Tips: How to Get Your Dream Job in 2023

The pandemic served as a turning point for many professionals globally. The long lockdown period, endless layoffs, and other work-related challenges caused employees to rethink their career paths and seek greater purpose in their professional lives.

If you’re one of the millions of employees looking for a change but are uncertain about moving forward then this blog is for you. We have compiled seven tips to help you land in the job of your dreams in 2023.

1. Research what skills are needed for your target role

Reinvent yourself, by checking back on the required soft skills and domain skills that could help your career graph evolve more progressively.

Look for what is trending within the workforce. This will help you determine if you’ll need to take any courses to grow your skill set or acquire any industry-specific certifications.

2. Apply for jobs even if you don’t tick every box

While you should ensure you meet the basic requirements of the jobs you apply for, you don’t need to possess every skill mentioned in the job ad. Employers often include a section for qualifications they’d like candidates to have, but that aren’t essential. These are usually marked as “desired qualifications” or “preferred qualifications”.

3. Perfect your elevator pitch

An elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech that you use to introduce yourself to interviewers, recruiters, and potential employers. It should be short enough to fit into the time it takes for an elevator to go from the ground floor to the top floor.

Preparing an elevator pitch is an important part of preparing for a job interview, because it helps you answer one of the most common corporate interview questions: “tell me about yourself”.

To create your elevator pitch, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who are you as a professional?
• What are your strengths?
• Why do you think you’re right for this job?
• What do you bring to the table that other applicants might not?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What are your expectations from this role?

One tip to ace the job interview is to rehearse your elevator pitch until you know it by heart. This will help you avoid stuttering and make you appear more confident during your interview.

4. Make an ATS-friendly resume

These days, 98% of Fortune 500 companies and 66% of large companies use ATS when hiring. ATS, or Applicant Tracking Systems, are used by employers to scan job applications and automatically eliminate those which don’t meet the employer’s requirements.

Hiring managers likely won’t even evaluate a candidate’s resume if it doesn’t get past ATS, meaning your resume might not make it to your prospective employer no matter how qualified you are.

One way to beat the ATS software is to tailor your resume to the job description. Of course, you shouldn’t simply copy and paste every requirement into your application, but you can pick out keywords such as required skills, experience, and other qualifications.

Then, naturally sprinkle these keywords throughout your resume up your chance of making it onto the shortlist.

You should also avoid resume templates that use graphics, because ATS struggle to read them. Instead, choose a simple yet professional resume design. Here’s an example of a sleek, ATS-friendly resume template

5. Craft a strong resume and cover letter

Your resume is your first chance to impress a recruiter, so it needs to be well-written and show off your greatest professional achievements. Are you a recent graduate writing your first resume? If you’re unsure of how to structure your resume and what to include, you can use a resume builder. A resume builder lets you add some basic information about yourself and your skills and then automatically generates a professional and neatly formatted resume.

And even though some employers don’t ask for a cover letter in the job ad, you should still submit one. Not doing so is a missed opportunity to provide additional information about yourself and your reason for applying, which can differentiate you from other candidates.

While a resume strictly talks about your background and experience, a cover letter highlights your top achievements but also your passion and what you bring to the table. If you don’t know how to format your cover letter, you can always download a cover letter template and tailor it to your background.

6. Curate your online profile

Don’t stop at sending out resumes whenever you hear that a particular company is recruiting. Maintaining a strong online presence is another excellent way to land your ideal job.

For starters, join job boards and create a glowing profile for yourself. Job boards like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, CareerBuilder, Upwork, Indeed, and many more post thousands of jobs daily and allow you to connect with people in your industry. You should also continuously update your profile whenever you hit a new milestone or accomplish something.

Let’s take a closer look at LinkedIn and what you can do to improve your profile on the platform:

Tips for LinkedIn

• Make sure your profile photo reflects who you are as a professional. Research what the standard dress code for someone in your target industry is, and dress accordingly. While you don’t need to go to a photographer for headshots, ensure the lighting is good when you take your photos.
• Share your availability for work and your job preferences to get more views on your LinkedIn profile. You can use your LinkedIn’s open-to feature to discreetly signal to headhunters that you’re seeking employment.
• Use the #OpenToWork photo frame. Members who do so receive on average 40% more recruiter InMails and are 20% more likely to receive messages from the LinkedIn community as a whole.

These might seem like insignificant details, but perfecting your profile shows recruiters that you take your online professional presence seriously.

7. Attend networking events

In many cases, open positions aren’t even advertised, especially for executive and other high-level jobs. Instead, individuals are recruited based on referrals and through a network of professionals.

This is why networking is essential. If you aren’t already, start attending networking events and joining mentorship programs.

Also, make sure that you don’t burn any bridges when you leave your current job. If you maintain a good relationship with your colleagues, they’ll be more likely to be willing to introduce you to people in their network.

With these tips, you’re well-equipped to begin your job hunt. Do you have any advice of your own that you’d like to share with other job seekers? Leave a comment below!