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

You’ve got a job offer, and the salary is more than you expected. You can’t wait to accept. Hold on a sec, says Find Your Dream Job guest Crystal Granger. You need to ask for 24-72 hours to think about it. Crystal says every employer expects you to take this time to think through what you need in a full benefits package before accepting their offer. Consider your expenses, taxes, and what this off...

Why should you pay attention to the job market if you aren’t looking for a new job? On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Bridget Bimrose (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-bimrose/) shares why she continued to network and look at job boards while happy in her career. Bridget says she wasn’t expecting her dream job to pop up on one of those job boards. But when it did, she was ready to...

You’ve had a bad day at work, and so you go home, jump on the Mac’s List job board, and start sending in as many applications as you can. Why isn’t this a good idea? Because this tactic will never get you the job you actually desire, says Find Your Dream Job guest Brandi Oldham. Instead of firing off a hundred generic resumes, Brandi suggests taking some time to discover what you really want in a...

As a job seeker, what should you expect in the way of communication from the employer? Find Your Dream Job guest Kevin Grossman says you should expect timely communication, whether you’re a candidate for the position or not. And if your candidate experience is not a positive one, but you are offered the position, should you take it? Kevin says, not so fast; you need to consider whether the company...

Fear is a common emotion when you’re in a job search. Fear of the unknown, fear of making a mistake, and fear of not meeting an employer’s expectations. What do you do if you’re frozen in fear? Find Your Dream Job guest Connie Steele says you start by asking where the fear is coming from. Is it legitimate? If so, Connie says, you can begin to address any specifics that are in your control. Connie’...

The most effective resume is one that is targeted for the specific job you want. Your resume should match the skills, experience, and background the company is looking for. How do you create a resume like this? Find Your Dream Job guest Heather McBride says the first step is understanding how to highlight the skill sets the employer is looking for. Heather also stresses that your resume is not the...

Statistics show that more jobs are gained through referrals than in any other way. How do you ensure that your network will refer you for positions that would be a good fit for you? On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Natalie Roger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieroger/) shares how keeping in touch with former colleagues helped her find positions. Natalie is also a big believer in u...

Are you feeling demoralized by rejection in your job search? Has the “numbers game” made you feel like a loser? There is a better way to find your next position, and Find Your Dream Job guest Stephanie Mansueto says it’s by being picky. Stop applying for every job you’re qualified for and figure out which jobs you can be competitive for. What skills and experience do you have that take you to the...

If you walk into an interview without knowing your audience, chances are, you give generic answers to specific questions. What is the alternative?  Find Your Dream Job guest Kisha Hicks suggests it’s understanding the different levels of interviews and knowing who you’re speaking to. Kisha shares how to prepare for interviews without feeling overwhelmed, how to differentiate between different leve...

You’re ready to find your dream job, so you’re sending out hundreds of applications every week. But is that the best strategy? Find Your Dream Job guest Mark Allred says no, it’s not. Mark’s advice is to take some time to get clarity on what you have to offer, what your dream job would look like, and which companies can offer you the work environment that meets your top priorities. Once you know t...

Are you getting interviews but no offers? Maybe it’s time to change tactics and figure out how to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Find Your Dream Job guest Lena Sernoff says it’s crucial to show what sets you apart. Others may have similar skills, but you have unique passions and experiences. Do your research to discover which of your experiences best speak to the employer’s needs. A...

If you go into a job search with low self-confidence, it could affect whether you get a job offer. But the job search process itself can be demoralizing. Find Your Dream Job guest John Tarnoff is here to share how to be more confident by clarifying what you bring to the table. John has four specific questions to ask yourself- what do I do best; what do I love to do; what does the world need; what...

Job loss can be a great opportunity to examine whether you’re in the right field. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Jenny Mack-Christensen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennymackaben/) tells how she used the time between jobs to affirm that she wanted to stay in marketing. She used informational interviews to explore other career fields, but Jenny says she ultimately decided to level u...

If you’re sending out hundreds of resumes every week and getting no interviews, Find Your Dream Job guest Mary Southern has some advice for you. Stop. You have to create unique resumes for each position you apply for. Mary gives advice on how to fill out each section of a resume strategically, as well as how to talk about your career achievements. Storytelling makes you stand out as a candidate, a...

One way to stand out above other applicants is by telling a compelling story- your career story. But research shows that only 35% of applicants write a cover letter. Find Your Dream Job guest Scott Clyburn says you need to use that cover letter to create a “greatest hits'' list of your career achievements. Distill your accomplishments down to those that had the most success. Curate your resume to...

The opposite of not getting a job offer is receiving multiple offers. How do you handle not knowing which offer to accept? And what if you make a decision you regret later? Find Your Dream Job guest Martin McGovern shares what to do if you find yourself in this position. Martin says your first step is to slow down. You don’t have to give an answer immediately. Next, only share what has to be share...

Self-criticism can be a success killer for a job seeker. It causes you to feel like a failure before you begin and encourages you to hide your true self. How do you overcome this? Find Your Dream Job guest Victoria Hepburn suggests beginning by listing your strengths and weaknesses. Then, assess which of the weaknesses actually need to be addressed and which are simply limiting beliefs. Once you k...

Have you had a series of jobs, but they don’t feel like exactly what you want? If you want to find your dream job, you have to get clear on what kind of job would be the perfect fit for you. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job , Jasmin Huila (https://www.linkedin.com/in/huilaj/) shares why her first positions out of college weren’t the right fit, how she finally made decisions on what she...

If you’re a job seeker, you’re likely using LinkedIn to help you find your next position, but are you using it to its full capacity? Find Your Dream Job guest Orlando Haynes says visibility creates opportunity, so the more eyes you get your content in front of, the more connections you can make. Orlando suggests experimenting with text, audio, and video to gain attention. But don’t just share anyt...

Some say the cover letter is dead, but that’s not true, according to Find Your Dream Job guest Nicole Fortner. Nicole says that a well-written cover letter can increase your chances by at least 40%. The key, says Nicole, is using keywords from the job posting and keeping it concise, no more than 3-4 paragraphs. Be sure to prioritize your hard skills and share how you can elevate the company and th...

Maybe you have a LinkedIn profile, and you occasionally scroll your homepage on the platform, but there are other things you can do to use LinkedIn to assist you in finding your next job. Find Your Dream Job guest Karen Sharp-Price shares her top tips for using LinkedIn in ways you may not have thought of. It all starts with optimizing your profile, making connections, and using those connections...

How do you keep pressing forward when rejection makes you want to quit? Find Your Dream Job guest Larnell Vickers suggests using rejection to do the deeper work of understanding who you are and what you want. Rejection can help you define your value as a person and learn how to better express your work ethic. It can also help you to grow in perseverance and resilience. Larnell also reminds us that...

Should you wait until you need a new job to explore openings? Absolutely not, according to Shelby Danzer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelby-danzer/), our guest on this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job . Shelby found her current position by maintaining a list of companies she’d be interested in working at and regularly perusing their job boards. And she highly recommends making your own short...

Nothing is more frustrating for a job seeker than to think an interview went well and then to find out that someone else got the job. If this is happening to you on a regular basis, it could be a matter of not being prepared enough. Find Your Dream Job guest Lorraine Rise suggests sharing a few examples of career success that address the specific challenges of the open position. Be specific in you...

Job postings haven’t changed much in the last century; postings from 1920 look suspiciously similar to those of 2020. But skills, requirements, and culture have changed drastically during that time. Find Your Dream Job guest Kat Kibbens shares how to figure out what an employer really wants by deciphering outdated job posting language. Online tools, clarity on what you’re looking for, and the abil...