New Year is a time for new resolutions, and 2023 holds a lot of promise for job seekers. The economy is rebounding after a lackluster 2022, and companies are putting the pandemic behind them and growing again. The time is right for those who intend to make a career shift or pursue their dream jobs. Some people believe the stars will align to open that door of opportunity, but for the pragmatic ones, it is really all about taking a leap of faith and making the necessary preparations.
Business leader Harpreet Kaur has been dedicating a huge part of her professional career to helping people land their dream jobs, and it is for this reason that she started Why Blend In, a career coaching company that has helped her clients land their dream jobs at companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Smartsheet, Davita and many more. Harpreet provides six simple, effective, and practical steps that people can follow to land their dream jobs. She begins with the most important task of all – finding one’s passions.
“You’ll not only be successful with what you are passionate about, it’ll be enjoyable. What parts of your current job do you enjoy or dislike? What is your next goal? Zero into what your dream job looks like, then find the companies you’d like to work for. Do your research about those, read about their vision, culture and if there are specific products you want to work for,” she explained.
The second step is all about updating one’s resume. Once people have identified what they are truly passionate about, they need to be able to align their work experiences with it. She highly recommends that people be very specific about their impact and achievements rather than just listing what they’ve done, such as how their contribution increased sales or how their work saved the organization millions.
The third step involves honing the power of social media. Harpreet strongly encourages people to be on LinkedIn and participate in the platform. “Start following your target companies and products, join in the conversation when they share on LinkedIn, and please know that people notice. Start sharing your unique progress in LinkedIn groups or posts. The goal is not to increase followers but share knowledge that people might be interested in. If you are consistent and share authentic experiences, that’s a success,” Harpreet revealed.
The fourth step is to never forget one’s own network, which means reaching out to people who may know more about the kind of career they are getting into. In addition, the people in one’s network can be instrumental in one’s pursuit of a dream job, as they can refer to your dream companies or jobs.
The fifth is about preparing for the interview. Anticipate what questions are expected for the job, prepare well and tie it to your experiences. If you don’t have direct experience with it, show how you have learned new things in the past jobs and are willing to learn this one. No one wants to get a new job where they already know 100%!
The sixth is to know that pursuing one’s dream job is a journey, and a guide is strongly needed. Taking his journey can have its ups and downs, and people must be prepared to face potential rejections. They must remain resolute and resilient even if they do not make it on their first attempt.
A career coach can help you along this journey, helping you choose your next career step, standing out with a great resume, guiding you to get noticed on LinkedIn, and most important of all, helping you prepare for interviews and navigate post-offer negotiations.
Harpreet Kaur is a first-generation tech leader at Microsoft with more than two decades of unmatched experience working with people across the globe and creating products that have a positive impact on billions of people. She is a certified leadership and career coach with Dale Carnegie, Jay Shetty School of Coaching and the International Coach Federation. She is also a TEDx and leadership speaker.
Her ultimate goal is to help people live their best lives by leveraging her exceptional experiences in the tech business. She has hired many people during her career and understands very well what organizations are looking for when hiring. Her valuable insights can help multiple people achieve their greatest dreams.
