How to get a job you’ll truly love

Are you wondering how to get a job or how to find a better one?

Perhaps you’re unhappy at work … or just wondering if the grass is greener elsewhere. If you are, that’s perfectly understandable. You’re not alone.

43 percent of Australians are planning on making a career change within the next year.

According to 2017 research, the major reasons why Australians want new jobs are to:

• Increase their earnings.
• Do something more fulfilling.
• Pursue their passion.

In fact, change is increasingly becoming “the new normal” in the workforce, especially for millennials and Gen Z. These groups are likely to have many more career shifts in their working lives than their parents’ generation did.

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How to get a job in 7 steps

The most recent Future of Jobs report suggests that many of the jobs of the future don’t exist yet, thanks to rapid technological change. Use this list to find one you’ll like.

1. Ask yourself three questions.
2. Do a little digging.
3. List the skills you have (and don’t have).
4. Make an action plan.
5. Write a resume and cover letter.
6. Brand yourself.
7. Start networking.

Here are my top tips on how to get a job you’ll want to wake up to.

1. Ask yourself three questions

Answering these three questions will help you to put a plan in place.

• What type of environment do you like — casual, organised, high-energy?
• Are there any things you really must have such as a particular location or benefits?
• Are you willing to upskill, take classes or do an apprenticeship to qualify?

After all, there’s no point in applying for a job that doesn’t suit you. For example, you might be looking for one with work/life balance if you have small children at home.

2. Do a little digging

Find out what you need to do to make your job change a reality. What skills, knowledge or experience do you need? How many jobs are available in your chosen area and how many people want them? In other words, how much competition will you have?

If you’re planning on changing industries rather than just changing companies in the same industry:

• Do as much online research as you can.
• Get in touch with recruitment consultants.
• Talk to people who actually work in that industry.

Ask lots of questions, so you get a good idea of what the new position will involve.

3. List the skills you have (and don’t have)

Once you have a good idea of what skills, knowledge and experience you’ll need, make a list of the skills you already have.

You need to find any skill gaps and work out how to overcome them.

That could mean you need to spend time upskilling via some form of study or training. There are plenty of online courses that you can do in your own time these days to make yourself more appealing to a new employer.

4. Make an action plan

There’s an old saying that “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Meaning, if you dive in without thinking first, you’re likely to fail.

If a job change is what you really want, put a plan in place to make it happen. That plan should include specific things that you need to do to make your dream a reality. Try to give yourself realistic timeframes to reach your goals, but do give yourself deadlines.

5. Write a resume and cover letter

Look at current job ads for the role you want and tailor your resume and cover letter to fit. If you don’t quite fit a role’s requirements at the moment in terms of your skills, knowledge and experience, those are the things you need to prioritise.

Writing a resume and cover letter will help to sharpen your focus.

Put yourself in your potential employer’s shoes and realistically evaluate how you could stand out from others applying for the same job.

6. Brand yourself

You know how businesses use branding to be more appealing to consumers? They zero in on the qualities they have that buyers want.

You can also brand yourself. Only in this case, you’d present yourself as the type of employee future employers are looking for.

Try Googling yourself and see what results come up.

Do they reflect the image you want to portray? The one that will help you get the job that you want?

If not, take charge of the situation. Try to take control of your online image by making sure your:

• LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and professional.
• Social media accounts settings are set to private or don’t contain any material that might give an employer a bad impression.

You could also try writing some blog articles on topics that relate to your job goal. This could help you to make some contacts while showing off what you know.

7. Start networking

There’s another old saying that “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Start connecting with people who can help you get that job. Seek out people who know their way around by joining business groups online and in real life.
You never know, you might find someone who can mentor you into the career change that you want.

The bottom line

Feeling like you need a job change is perfectly normal. Lots of people think about it, even if they don’t do anything about it. Exploring new opportunities might be just the spark you need to start enjoying your job again.

If you do some self-analysis and decide that it is something you really want to do, take the steps we’ve outlined in this article to make it happen.

Life’s too short to be stuck in a job that makes you unhappy!