By Patty Deutsche, CEO & Founder, Volterra Communications LLC
Whether you made the decision to leave your job or the company made that decision for you, more and more workers are looking for their next great move. And you want the “dream” job. But how do you get it? You know the saying “you put it out in the universe?” There’s some truth to that. I’m not one of those airy-fairy job whisperers, but you do need to be intentional.
Let me give you an example.
Several years ago, I found myself in between jobs. My Career Coach suggested I make a list of what my dream job would look like. I did — and when I shared it with this Coach, he promptly said “Yeah, Patty, that doesn’t exist. Half of that is very corporate; half is the non-profit world. You won’t find it all together.” But it was my dream position, and I was very specific. Here’s what I wrote:
- Corporate job with great pay and benefits
- An office with a window and a door – but not required to be there all the time
- Work with animals
- Work with children
- Hand out the company’s money
- Writing and public speaking regularly
- Ability to travel and play golf
- Professional development opportunities
- Less than 30-mile commute
- Engagement with the community
You get the picture. I won’t say that dream job fell into my lap the next day. It actually took six months. But two things happened. I measured other opportunities that I was considering against this list (were they even close?) and I was able to minimize a lot of wasted time. And when the dream job was posted, a figurative light bulb went off. Could it actually be? A Fortune 100 company, within 20 miles of my home, that oversaw a 500-acre wetland preserve, a generous charitable contributions budget, an office (with a door and window), roles on local civic and non-profit boards, working with the schools… I could go on and on. It checked every box.
They informed me I was the 27th person to interview for that job — honestly. And because I knew exactly what I wanted and what this job entailed, I was able to articulate just how perfect a fit this opportunity was. I was offered the job by the end of the day.
Many of us are strategic in our jobs – creating communications plans, sales forecasts, project schedules. We have to be. That’s what we’re paid for. But you also need to apply that same strategic thinking to your career.
In sales, you know your target company, the size, revenues, location, maybe even the industries. You know who the decision maker is within those companies. And that’s who you go after. Why not apply that same discipline to your professional life?
Start with industries you might like to explore, the skills you want to use, what does your environment “look” like, what types of people are you working with (internally and externally), how are you being compensated, how does this job make you feel? When you think you’ve got it all figured out, share it with someone. That’s part of putting it “out there.” You never know when that person may point you in the direction of your dream job.
Don’t let the Great Resignation turn into the Great Depression. It may not happen instantly, but when it does, you’ll be perfectly situated to say “yes” to that Dream Job!
Patty Deutsche is a communications consultant who has changed jobs more times than she cares to remember. Since this “dream” job ended, she has started her own firm, Volterra Communications, which has put her on a path to the American dream of entrepreneurship. Published in C-Suite Quarterly, she advises C-Suite executives on how to protect and improve their company reputations.