6 Steps to Landing Your Dream Job

By Nate Desmond Dream job

The average hiring manager frequently receives 250+ resumes within a 48 hour period. At best, your resume may get ten seconds to grab his attention.

With these statistics, is it any wonder that the popular tactic of resume flooding doesn’t work?

Thankfully, all is not lost.

On the contrary, proactive job hunting is just as effective as ever. By actively marketing yourself to your target companies, you still can land your dream job.

1. Define Your Dream Job

What is your dream job?

If asked, many people would say describe it as “an accounting position in a medium sized business” or a “social marketing position for a large corporation”. While these may seem like good descriptions at first blush, they actually fail to be useful in practical job hunting.

Instead, define your dream job with as much specificity as possible.

For instance, “A social marketing position in Seattle, Washington with a clear growth path at X, Y, or Z companies”. Now, you know exactly which positions to target and which to ignore.

By defining your dream job as narrowly as possible, you will be better able to target the correct opportunities.

2. Know the Real Requirements

Once you have a position chosen, begin investigating the real requirements of the job.

When you do not meet the official qualifications, you really have two choices. If you know that you really do have the necessary knowledge and just are lacking in the official certification, you can still try to get the position. In technical fields like accounting or medicine, you really wouldn’t be able to do this, but in less technical fields like marketing you might stand a fairly good chance.

If you are looking for a technical position or you simply know that you don’t have the required knowledge, then you will need to either look for a different position for now or take the time to get the needed education. Through our program here at CollegePlus!, you have the opportunity to study for your degree while working in a job or internship that will give you valuable experience.

3. Create a Specific Plan

Once you have decided on a particular job to target, it is time to market yourself.

First, try to find someone you know who works at that company already. If you use LinkedIn (you should!), you can easily search by company to find friends or friends of friends who work at your target company. Take these people out for coffee and ask them about company culture and the hiring process.

Perfect your resume to show that you meet the needs of that specific position. Based on your conversations with current employees, you should know the unspoken needs of the company. By addressing these needs as well as those mentioned on the job description, you can make your resume stand out to the hiring manager.

4. Get Internal Recommendations

Particularly within small- or medium-sized companies, internal recommendations can carry a lot of weight.

After you have sent in your resume, ask your contacts within the company to send the hiring manager their recommendations. Because these are coming from people that the hiring manager knows, they will have a much larger effect than a recommendation from a stranger.

If at all possible, try to get internal recommendations.

5. Ace the Interview

Assuming that the hiring manager chooses you for an interview, prepare to excel in the interview. Not only should you be prepared to answer their questions, but you should have some of your own.

Remember, the company is not just choosing you, but you are choosing them also.

After the interview, send a follow up (either mail or email) thanking the interviewer(s) for the opportunity and re-emphasizing your interest in the position and the company.

6. Repeat If Necessary

While these strategies can greatly increase your chances of being hired, you should not be disappointed if you do not get hired the first time around. If you get as far as the interview but don’t get hired, ask them for a little feedback and analyze what – if anything – went wrong.

Then find another position and start the process over.

How did you get your current position?

Nate Desmond I'm a Christian young man working on my BSBA in Accounting and writing blog posts in my spare time. I enjoy learning how to do things faster and better... whether through new keyboard shortcuts, world record holding shoelace knots, or motion study.

Follow @collegeplus