Landing My Dream Job!

I practice gratitude daily, and as a way of celebrating my dream job, I often post gratitudes that start with "Today I love Asana because..." and share about my day. Today, I wrote that I love Asana because I love working with people who love their work... because there's an energy, a vibration, a buzz felt being with people who love what they do. I find myself smiling a lot! Many days I post about the free food -- which is ridiculously yummy!

How'd you land your dream job?

Since starting two months ago, so many people have asked me about my journey to my dream job! How'd I do it? When we are blessed in life, I believe it's our responsibility to pay it forward, so below are the steps I took, which were right for me. Feel free to take what works for you, and leave the rest. Searching for a dream job is, in itself, a full-time job. But it's worth the energy and effort to find a place and career where we fit. Because when we feel like we belong, there is no stopping us in becoming the greatest versions of ourselves and doing our best work for people, companies and the planet. So, how'd I do it? In short, it took feistiness, courage, humility and a sprinkle of magic!

1. We must believe it to receive it

This is our humility, to come to know deep inside that we are worthy of receiving all that we dream for; if our wishes are coming from the deepest parts of our soul, then could it be that the Universe/God/Goddess wants that for us too? We are worthy of all of our dreams coming true, simply because we are alive. This first step is crucial: we must find our worthiness before anything else can succeed.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson

This journey began during a tea party with my sister and dear friend, who, with a little tough love, reminded me of my worth. I knew that I wanted more from my career, in particular, my husband and I have a goal to buy a modest home one day. The dream is to create a sanctuary of love, laughter and connection -- where all who enter feel seen and celebrated, and a place where we can gather on Christmas/also-my-birthday, that's large enough for our friends and family. My dream required me to step outside my comfort zone. So I took a leap of faith with this courageous rite of passage to symbolize my willingness to go for it!

2. Shoot for the Moon and Land Among the Stars

A vision board is our prayer to the Universe! There is magic in creating the boldest vision of what we desire and gives us and the Universe a roadmap of truth. I usually create a large vision board with magazine clippings but this process moved quickly so I wrote down my dreamiest job in as much detail as I could muster. Then I hung it up where I'd see it every day, and carried small copies in my purse and on my phone so I could focus on it as I went through the day (and so my subconscious could work at manifesting it.) This also helps guide us towards what we desire and away from what we don't. Say a little prayer, sprinkle a little glitter and voila! Your dream job is here. BTW: it all came true, plus more!

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!” - William Hutchison Murray

3. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

Champion teams win because they work together to achieve their goal. Let's get our dream team assembled. These are the people who will root us on, celebrate our milestones, lift us up when we're down, and coach us to success. Different people may play different roles for us; talk to those closest to you. Share your vision with them, ask them to be a part of your dream team and then ask them for help! Remember that the road to success is not a straight line; we'll have successful days (nailed that interview!) and challenging days (not moving forward in the process - boo). Having people at the ready to celebrate with us and offer support on the challenging days will keep us going. My dream team had an ongoing Marco Polo chat and group texts that we kept going during the process.

4. Know Thyself; Then Communicate Your Brand

I never really understood what this meant until recently. In basic terms this is -- who are you, and what unique gifts are you bringing to the table? I started asking myself what I was all about and I looked at my life. I've basically been a do-gooder all my life; that's where my passion lies and where I get joy and energy from -- so my mission statement was a natural fit: My mission in life is to be a positive force of good in the world. BAM! In EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I do in this world, whether work or personal, this is who I am. Next, I crafted my value proposition using themes from my recommendations on LinkedIn; I honed my resume, updated my website, got new headshots done by the amazing Shanti (yes, I'll pitch her 'cuz she rocks and is a super great human too), updated my wardrobe with clothes I felt amazing in, then I customized a resume packet for each job I applied for. Recruiting professionals look at a resume for 10 seconds; we have to interest them enough to keep reading and be willing to get to know us. Being our most authentic selves, and communicating who we are and what we bring to the table is the best way to do that, IMHO.

5. Never Give Up, Then Trust The Universe

In addition to the hundreds of resumes I sent out, I applied 10 times unsuccessfully for various roles at an East Bay SAAS company (feistiness). I persevered because I was sure that they were the right place for me and I for them: successful products, they'd won Great Place to Work awards, they have a high employee rating on Glassdoor, they allow dogs at work, they do wonderful work in the community and I knew employees that loved working there. They checked all my boxes. But... they never saw me. The declines were tough and I took them very hard. At one point, it sunk in: if they don't see me, then they don't deserve me. So I moved on and within a short time, I was hired at Asana. I feel totally seen and celebrated at Asana. The lesson: persevere and go after what you believe is right for you, but then trust the universe. Rejection is spiritual redirection. We don't know what we don't know. Had I accepted a role at another company, I would have missed the awesomeness of Asana; I can't imagine being any other place now!

“Rejection is spiritual redirection. The Universe knows what's best for us and will work to manifest it beyond our wildest dreams!”

“If the door doesn't open, it's not your door. Yours will come.”

6. Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken

We all have gifts and talents to bring to this world. Know what gifts you bring and then shine your light as bright as you can. There is someone in the world that needs your special kind of light. During interviews, be yourself and prepare well. This reminds me of my dear friend Monica, who is a dancer. She learns her routines, step by step, through repetition. Then once she has the routine down with muscle memory, she can relax into the movement of the dance, becoming one with the music ~ floating on the stage and entrancing all of us into her magical dance poetry. Prepping for an interview is like a dance. Learn your routine -- know all of the answers to, "Tell me about a time when..." and prepare thoughtful questions about the role and the company. (You're interviewing them, too!). Be ready and be curious. Then, lean into your flow confidently and be yourself. I still remember my interviews with my team. I felt so in my flow and connected to them -- we laughed, told stories and had the best time together. At one point after the interviews, I surprised myself by saying out loud, "I met my new team today." (Intuitive knowing?) The interviews at Asana were the most fun I've ever had on interviews. These are some of my favorite peeps!

7. Negotiate for a Win Win

After 2 months, I had three offers on the table.

My first offer was Google. I still remember the olives from the olive trees squishing beneath my feet as I paced up and down on the sidewalk when the recruiter called. The offer was generous; they were pushing hard for me. Plus bonus. Plus relocation stipend. Plus stock. Plus bennies up the gazoo. After the call, I called my sister because I was in shock. For the first time in a long time, I felt totally seen and valued in a way that would immediately and positively impact my life; it blew my mind. I was humbled and shocked; that night I cried happy tears because they get me!

A week later, I was offered a job on the spot by Ancestry.

But the night before, I got a call from Annalise to offer me the chance to come work at Asana. The offer was competitive, generous and she started our conversation with testimonials from my future teammates about why they're excited to have me on the team. Whaaaaa!?! (Recruiters: pro tip!) I asked questions, jumped up and down in my heart, negotiated a few things and the next day, accepted the offer. Best professional decision ever!

In summary: be willing to request what you want and need, and then be open to negotiating for a win win. Asana has many of the bennies that Google touts, but they have something that Google couldn't offer -- a team of people that I connected with and that I was super stoked to hang with every day. And yes, they have competitive salaries too! But nothing can compare to hanging with your (new) besties every day, doing the work to help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.

8. Celebrate and Say Thank You

There were many people to thank: my friends and family who were part of my dream team, people in my network that sent emails, took time to answer my questions, or gave references. All of them got a handwritten thank you card mailed to their home with a small gift card inside. When someone goes out of their way for us, let's thank them and show them that their effort made a difference! ("I landed my dream job, yo! Thank you!")

For my soon-to-be teammates, I sent this gift basket to them, celebrating their willingness to trust in me, and because -- truthfully -- I could not contain my excitement! In case you're wondering, these stuffed animals are celebration creatures that fly through the screen in Asana whenever a task is completed. Unicorns, Narwhals and Yetis - oh my! LOL

My hope in sharing this is to inspire others to go after their dreams! I wish you feistiness, courage, humility and a sprinkle of magic as you work towards your next career (and life) adventure!

“Don't ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman

Task: Landing My Dream Job > ? complete!

I want to thank Emma, who I now refer to as my angel. She reviewed my application and recommended me for what is now my current role. Her willingness to look beyond my application to see me as a whole person is another reason I love Asana, and why Asana is such a special place to work.

If something resonated with you, please feel free to share this and/or comment below on how you found your dream job!

P.S. We're hiring! It's a great time to land your dream job at Asana! Reach out to me if you're interested in a referral or just to chat!