3 Steps to Finding Your Dream Job

3 Steps to Finding Your Dream JobWe talk a lot about combing job posts, grooming your resume, and sharpening your interview skills. These are definitely important techniques, but they may not be worth all the stress if youre not also taking a look at yourself and your future to decide what you really want to be when you grow up. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Here are some tips on how to find not just a job for you, butthe job for you.1. Know YourselfWhat do you actually want? What do you like doing? What is your largest priority in finding a workplace? Is it the day-to-day responsibilities that need to feel most meaningful? The flexibility it allows you to have in your home life? These priorities can change over time, of course, but its important to take a really honest look at yourself before you get started.Ask yourself these questionsWhat would you be doing if money wasnt an option?What industries would allow you to involve that ski ll or field in your day to day work?Do you like working closely and collaboratively with others?Do you prefer autonomy and independence?How interested are you in management opportunities?Do you like the set of skills youve currently amassed or do you need to pursue new, more exciting areas of learning?2. Model SuccessYou know how geese migrate with the seasons, flying in those characteristic V patterns? They do that to share the burden of flying right in the face of the wind.It is okay to be the second goose in the V. Really.The real-life translation of this avian metaphor is simply, find someone whos doing what you want to do be doing. Learn from them. Ask about the challenges theyve faced and the lessons theyve learned as they overcame them. See if theyre actually as happy in their current situation as you imagine they are from the outside.I have a mentor whos doing exactly the kind of work I thought I always wanted to be doingbut once I saw how much effort she put in and how litt le that work was valued by her colleagues or her supervisors, I decided to change course, keep my eggs in multiple baskets, and make sure I had a fall-back plan in case all that effort started to feel like it wasnt well spent on my chosen career path.3. Find 2-3 Companies that Amaze YouThis is what my mom did when she went back to work after staying home with my little brother. Shed had a few years of clerk and paralegal work when I was very young, then shed taken that time away. When it was time to make her way back into the workforce, she started by researching local companies with openings that shared values with the government agency where she really wanted to land. Picking out immediate places to apply based on long-term priorities helped her get started in a large corporate office and bring her computer and legal knowledge up to speed, making hera shoo-in when she finally saw an opening at her ideal job.Now shes been there for nearly 20 years. The advice she always gives me, a nd I hate hearing, is to look for places where you want to work and get on their radargert before theyre searching for applicants. As soon as that job posting goes up, you could have hundreds of other resumes to compete with get in there for an informational interview or on a word-of-mouth referral, and youre going to stand out.The Secret To Discovering Your Dream JobRead More at Careerealism