How to Land a Job You Want and Love the Job You Get

Do you want to know the secret to landing a job at top-performing companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft? The answer lies in understanding the importance of personal-organizational value alignment.

Human Resources teams at the leading employers invest countless hours to ensure that candidates are the best fit for their roles by conducting behavioral interviews. Our behavior is the number one indicator of our values. Understanding your values is the first step in landing the role you want and loving the job you have. Once you understand what motivates you, you will start noticing the great projects you could be a part of, leading to a higher job satisfaction.

It all begins with self-awareness. Identifying core values is essential for professional development. Take a look at my previous article on self-assessment for guidance. Then practice setting meaningful goals that align with your personal aspirations. Feel free to reach out to me for a session if you feel lost.

Next, comes self-alignment. It is crucial to evaluate personal values against those of your potential employer before you start preparing for an interview. This comparison allows you to assess the compatibility and potential longevity of a job. Look for synergies between your aspirations and what the potential employer seeks in their leaders.

Let's explore a real-life application of this concept. I will compare two of my personal values, Exploration and Curiosity, with Amazon's organizational principles. This exercise should illustrate the compatibility and benefits for both me as an employee and Amazon as an employer if we were to enter into an employment contract.

1. Learn and Be Curious: Amazon values leaders who continuously seek self-improvement and embrace learning, which aligns with my curiosity value. This alignment between my personal curiosity and Amazon's emphasis on continuous learning promotes growth and exploration.
2. Invent and Simplify: Amazon's value of innovation and invention correlates with my value of exploration. My inclination to try new things and seek out new experiences aligns with Amazon's expectation for leaders to drive innovation and find ways to simplify, fostering a creative and forward-thinking work environment.
3. Bias for Action: My value of exploration also aligns with Amazon's bias for action. Both values emphasize the importance of taking calculated risks and embracing a proactive approach to drive results.
4. Deliver Results: While exploration and curiosity are important values, Amazon also prioritizes delivering results. My ability to balance exploration and curiosity with a focus on achieving outcomes aligns with Amazon's expectation for leaders to deliver key inputs with the right quality and timeliness.

Aligning your principles with those of a potential employer is paramount in securing and loving your job. By understanding your aspirations and goals, you can make informed choices that lead to joy, fulfillment, and success in your career. This translates into proactively communicating your aspirations to your leadership, taking up projects that resonate with you, and achieving outstanding results in work you are passionate about.

Take a moment to ponder: Which of the projects you will work on today align with your aspirations?