How to Get Your Dream Job

Have you been with your present employer for over 2 years? Perhaps, in that time, you have filled several different positions which were all at the same basic level. Have any of the moves been a real promotion into a position that was more than your entry level? Even if you answered Yes to that last question, are you currently in a position of which you can feel proud and fulfilled? Does your position really allow you to do much that will get noticed and lead to further promotion?

Wow! That's a lot of questions! If you answered "No" to too many, you might be already thinking about your Next Job. Now, you may be a little further up the ladder than suggested so far. What if the next position you might expect to achieve is anticipated by other people at your level that have been with the company 3 or 4 times longer then you have? And what if they all perform their jobs to a fairly good standard and do not appear to be planning on leaving anytime soon? In other words, what if the prospects for your advancement look slim?

From your perspective, your career opportunities seem fairly stuck where you are now, and it does not seem that you will get much further with the company for another few years, For some people this wouldn't be a problem. I know people that have been doing some fairly menial jobs for many years and seem quite content. But you are an ambitious person and want to be moving up in your career.

That is a situation I encountered many times throughout my working career. It was at this point I always started looking for a new job. I would attend many interviews and turn down jobs until I found one that was a marked step upwards. But that was a time when I never felt compelled to leave, nor compelled to accept the first job that came along. I might take a year looking for a suitable opening.

Also, that was a time when one didn't really approach one's boss for career advice. I think in today's world, it is quite acceptable to talk to your boss and ask their advice. They may know an opening is likely, or may be able to help you skip a level and jump ahead of the peole immediately above you. Or they may know of another position in another department or even with a different company. Just because you expect your company to not respond as you would like is no reason for not seeking the advice of a senior member of staff. Managers are people, too.

The great thing about doing a job search when there is no pressure is that you get to choose to which companies you will apply. That way you can avoid the frustration of chasing so-called "jobs vacant." (Many jobs are advertised as vacant even when they have already been filled (company policy, government regulations, whatever.)

This is how I would proceed. I would make a list of companies with which I wanted to work, the best companies in the industry, the sort of companies that would have my "dream job."

I would call them or visit their offices and ask the receptionist for the name (and correctly spelling) and title of the person who would be my immediate supervisor if I was to get my perfect job there. I would not want to talk with the person at that time. (Some telephone operators tried to put me through straight away - I would always hang up.) I would also ask for a copy of the company's annual report and employee's newsletter. If you can get a copy of the company's newsletter in addition to the annual report, you will be so well-equipped with information about them you'll probably know more than most of their employees and certainly more than any other job applicant.

Armed with the name (correctly spelled) and correct title of the person I would be working for, and pertinent information about the company, I would write a brief, less than one page letter introducing myself, and stating how I could help them relevant to certain things I read in their annual report and newsletter. I would not include a résumé with the letter.

During the 20 years between leaving college and starting my own business, I rarely sought work in the Vacancies column. Almost all of my employment was won in this fashion. It meant I went for job interviews without any competition!

Sometimes, though, it is very easy to think that the fabulous company you want to work at wouldn't want to hire someone like you. Just because you cannot imagine another company wanting someone at your level, that is no reason to not try. Why start off with such negative thoughts. I would always feel that I would be perfect for any company I applied to, and that my efforts should be directed towards convincing them of same. Don't think about giving up before you even begin!

If you get to know the company to which you are applying - an Annual Report and employee's newsletter will reveal a great deal - you can explain how your experience can help them. Not in the generalized way that most applicants use but specific experience solving specific problems. Include in your application letter how you solved a specific problem or two for a former or current employer.

Let me explain why this is so effective from an insider's point of view. If you are the manager of a department (your immediate supervisor, to whom you will send your application letter) you will be very busy. You will be over-worked. You will be having problems of one sort or another with your staff. Very likely you would like to have another staff member, but you would have to get permission from your boss before you could approach Personnel to find someone for you. You would have to spend time writing out a job description and required qualifications for the person you would hire. Then you would have to interview several applicants, then explain your choice to your boss. All this takes time - and time is what the manager doesn't have.

Now your letter arrives. Your letter explains in specific terms how you can help him. You refer to certain aspects of the company so it is clear you already understand the problems the manager is having and you seem to be able to solve them for him. Of course he wants to interview you. There's the possibility he can find someone who can solve his problems without all the razzamatazz he would have to go through with Personnel and the time-wasting that the conventional approach would demand.

Even in a situation when a call to personnel would elicit "We are not hiring at this time" you can get yourself hired. Because, if a good employee comes along, a company will hire them and will find work for them. Growing, dynamic companies (the only type you want to work for) are always hiring.