Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job

Today’s job market requires more than filling out applications. It requires knowing how to market yourself. If you don’t know where to start, Find Your Dream Job guest Liesl Forve says to start by thinking about each job you’ve had and which parts you were most successful at. Then, make a list of your skills and another list of the things you don’t want to do. That should help you narrow down what...

If you don’t have a good work-life balance, you will deal with higher stress levels and less satisfaction at work. How do you find a job with a focus on that balance? Find Your Dream Job guest Marcett Banks says you begin by knowing what’s important to you outside of work. What are the things you need time for? Marcett urges honesty when speaking to hiring managers about the time you need for thes...

We hear about the importance of using LinkedIn as a networking tool and for finding a great job. But why is it so crucial, and how do you use it exactly? Find Your Dream Job guest Omar Garriott says you begin by making LinkedIn a daily habit. You can’t go there once a week only to see what new jobs are available. Omar also suggests building a proactive network on the platform and optimizing your p...

When your life changes, whether through becoming a parent or something else, you need an employer who cares about your needs. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Rae Rawls Dunnaville (http://linkedin.com/in/raedunnaville) shares how she used her connections to find the perfect job for her changing needs, and why she applied for a job that she may not have sought out. Rae also talks abou...

It can seem like the most natural thing to do; you want a job, so you dive into the deep end and spend 40+ hours a week on your search. Why is that a bad idea? Find Your Dream Job guest Emily Wong says you don’t need to pile additional stress on top of a full-time job. Treat your search like a project; devote a certain number of hours a week to it, and assign specific tasks to those hours. Emily a...

You have clarity on your next job; you know the company and the position that will be your dream come true. How do you get your foot in the door? Find Your Dream Job guest Mike Stroud is here to share his tips, beginning with tailoring your resume. Show the alignment between your past experience and the job requirements. Mike also says you need to stand out from the crowd. Show the employer why th...

It’s not unusual to switch careers several times in your life, but your first time can be nerve-wracking. Find Your Dream Job guest José Miguel Longo is here to explain how to handle the process with ease. Begin with an assessment of your skills and values and how they align with the industry you’d like to pursue. José says you have to be prepared to take action to change careers; do your resear...

There are many reasons you may have had a negative work experience; the question is, how do you communicate it to a hiring manager without sounding vindictive or like you’re hiding something? Find Your Dream Job guest Stephanie Heath says it’s crucial to be honest because the truth will out. Stephanie suggests owning your part, not over-sharing, and venting with a friend before an interview. Spend...

Do you get nervous before and during an interview? That’s natural, says Find Your Dream Job guest John Neral. After all, you want the job, right? But John says there’s a better way to approach an interview; simply having coffee and conversing with a colleague. The most important thing you can do is show the hiring manager exactly how you can help them solve the problems they need to be solved and...

A job search can be grueling. Hours and hours spent on perfecting your resume, sending in applications, networking, and interviewing can take their toll. What if you paced yourself and went a bit slower but you were more focused on what you wanted? On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Jenny Affan (http://linkedin.com/in/jennyaffan) shares how she decided what was important to her in her...

Are you ready to answer the question, “How have you handled failure in past positions?” If not, you’re not ready for behavioral interview questions. These questions aren’t about memorizing answers, says Find Your Dream Job guest Porschia Parker-Griffin. These questions are a chance to share your accomplishments. Hiring managers want results; sharing your results shows them what they can expect fro...

Seven seconds. That’s how much time a recruiter spends on an initial resume scan. What can you do to make those seven seconds count? Find Your Dream Job guest Keirsten Greggs says you start by having all the important facts in the right place. Share your experience and the specific, positive ways you impacted your previous employer. Keirsten also recommends focusing on how your past experience wou...

For the first time in decades, there are more jobs open than people who want them. What does this mean for you? It means that you now have the freedom to pursue what you truly want instead of settling for what you can get. Find Your Dream Job guest Sha Lee Hornsby says now is the perfect time to make the career change you’ve been putting off. Flexibility is more available than ever, and employers...

Hiring managers are sorting through hundreds of applications for each job opening they post. What can you do to stand out enough to gain an interview or get hired? Find Your Dream Job guest Jackie Dunckley says to begin with purpose. Know what you want and have a plan for how to make it happen. Jackie also stresses the necessity of using your network. One way to do this is by building a robust Lin...

If there is a specific company or field you want to get into, how long are you willing to persevere to get there? What if you get multiple interviews over several years with this company but never get called back? On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Judge Kemp (https://www.linkedin.com/in/judge-kemp-20366917/) shares how he used the power of perseverance to get his dream job. Judge also...

If you don’t have interviewing experience, you might wonder how to succeed at them. But if you’ve ever been on a date, there are lessons you can transfer to the world of job seeking. Find Your Dream Job guest, Matthew Sorensen, says don’t go too deep, too fast with your questions, and under no circumstances should you focus on your ex (employer.) If you get an offer, respond with enthusiasm, even...

You don’t have to be nervous about interview questions if you know what to expect. But how can you predict what the hiring manager will ask? It’s simple, says Find Your Dream Job guest Max Chan. Most positions have common questions that are asked in every interview, so prepare for those ahead of time by studying the job ad. Then, have some general career success stories that you can pull out and t...

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” It may be a cliche, but when interviewing for a job, it’s true. Those first few minutes make a lasting impression in the hiring manager’s mind, so you have to use them to your advantage. Find Your Dream Job guest Priscilla Weninger Bulcha says you need to connect your experience and vision with the position. Share the reasons you’re excit...

You’ve been offered a job and you’re seriously considering accepting but the salary isn’t quite what you had hoped for. Do you just accept? Or do you negotiate? Research shows that if you’re a woman, you likely won’t negotiate. According to Find Your Dream Job guest Tejal Wagadia, women fear repercussions of negotiating salary. But employers expect it, so you need to learn to do it well. Be the fi...

Not many people enjoy networking, but what if it looked different than you imagine? What if, instead of walking into a large gathering, it looked like taking someone to lunch? On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Jake Neilson (http://linkedin.com/in/jakeneilson) shares how regular lunch dates with someone in a company he wanted to pursue led to the job of his dreams. He also talks about...

You’re ready to make a change in your career but you’re not sure of the exact direction you want to take. Your vision should lead to opportunities to better your position over time. If you don’t know where to begin, Find Your Dream Job guest Sonja Price suggests utilizing a career coach. The right coach can help you determine your path and get clarity on what your goals are. If it’s time for the n...

You feel unhappy at work but you aren't sure what to do about it. Should you look for a new job, or change careers entirely? Find Your Dream Job guest Al Dea says you begin by figuring out what’s causing the unhappiness. Dig down into the nitty-gritty details of what you don’t like about your job. Then, think about what would be a happy workday for you. Are there changes you can make at your curre...

You need a job and you need it now. So it can be frustrating when you apply for positions, maybe even have interviews, and then don’t hear anything back. What do you do? Find Your Dream Job guest Brenda Abdilla is here to tell us how to reach out to hiring managers in a way that shows you’re on their team. Brenda shares the chaos that some companies are facing due to the labor shortage and why tha...

Gaps on a resume are no longer the red flag they used to be; the COVID pandemic has made gaps more common. But how do you talk about your gaps? Find Your Dream Job guest Esther Leonard says you have to be honest. Share (as much as you feel comfortable) about why you have the gap, but also any skills you built during your absence from the workforce. Esther advises continuing to network and build yo...

Do you ever leave an interview feeling like the hiring manager knows nothing about you? That’s a response we hear often. How can you answer common interview questions while leaving an impression on the interviewer? Find Your Dream Job guest Madeline Mann says you begin by choosing stories and accomplishments that are relevant to the role you’re interviewing for. Next, Madeline advises showing how...