Are you a soon-to-be grad who's still unsure of what you want to be when you 'grow up' and enter the “real world"? Maybe you're a working professional who's tired of your current position and craves a career change. Or maybe you're a career nomad who hops in and out of jobs, never quite finding that “perfect" job. Finding that 'perfect fit' job can be a long and hard journey - but not if you know where to look! In fact, it's easy once you know what you're looking for. Here are three tips for finding the 'perfect fit' job for you:
1. Get advice from professionals who've actually held the position.
Before you commit to your job search, you need to have an idea of what kind of job you want. A great way to do this is to learn more about specific jobs from people who've actually HELD the jobs. They're the best ones to give you insight on the job, tasks, and general expectations to see if it's really a good fit for you. There's a great site called SecureTheJob.com that helps you find this valuable information. It's a community platform that uses the give-to-get model, so the site is free, but users must share a piece of career advice about a job they've had before they have free-run of the site. SecureTheJob is the only site of its kind - it's a great way to find the specific advice you need as well as “pay it forward" by providing some insight on positions you've held previously. It's a win-win!2. Make a list of target companies.
Okay, so you've figured out what type of job you want - great! Now, it's time to determine WHERE you want to work. Think about location - where do you want to work geographically? Think about the culture - are you looking for a competitive atmosphere or a more relaxed one? Once you have your list of target companies, you can start doing some research on them. Glassdoor.com allows you to find great information such as employee reviews, average salaries for positions, and job interview reviews for specific companies. Having this information will help you narrow down your list so you can focus on the companies you think are a good fit for you.3. Get to know them.
Go to their company website and check out staff page, if they have one. Think about who you'd be working closely with if you were to land a job at that company, then reach out to them via LinkedIn - Introduce yourself, briefly note your interest in working at the company, then see if they'd be open to having a quick conversation with you to help you learn more about the company. (Not sure how to do this appropriately? Check out this article for some pointers.) Note: Do NOT ask for a job. You're asking for a conversation. Remember, if you want to land a 'perfect fit' job, you need to do your research. You need to know who you'll be working with and have some insight on the projects you'll be working on. The best way to do this is to set up an informational interview with someone who actually works there. Check out this article for some great tips on setting up informational interviews with employees at your target companies. Also, follow your target companies on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. See what they're posting, how they're interacting with people online, and what events they are promoting. Use their social channels to get to know them. Hopefully, you find these tips helpful in your job search! Do you have your 'perfect fit' job? How did you land that opportunity? Share your story in the comment section below.This post was originally published at an earlier date.
