maximize the opportunity to ask any questions you have.

It’s always smart to get solicited advice from someone who’s got firsthand experience. They know the ropes well, and you can learn from their triumphs and mistakes.

Also, you can ask anyone who’s been in the labor force for quite some time, including a career coach. Any advice about applications, interviews, and the workplace is welcome—as long as you can benefit from it.

Craft an impressive resume

Your resume is your tool for landing interviews. It literally dictates how likely you are to be selected, so ensure that you apply the best practices in writing an impressive resume.

According to a study, employers only take seven seconds to scan a resume on average. Think of how you can make your resume be noticeable in such a short time. The key to being remarkable among a pile of other candidates is by writing the information that matches what they are looking for. Sprinkling relevant keywords on your resume will leave your prospective employers wanting to know more about you.

Pair it up with a good cover letter

Your job application should always come with a cover letter. Without it, you lessen your chance of being a remarkable candidate as it demonstrates effort and interest. Resume and cover letter are two inseparable requirements you will submit to an employer—failing to include the latter will weaken your application.

In writing a good cover letter, ensure that you include the following information in delivering your intent:

  • Desired position
  • The reason why you are applying
  • The reason why you are the best candidate to hire
  • Contributions you can produce
  • The reason why you want to work for the company

Remember to tailor your resume and cover letter for each company you are applying for. Your documents should never be meant for one-size-fits-all submissions. Customization is the key to being remarkable.

Prepare ahead for the interview

Interviews are crucial—one mistake and all effort could go down the drain. Ensure that you prep ahead when you have booked your dream interview.

Here’s a list of things to remember to ace your interview.

  • Practice possible questions and answers.
  • Research about the company history and organization.
  • Dress up appropriately for the event.
  • Be polite and act genuinely during the exchange.
  • Send a thank-you email after the interview.

Stay driven until you earn your dream job

The secret to landing anything you desire is through hard work. Keep pushing yourself in the right direction. Eventually, everything will pay off because you know you did everything that you possibly could to end up in that spot.

Challenges are typical—ups and downs will help you grow and strive harder. Treat road bumps as lessons and a way to motivate and convince yourself that all these hardships will pay off one day.