How to Land Your Dream Job (5 Simple Steps, + Resources)
Everybody wants to land their “dream job,” and everyone has more than likely thought about what that job looks like and are using that description to hunt down opportunities.
So, we know what we want, but do we know HOW to get it? I come from a unique background that has completely changed my thinking on how to get hired and land an opportunity – so much so, that I genuinely believe that resumes and cover letters are “out of date” and “old fashioned” (thanks to the Praxis program and Crash).
In fact, I’m about to say something pretty controversial in today’s world:
The resume is dead.
Pretty much everybody has a college degree, everybody has a resume, and anyone can write a cover letter.
Unfortunately, those things just don’t cut it anymore – these are different times. Today, if you want to be noticed, you have to show and prove your worth – not just tell people about it.
If you want to stand out, follow these steps I’ve been learning over the past few years. I’ve implemented them in my own job searches to successfully land myself every one of my professional job opportunities, and I know countless others who have done the same.
1 – Do Your Research
Find out as much about the company as you can and make a list of questions you want to ask during the interview process. Remember, you’re interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing you.
Who is the hiring manager? What are the company’s core values (what do they stand for and what’s their culture like)? What is their product/service? Why is it important/what problem does it solve? Where can you add value?
Once you’ve done your initial research, look into what roles they’re hiring. Does the description get you excited? Why? In that role specifically, what can you do in the first 30 days to add value to the company?
If, after looking into this company and asking these questions, you’re still excited about applying and working for them, then move on to Step 2.
2 – Find Company Contact Info
I use Hunter.io to find people’s email addresses, or if you have access to ZoomInfo, they have a larger database of contact info than Hunter does and you should be able to find an email address and name at least.
If you can’t find email addresses, look at the company’s website and their “About” page – read up on the founders and see if they have a directory of employees.
Honestly, this step shouldn’t take long. Just a quick look around to see if you can find a name to make your pitch more personable.
3 – Create a Customized Pitch
This is the most time-consuming part, but it will completely set you apart from others applying for the same role. Do some research on a new tool that the company uses and create a project around you learning that tool. Or, think up a way to add value to the company and create a project for them. Examples of a project could be a video of you selling the company’s product, a program or code you wrote to enhance the product/website, a social media or marketing content plan for their marketing strategy, etc.
If you can include a video showcasing your skills, that’s a bonus. I use Loom screenshare recorder for this purpose – it’s a free Chrome extension.
Showcase what you can do, and show them you’re serious about wanting to work for their company.
Document (if possible) every step of your project so they can see the various steps you took to complete it.
4 – Ship It
Once it’s done, package the whole thing up on your website/blog (you can host one for free if it comes down to that – I’ve created a video tutorial series on how to get started here), and ship it (aka, send it) to the hiring manager. Send them a quick message stating why you’re excited about the opportunity they have open and then introduce your project and include the link to it.
Crash.co has a template you can use to send customized pitches to employers if you want to get fancy, or you can just bootstrap it.
5 – Interview, Ship Again, and Repeat
After you’ve landed an interview, you should be prepared to talk about the project you submitted during that conversation. It wouldn’t hurt to come to the interview with other ideas you’ve thought of to provide value if you’re hired. After the interview, send a thank-you email as soon as possible, and then get to work and create another project for the company. Send that over after a few days and express your excitement for the next step in the process.
And repeat.
I have to be honest, even if you’re not in sales, you’re still a salesperson. Interviewing and landing job opportunities is just you selling yourself. I wrote an article about staying organized during the job hunt you can read here for further reference: 3 Tips to Empower You on Your Next Job Hunt
Here’s a quick video I made that illustrates some tools that can help you out in your job hunt and a list of resources I’ve mentioned in this guide:
Tools to Help You Land Your Dream Job:
List of Resources Mentioned:
- Have a website – you can create one for free (see my tutorial) using WordPress – WordPress.com
- Video Recording Software – Loom
- Create Personalized, Professional, Pitches – Crash.co
- If you have access to one of their accounts, you can find lots of contact info on Zoom – ZoomInfo
- Free Email Finding Tool – Hunter.io
In short, if you want to land your dream job, put in the effort to show your dream company WHY you’re the best fit.
SHOW them your value rather than just telling them about it, and they’ll have no choice but to hire you. This works whether you’re in sales, operations, marketing, software development, engineering, or pretty much anything.
Go forth and crush it.
Until next time,
Hope Szymanski
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
