Whether you’re in that hectic last semester or have recently been hit by the economic crash, chances are you’ve found yourself scrolling through a list of jobs online that aren’t exactly what you had in mind for yourself.
I know, I get it. Your parents are still under the impression that a college degree gets you a cube and a $50,000 paycheck, but it doesn’t exactly work that way anymore.
Maybe you wanted to market P&G’s products. Or to be an engineer at NASA. Maybe you wanted to teach math in that recognized school district on the other side of the freeway.
The Wrong Mindset
Then WHY are you submitting 8 resumes a day to do other jobs? I know why because I’ve been there. I wanted to escape so bad I found myself saying, “Hmmm, I have no restaurant experience, but how hard can it be. Says here they have a training program. I bet I can knock this application out in 15-20 minutes, and go back to feeling sorry for myself.”
I know what you’re thinking, and something IS better than nothing, but it CAN’T be your first step.
Your Strengths Leave You Energized
The first step is to determine what you want to do. Really want to do.
What you really want to do and what you are the most competent at might be two different things. I adhere to Marcus Buckingham’s approach that your strengths aren’t what you’re best at, it’s what makes you happy, what leaves you excited.
If you can mix fancy chemicals to magically make skin tags disappear, but that bores you to death then maybe you don’t want to be a chemist. And maybe you aren’t very good at Photoshop, but each time you create a logo that looks a little bit better than the last, it leaves you walking on air. Perhaps graphic design is your strength.
Pick 1-3 jobs you’d really love to have, jobs that leave you energized after a long day.
Here’s the catch. Maybe someone else is already in that role, maybe it doesn’t exist yet. The point is to pick a couple and then figure out how you can get there. And it may take awhile. That’s when you can go revisit your ‘something is better than nothing’ strategy, but not yet.
Take Action:
- Determine what it is you really want to do.
- Pick 1-3 dream jobs. (Be realistic for your station in life. You won’t be GM of the NY Jets if you’re fresh out of school.)
- Learn everything you can about those jobs and understand how your skills are pertinent to that position. If you don’t have the necessary skills, start acquiring them.
- Find someone who has been in that position, is currently in that position, would know a lot about that position and reach out to them. Tell them you’re interested and that you’d love to learn more. (I’ve found they’re typically busy, but flattered you’ve reach out, and will try to help.)
- Finally, using the skills you’ve determined to be relevant, newly acquired skills, etc. and the knowledge you’ve gained from interviewing/shadowing/asking tons of questions find a way stand out.
We’ll talk about some of the ways you can stand out next week. Don’t read this and nod your head and go right back to Monster.com – start taking action right now. Set the wheels in motion because dream jobs don’t happen overnight.
What did I miss? What questions do you have about your job searching experience that I could potentially help with/write about in this series?
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This blog started primarily as a marketing blog, but now I write much more about work/life, social psychology, health and happiness. I will also continue to explore top performers (authors, entrepreneurs, business leaders and more) and dissect what we can take away to be top performers in our own work and personal lives.
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Let’s say you get a nibble, maybe even a couple phone interviews, for one of those dream jobs, but are ultimately rejected. Do you keep trying with the same company and/or role… Or do you reexamine?
The pond is deep right now with talent, drive and experience. Rejection will seemingly happen more often than not. How do you handle it?
Great question Andy.
I’d like to talk about a couple of different things with respect to your question in future posts, but I’ll answer in short form here.
1.) If you’ve gotten a nibble and/or a phone interview then that’s awesome. You’re on the radar. If you weren’t chosen the important thing will be to follow up and continue building that rapport.
I’ve had a lot of great opportunities come from original rejections or just “we don’t currently have any openings right now.” If they liked you, and you’re strategically persistent, you have a great shot at a gig down the road OR a referral somewhere else from that contact.
2.) There is a time and a place where you need to get A job and then start orchestrating your career towards the dream job. I’ll share some stuff and talk about this during this series as well.
3.) It’s easy to get discouraged by rejection, but if you take it as an opportunity to learn (i.e. a simple e-mail = Thank you for your time. I hope you found a great fit. I was curious if you could provide some tips that may help me in the future based on your experience interacting with me during this process).
Learn from every opportunity, and leverage it for the next time.
I really enjoyed reading this article. You gave excellent tips and strategies to help a person achieve their dream job. I have always heard “do what your the best at!” However, your opinion is to do what you like the best! The thing that leaves you, as you say, “walking on air.” This is so refreshing to my ears! Finally, someone who gets it! It’s not always about what your greatest strengths are but it’s about what your passionate about! My parents should read this! Thanks for taking the time to write this! I’m a college student and haven’t started applying for jobs yet, but when that time comes, I’ll remember this! Without a doubt, it’ll help and encourage many more!
I prefer to cry in my scotch (neat) while clicking through jobs like there’s no tomorrow.
Why is that not on your list?
.-= Tyler Hurst´s last blog ..The word of the day is scenius =-.
This is actually a viable option. One alternative though is to print out like 20 pages of job openings from Monster, Indeed, etc. Hang these print outs on your wall and then spin around 5-10x really fast and toss a dart. Whichever one it hits, provided it hits one, that’s the job you should go far.
*Caution – When performing this exercise, refrain from drinking the scotch.
I was just talking about this in regards to clients. There is PR client work that I do well, but I absolutely loathe doing it. The funny thing that ends up happening is that even if you are good at a particular job/skill, if you don’t like doing it you eventually won’t do it well. You’ll procrastinate it, do the bare minimum and resent the work the whole time.
People notice eventually.
.-= Elisa´s last blog ..The Art Of The Vouch =-.
And conversely. If you love what you do, you’ll consequently work your ass off, and more often than not you’ll find a way to make it more profitable than you ever imagined.