How you can land that dream job

Jobs for life may be a luxury of yesteryear but with new opportunities opening up in new sectors and more employers increasingly seeking out professionals with unconventional and rather unrelated CVs, the environment is suitable for individuals to explore career satisfaction.

So how do you find that ideal job or analyse if your current job is right for you? Here is a step-by-step guide to help you land a better job this year.

Explore your values

Determining what really matters to you early on will save you a lot of heartache. Put everything on the table now. Start by asking yourself what truly matters and ranking everything in order of importance. It it is important that you reflect on the things that constitute your priorities in life. Items on the list can be as varied as a short commute, time with family, a boss I can talk to, a team I can learn from, a company brand I am proud of, ongoing training and development, job security, a good salary etc. The Bayt.com “Work-life balance in the Mena” poll revealed that, for example, 65 per cent of professionals in the Mena region would accept a pay cut for more free time on their job, with 36 per cent preferring to spend this free time with family.

Explore your interests

Ask yourself what it is you normally like to do. What do you really look forward to? Whatever it is you love to do, don’t consider it unimportant; and if you don’t think you do it too well because you haven’t studied it, remember most people excel most at the things they love and it’s never too late to learn. Don’t be afraid to dream big and think out of the box as you map your interests and aspirations to possible careers.

Identify your skills and strengths

On the excellence scale, you will probably have some highly developed skills and some you consider yourself low on. Come to terms with all of them as in today’s job market it’s all about transferable skills rather than exact-fit pedigrees. Paradigm career shifts are becoming as common as narrow linear career moves, but you need to know what your skills are and how to package them for where you want to go. And remember, it’s not just those hard-earned technical skills you acquired in college that will serve you well, but also soft skills and your ability to lead, motivate and engage with people.

Be ready to retrain

Retraining need not take you away from the workplace for any extended period of time unless you want it to; you can pursue a learning programme while you work. Whatever gaps you identified between your skill sets and interests can be filled with a very diligent programme of study, be it self-learning, a course or an all-out new degree. In today’s workplace learning is very much adopted as a lifelong commitment, so be prepared to be in it for the long term.

Do your research

This can involve reading about industries and companies you are targeting as well as actual job roles and career paths but it needn’t stop there. Talk to people who work in your field of interest and get a feel for what a day in their life looks like and how the role resonates with your skills, interests and values. Ask for an informational interview to visit the company you are eyeing and after the interview ask for a tour of the office. Find out what people like most and least about the job role, the career and the company as you plan your own shift. Make sure that the job sits well with your life goals and interests and does not disagree with any of your core values.

Optimise your CV

A CV is often the only document you have to promote yourself to a potential employer. A well-constructed CV could land you that dream job. Start by tailoring your career objective so it matches what the company is looking for. Use the keywords that employers have put in the job description. Depending on the role, you must state how many years of experience you have accumulated, and that you’re not only a specialist in your particular field, but a leader.

Lama Ataya heads the marketing department at the Middle East’s leading jobs site Bayt.com

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