We all have great career aspirations. We always dream about ideal jobs that we love to get, but often do not know where to find them, how to approach recruiters and how to secure them. We see people in our network getting jobs that we love, feel jealous about them and try to justify ourselves for not getting such jobs, saying – I do not have that experience/ skill set/ network etc.
I believe 5 elements contribute the most for fulfillment in life – Family, Health, Career, Wisdom and Wealth. I think maintaining a healthy balance of these 5 elements is essential for a balanced, happy and successful life. I used to assess myself periodically where I stand on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. Except for my career, I used to find myself anywhere between 3 and 5 in all the other areas. I could not convince myself to give anything beyond 1 for my career. My inability to find a job I love left me worried, sometimes getting into depression for weeks. This lead to a conclusion that, if there is anything I could achieve in my life, it is definitely cracking this code of career success and finding true love with my work. I read some of the best books in the world on this topic and reached out to multiple successful people to understand how they approach their career. I spent thousands of US dollars taking some of the most expensive courses on finding my passion and dream job.
Thankfully some of these efforts worked. Compared to what I was 5 years back, I made significant progress in my career today; found a job that I love. Now, I get excited to go to work each day when I wake up. I found that winners approach job market entirely differently. What I list here is the 5 paradigm shifts in thinking that, if implemented consistently, puts you in the winner’s club.
- Think about what recruiters want
- Show Competence Triggers that high performers demonstrate all the time
- Your job is your responsibility. Don’t just submit resume and pray for success.
- Random tactics don’t work. Build a systematic approach to find your dream job.
- Do not just try, but test your efforts and check why they failed.
That’s it. These 5 shifts in thinking, if understood and implemented properly, let you understand the game being played around you in the job market and also transform you internally, keeping yourself at the launch board for career success.
I know this list is not a surprise for anybody. But the irony is that most people do not implement them, because they do not know where to start and how to implement these principles. I have cracked all of them and realized disproportionate results. In my subsequent posts, I will deconstruct and give you exact steps to implement these principles. If you are serious about finding a job that you love, I am sure I can help you find it.
In the meanwhile, I would like to know the most critical challenge you are facing in your dream job quest. Let me know in the comments below. I can help you resolve that.
