9 Strategies for Getting Your Ideal Job
Interviewing for a job is a very stressful and difficult process - made more intense today because so many companies are reducing their workforce, thus increasing the number of applicants for a shrinking number of jobs. The competition for available jobs is fierce. Yet, you can beat the competition and actually get hired in the job you really want. Here are nine strategies to consider.
- Discover what you really want out of your work and life.
Discover your true passions, desires, beliefs, and talents so that you can paint a picture of your work and life goals, from your own perspective. Remember that everything that you have done up to this point is valuable somehow. The best fit for a new job comes from a suitable mix of past experience, expertise within an industry sector and specific knowledge about a particular product or service. Chose only fields or endeavours where you can genuinely be passionate and avoid “going through the motions” as you will be spotted a mile away and rejected by experienced hiring managers. Enlist the help of someone who can be objective with you about your aspirations and your strengths as well as your weaknesses. Be prepared to be honest with yourself and be open to feedback.
- Develop and define the job you really want.
That's right! Design and define the job that will allow you to follow your passions, desires, and beliefs and maximize your talents. What you are doing is building your ideal job around what you want as opposed to looking at job opportunities that come along to evaluate. Believe it or not, your ideal job actually exists in more than one way and within the personal parameters you set. You should aim to leverage your past experience and move into a more challenging role that uses that experience. While there is nothing wrong with changing to a completely new industry or career, statistically speaking, most people find that their next role utilises at least some of the components and experiences of their previous roles. What value do you bring to the organisation?
- Find out which companies have positions that meet your ideal requirements.
Consider all of the companies within the geographical area and specific industry types you have designated to discover what positions within these companies could be suitable. Do not worry about whether they have job vacancies or are in a hiring mode. Do not look at companies or roles outside of your criteria unless you are prepared to relocate or retrain.
- Evaluate the companies that have your desired jobs.
Make sure that you would want to work for these companies. They need to have integrity and treat their employees and customers in the manner you would want to be treated. Determine whether they operate in an industry that you want to work in. Can you bring passion to what they do? If not, look elsewhere… you have been warned! Accepting the first job offer that comes along because you are desperate or you need the money is a sure-fire recipe for misery… for both parties.
- Research the companies you selected.
Once again, do not be put off or discouraged if the companies are not hiring. Why? Because companies are always looking for the right employees and will have to eventually hire new employees to survive. Determine who actually makes hiring decisions, and what is important to them. Many companies disguise this information through HR departments or hiring committees. Use a Professional Recruiter who has experience in the industry, at the appropriate level of job that you want, to get you an interview or to find someone in the company who can be a liaison for you.
- Once you get in front of the decision-maker, tell them why you want to work for them in the specific jobs you chose.
Express your enthusiasm for that specific job. Don’t allow yourself to become over exposed or appear desperate by applying for every job you see. The fewer the number of job applications that you make, the better. You want them to know you can be trusted by truthfully exposing your commitment to seeking your dream job, even though they may not have an opening. You are, in essence, recruiting them to allow you to work in your dream job. Let them know that you will be very productive because you are passionate about the job, and also that you will be a very grateful and energetic employee because you will be doing what you love. You are not just asking for a job so they will pay you, but you have targeted a specific job at that company, and you are committed to making a positive contribution in that position. Do not apply for jobs that you don’t understand fully or are not qualified to do. Do not apply for jobs that are poorly worded or vague and especially do not apply to “blind adds”. If an advertiser cannot identify a contact person in their ad, or describe the role adequately, then do you really want to work there? If it sounds too good to be true it probably is!
- Identify whether there are any special skills, qualifications or previous experience that you will need to be accepted in the position.
If you do not have the required attributes or qualifications for the job, either find a way to get them beforehand or see if you can attain them within the company as an employee. This approach directs attention to what the employer wants and away from your resume compared to others' resumes. It will also show them your commitment to attaining that job.
- If necessary, be willing to take an interim job.
This way you can work on the required skills and qualifications, and you can obtain an income while you prepare for the job. You will also be in a better position to take your dream job when it becomes available.
- Get support from an expert during the job search process.
Some of the steps discussed above will probably appear to be daunting to you, which is to be expected. Enlist the help of an experienced Recruiter to discuss all of the above steps and to map out the best strategy to get your ideal job. This person should be a trusted and strong supporter of your goal, as well as someone who will offer you another perspective to assist in the execution of your plan. Getting your ideal job is an extremely important objective, and it is worth enlisting the help of someone who has the appropriate experience to help you to get it.
Final Thoughts
Employers constantly face the problem of finding and surrounding themselves with the right employees who want to work for them, whom they can trust, and who will be very productive with the least amount of supervision. You will definitely get their attention, when you recruit employers for the specific job you chose, because of your honesty, your commitment, your enthusiasm, and your desire to produce for them. In fact, you may even appear to be too good to be true. Many times the people who are filling the jobs that you want are not happy in the position. They are not producing or are causing other problems for the employers. Your request for employment for these specific jobs will give employers an option that they only dream about.
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