Want Your Dream Job Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes

Want Your Dream Job? Avoid These three Common Mistakes In at present’s saturated job market, most job seekers appear to dismiss the concept of discovering a dream job. With all of the competition on the market, they believe that landing a stable job is dreamy sufficient. But when you’re anything like this glass-half-full “Career Nerd,” you simply gained’t accept just any ol’ job. No, you want a job that lights you up, that makes an impression and that pays you what you’re value. In essence, you need your dream job. And I need to allow you to find it, so learn on to learn the three common errors dream job seekers make and how one can avoid them like the plague. 1. Applying for Jobs Online, Then Waiting for the Phone to Ring The skinny: As a profession consultant, I’ve seen job seekers swear by this method, solely to finish up with disappointing outcomes: no responses, no call-backs and no interview invitations. I’ll tell you why in two words: quick access. If you spend any period of time online, you’ll rapidly discover there’s no scarcity of career boards, job posts and company websites with online software platforms. This means just about anybody can merely log on and job hunt to their coronary heart’s content material. This also means it’s way more difficult for even essentially the most certified applicants (such as you!) to stand out. Just image it: If 400 job seekers apply to the identical dream job on-line, what are the probabilities of you standing out and getting a call-back? Pretty slim, proper? The answer: Avoid putting all your job looking eggs in a single basket Instead of limiting yourself to dream jobs on-line, diversify your job search. Start by stepping away from the computer and connecting with individuals offline. Find a approach to genuinely connect with former coworkers, bosses, classmates and friends (over lunch or espresso), and see how you can help them personally and professionally. Yes, you learn that proper: see how one can help them. Why, you ask? Because when you genuinely offer to assist others out, two issues happen: 1) you contribute to their success, and they'll doubtless reply with a robust desire to contribute to yours, and a pair of) their contribution might be the link you need to land your dream job. Win-win. 2. Standing Out for All the Wrong Reasons The skinny: You’ve lastly mustered up the courage to use in your dream job. But there’s one little problem: the stiff competitors. You know you need to stand out to get the gig, however you’re not quite sure how. Are you considering of sending a hiring supervisor an unsolicited resume with flowers, cookies or a headshot? If so, you’re not alone. Nowadays, it’s so hard for job seekers to face out that many believe they need to resort to “artistic” gimmicks to garner consideration. (Have you heard of the person who created a “please hire my spouse” billboard in Ohio?) The jury’s nonetheless out on whether or not that lady landed her dream job, however right here’s my verdict: While gimmicks may get the fleeting consideration of a hiring supervisor or the media, they may not garner the type of attention that will get you hired. Here’s why, and what to do instead: The resolution: Show off your benefit Some job seekers think sending a hiring manager flowers or cookies is a considerate gesture. But what they don’t realize is how such a gesture could also be perceived in the hiring course of. When a hiring supervisor is making an attempt to make an unbiased choice about who to rent, a gift from an applicant could also be viewed as inappropriate, aggressive and/or determined. Is that basically the way you want to come throughout? Probably not. So instead of making a billboard, baking cookies or sending roses, work on standing out on benefit alone. After all, a gimmick can solely get you so far. Start standing out by crafting a stellar resume that highlights your impressive accomplishments and skills, corresponding to itemizing industry-particular awards, certifications and superior levels that differentiate you from other candidates. You must also create a highly personalized cover letter that sells how excellent you are for the job. In other words, don’t simply repeat what’s in your resume. Instead, take it a number of steps further and explicitly tell your dream employer what evokes you about their mission and why your unique background, skill set and personality make you the right candidate for his or her place. Stop making generic, self-serving statements like, “I’m looking for a position that may make the most of my experience and assist me develop professionally.” Instead, make more explicit, employer-centered statements like, “As a committed educator, I’ve devoted my complete career to serving to my college students excel. For this purpose, I’d be honored to contribute to the work you’re doing to end academic inequality.” Lastly, when you actually need to stand out (the right means), prime all of it off with a persistently enthusiastic, responsive and thoughtful attitude. If you comply with this advice, you’ll by no means have to make use of a gimmick to stand out. three. Going After the Wrong Position The skinny Have you ever been excited to use for a job, solely to later discover out later it was a horrible match for you? Many job seekers make this mistake. They spot an enticing job submit online and, without doing an intensive investigation, put a generic cowl letter together and hit “ship.” As you possibly can think about, this method doesn’t work out too well for dream job seekers or employers as a result of it wastes valuable time. A widespread example is when job seekers apply for positions solely based on the potential pay or perks. While this will likely appear to be a good suggestion to some, this strategy considerably reduces your probabilities of touchdown your dream job. When you solely focus on earnings and benefits, you open your self up to positions that will not be very satisfying in the long term. (Click right here to tweet this thought.) Think about it: Do you really need to spend the following years at a excessive-paying job that you detest? Probably not. The answer: Avoid job hunting until you realize exactly what you’re attempting to find While this solution could sound simplistic, it’s not; you should take several key steps to get there: While discovering and touchdown your dream job could seem a bit daunting, it doesn’t need to be. If you keep away from these three frequent errors and take the above recommended steps, you’ll be nicely on your approach to touchdown a job that truly lights you up. Good luck! Have you been responsible of any of these common job search mistakes? Image: Flickr