Can you really have the job of your dreams? I believe you can. It's just a matter of applying a few key tactics. If you really drill down the reasons why most people are unhappy at their jobs, I'd be willing to bet it's because they chose the wrong place to work. They settled on the first job that came along as opposed to seeking and vetting all opportunities. Here's how to get the job of your dreams.
Post Your Resume Everywhere:
I feel like this is a given especially in this day and age, but if you haven't already done so, post your resume on the most popular job posting sites: Monster, Careerbuilder, The Ladders and Indeed. It's also important that your resume be top-notch. If you're unsure, some simple Google searches will point you in the right direction of free tips for formatting your resume.
Seek Out Staffing Agencies:
Set up a profile with as many staffing agencies as possible. A simple Google search for "Top Staffing Agencies + Your City" yields a ton of results for agencies you can contact right now. These companies are paid to find you a job, so they're highly motivated. Also, many of these agencies are looking to fill jobs with big corporate clients. Often times, these jobs are contract-to-hire. While this may not sound very desirable, it's an incredible opportunity because the vetting process is much less stringent so there's a strong likelihood that you may get your foot in the door somewhere you otherwise might not have. A contract-to-hire position is also a great opportunity for people looking for a career change.
Go Direct To The Source:
Use Bizjournals.com to find the top ranked and top rated companies in your area and in your industry. Bizjournals.com is a great resource because they rank businesses by employee satisfaction. This is a key indicator of a great place to work. Your next obvious step is to reach out to these companies for open positions. If you're getting the runaround with the human resources department do some research using Google to find management leaders in the sector of the business you'd like to work for. Once found, contact them on Linkedin with a short 2-3 sentence pitch introducing yourself, outlining your experience and skills and a request for details for open positions. In order to contact people on Linkedin outside of your network, you will need a Linkedin Premium account. If you're really serious about getting the job of your dreams, it's worth trying this tactic for at least one month.
Be Willing to Relocate:
If you're truly looking for the job of your dreams, there should be no peak and valley, and no mountain too high that you will not cross. That being said, if you're not having luck finding the job of your dreams in your area, consider broadening your search nationwide. This is especially important for young people without many obligations such as a spouse, children, or a mortgage. When you're young and without responsibilities use this time to broaden your horizons.
I hope this article was helpful. It wasn't meant to be a one-size fits all approach. It's meant to get the wheels in motion and get you thinking about the job hunting process by casting as wide a net as possible. Your objective is to create as many job opportunity streams as possible so you have the most amount of jobs to choose from. I will warn in advance that if all goes according to plan, you could be flooded with job prospects very quickly. Give yourself and the companies you come across a deadline of when you will be taking action on a job opportunity. This way you prevent yourself from carrying on this process indefinitely. It's also important to note that receiving more job opportunities is just phase one. The more important phase two is the vetting process. Just as employers will go through extreme lengths to verify your credentials and interview you to see if you're a good fit, you should be doing the same. Free services like Glassdoor.com allow you to read company reviews and ratings from current and former employees. Use this info to your advantage. Some companies will promise you the world, claim they have great employee morale, work-life balance, and it might all be one big lie. Glassdoor.com can help you get to the bottom of the truth.
Michael Price is an entrepreneur and author of What Next? The Millennial's Guide To Surviving and Thriving in the Real World. An advocate of ideas for radical change, he has received critical acclaim for his lessons in education, career, entrepreneurship, and personal finance.