If you are waiting for your dream job to show up on your doorstep, you better make yourself comfortable, because you’re going to be waiting for a long time for that package.
When it comes to career advice, it seems like the most successful people are always saying the same thing: follow your passions and do what you love.
Well, in not so surprising news, most of us aren't entirely sure what it is that we love and/or want to do. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty.
With those statistics, there's bound to be a misstep (or two) along the way. If you're tired of spending more time dreaming about your ideal job instead of living it, let's talk about how to create your own career path, shall we?
4 Ways to create a job that doesn't exist yet
If your job search is coming up empty-handed, it’s likely the job you're looking for doesn’t exist yet. This is partially attributed to the rapid rate at which business operations, particularly those functions related to talent acquisition, are evolving and expanding. So while employers scramble to identify what and who they are looking for, you can be in the background watching, observing and waiting for that ideal moment to pounce.
If you can dream it, there is an opportunity to create your dream job. Here's how you can get started today!
Just Say No to Job Boards
According to the latest LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends report, employers view job boards as great aggregators for candidate quantity not necessarily quality. Unless your dream job is one that a million others can fill, it's not likely you'll find your one in a million job on an online posting.
The rising star of sourcing top quality candidates, a leading concern according to the study, is social media. The use of social media recruiting has increased 73% over the past four years. Your best bet in molding your new position? Create a professional social profile for the job you want, not the one you have.
Get (Really) Strategic
How about this as food for thought: instead of sifting through countless job openings, create a list of your dream companies. Identify what professionally and culturally is most important to you, and only consider companies that match your unique qualifying criteria in your search.
Research the strengths and weaknesses of those companies, and be honest about where you fit into the mix. Is there a unique skill that you bring to the table, or did you uncover a company need in your research. In either instance, be sure to include it in your cover letter. At the end of the day, you should be able to clearly explain how your expertise will help the company achieve its goals and contribute to its vision.
Create a Social Brand
As mentioned earlier, social media is a powerful tool, and if you are good at (advertising) what you do, then you likely already have people actively reaching out. Be selective in who you connect and engage with on professional social sites, like LinkedIn or Twitter.
Also, consider the content that you are sharing or promoting. In some industries, candidates with a strong influence are viewed as highly sought after ones. That's because they come with a massive sphere of influence, and what company doesn't want to hire evangelists spreading their seed digitally?
How can you increase your social profile? Write a blog about your skill set. Tweet (consistently) about relevant industry news. Join networking groups. Do everything in your power to expand your sphere of influence to get noticed by the right people in your field.
Make Lasting Connections
Sometimes unfortunately, it just boils down to who you know. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t have anybody to leverage it than it will fall on deaf ears. If you want to create a job, you are going to have to network with the right people.
Find a mentor. Seek out people performing the job you want for different companies and find out how they got into it. Connect with employees of the company you want to work for. Find out who influences hiring decisions. Find people who can teach you about the internal workings of the organization. Find a recruiter who can help connect you to the right people. Leverage their relationships.
Keep in mind, taking the road less traveled comes with a degree of uncertainty. And, with that uncertainty you can except there to be a number of challenges and instances where you'll want to give up. Stay the course. Some of the most successful people throughout history are those who failed many times over.
