Welcome to the jungle: 6 tips to find your dream job

When I quit my job my family and friends were shocked and stressed out for me having to look for a new job and let’s be honest, I was also a little worried. In the past years, I’ve been interviewing so many people and of course, I couldn’t take them all and my biggest fear was to be exactly that one not to be in the lucky bunch of people.

I had, of course, a lot of concerns as most of my fellows who want to make a difference and be happy with their job. In such a competitive world looking for a job is basically a job itself and the thought of having to wait, not receiving answers and being rejected is quite frustrating and it makes it easier for people to just postpone the job search to the morning after and just enjoy these last days of happiness.

Could you imagine something wronger? I couldn’t and as I usually do I rolled up my sleeves and started my new job: finding my next job!

Here a few tips on how to prepare yourself for your next professional life.

1.    Think positive

Yes, exactly, very simple: think positive. A positive attitude is definitely way more important than all the rest because if you don’t believe you will make it you will surely increase your chances other people will think the same as you.

When I sent my resignation letter I did it after weeks of very deep thinking. I felt like if I achieved all I could and that I was ready to take on new exciting challenges. I focused on my strengths and most importantly, on making sure the recruiters that would talk to me would only see this part of my personality.

At the end of the day when you apply for a job you are selling yourself, if you are not convinced you are the best, why should your potential employer think differently?

2.    Soldier reporting for duty, Sir

As we all know, when you are young, with limited years of experience and competing with thousands of other young people exactly like you finding a job can easily become a war. I never fancied military stuff, but if there is something I admire is its systematic organization.

Soldiers are trained to execute whatever order and they know precisely what to do in a specific situation. Without the need of enrolling, it can be useful to take inspiration from this and directly apply it to your job hunting process.

Start by asking yourself what you would really like to do and what you definitely wouldn't. Once you cleared up your mind create a database of companies you would like to work for, check what are the opportunities and in case there aren't plan an open application.

Make sure you collect some basic information about the company and the job you wish to get. Reserve some time every day to work on your job hunting and be very strict with yourself when it’s time to work.

That’s a fact: no one will ever knock at your door with a contract and a pen to sign it. You need discipline and a lot of determination to get what you want.

3.    DO take a no for an answer

Salespeople would kill me for this, but deal with that, you have to learn to get a no for an answer. Before you’ll get the perfect job you will probably receive at least one very painful No. In this case, the best thing you can do is just accept it and most importantly, learn from it.

Dare asking the recruiter why you were not hired and what - during the process - went wrong. You might find out that simply your cover letter was not good enough, or that you didn’t show your best skills during the interview. Or simply that the other person they chose fits better.

Whatever the answer will be, use it to improve in your next application.

4.    Ready, set…interview

Of course, the job hunting anxiety doesn’t end, but I admit it, every time I received an invitation for an interview I felt like something was finally going in the right direction. I was immediately more relaxed…for about 10 minutes.

After that my war mindset was already on and I was thinking about the next move. As previously outlined, I’m a bit of an organization freak, so you can easily guess what my activity would be.

Get back to my database and start collecting even more information about the company, about the employer, the employees. Recently one of my new colleagues told me they felt I was stalking them before getting hired because of I checked their Linkedin profiles.

No panic. That was just a simple routine to have a deeper understanding of what the company expects from me and prepare accordingly.

Whatever the outcome will be, your recruiter will be happy to find someone who actually understands their company.

5.    Persistence is key

Not having a job is not something many people can afford. So unless you have a trust fund somewhere, make sure you get all the motivation you need not only to apply but also to follow-up on your applications.

Keep track of your applications and if people don’t get back to you, just give them a call or an email to remind them about you. With the amounts of CVs companies receive, everything can happen. Maybe someone misread your CV or overlooked your email.

Some people will find it annoying and probably reject you immediately, but some other will appreciate your persistence and give you a chance. Remember, it’s ultimately a number game; fill your funnel with as many jobs as possible, prepare and follow-up on your leads.

Eventually, you’ll close your deal.

Finding a job is probably the most difficult job you’ll have. Just remember that if you really want to get out of your status the fastest possible way is to actually spend all your energies in making it work rather then stressing out more than necessary!

6.    Upskill yourself

Looking for a job is stressful, no doubt. But guess what? It's also a chance to work on yourself. You now have all the time in the world to take a course, read a book, connect with other professionals and improve.

Besides making you more valuable in the job market, you will also feel a lot more confident when looking for your next opportunity. Because learning has the power to open your mind, enrich yourself and eventually make you shine. So, after 1 or 2 hours applying for jobs, reserve the rest of the day to learn new skills.

How should you choose your new skills?

I would recommend to start with asking yourself what you're really passionate about. When you have your priorities straight, start by getting free knowledge around that topic. It's a great way to see if you're indeed interested in it.

If you're already set, then look for the most common skills mentioned in the job descriptions you apply for. When companies mention them, it's because they're looking for them. Get the hint?

Last, if you really can't figure out what to focus on next, look for articles like "must have skills in YOUR FIELD". Pick one to start and keep learning as soon as you're done with the first one.

UPDATE:

Since I wrote this article in 2017, many things have changed in the recruitment world, but the stress of people looking for a job definitely stayed the same. My advice for you is:

Hang in there and keep pushing. Your next opportunity is just around the corner!