Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job

On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Travis Puckett and I discuss his move from the food and beverage industry to data analysis. A desire for traditional work hours and a love of number-crunching motivated Travis to pursue an internship rather than a full-time, traditional position. Travis shares how he got clear about his goals and how faith in himself gave him the confidence to try something new. 

If you bomb a job interview, it’s possible that it wasn’t entirely your fault. Maybe you walked into a panel interview without knowing. Or you were asked questions you did not anticipate. ‘Find Your Dream Job’ guest Pharoah Bolding says it’s perfectly fine to ask the hiring manager ahead of time what your interview format will be so that you can go into the conversation prepared, and shares how to overcome pre-interview anxiety to present your best self. Read the transcript at maclist.org/podc

If you’re looking for a career where you can serve others and work in a variety of positions, consider working in government. Even if you’ve never held a government position, you can land a fulfilling job with a few strategies. As with most jobs, networking is crucial when trying to land a government job. 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Kirsten Wyatt says that you need to focus on what government hiring managers need and outline how you can meet those needs. Read more at macslist.org/podcast

When job searching, it’s important to know what makes you stand out from the crowd of applicants. This allows employers to see you as an asset, and helps you to make choices to thrive in your career. 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Jen Anderson says, to discover what makes you unique, you need to ask yourself key questions to understand yourself and your strengths. Jen offers tips on how to get clear on what sets you apart in order to find and create a thriving career. Read more at macslist.org/podcast

It’s not uncommon to feel as though a job interview is an interrogation. But, an interview is a two-way conversation. And while it’s important to prepare for the questions you may get, 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Rachel Beohm says it’s also crucial that you walk into the room with confidence, and the knowledge that you belong there. Rachel also shares how eye contact and positive body language can help you communicate powerfully in an interview. Read the transcript of the episode at macslist.org/p

If you're a mid-career professional looking to make a career change, taking time to hone in on your unique strengths and talents will help you find the next position that suits you best. On this episode of 'Find Your Dream Job,' Alfredo Moreno shares how refining his elevator pitch helped him to see the things he valued most, as a professional and as a person, and land his current role. Alfredo also shares how goal setting and accountability helped him keep his focus, even during a months-long job search.

If you are a vice president or C-level executive, an executive search firm could help you land your next position by building a relationship with you over time and keeping your interests and goals in mind as opportunities arise. 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Roy Notowitz explains for the best success, you have to know what you want and do plenty of research to find an executive search firm that understands your industry and your expertise. Read the transcript of the entire episode at macslist.org/podcast

If you depend on job boards alone to help you find your next job, you are limiting your options. Only one in five hires are made through job board resume submissions. Job boards aren’t bad, says 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Lisa Rangel. But if you want to get hired, start by reaching out to people. Lisa also shares why it’s important to have a goal in mind when you start your job search and how to use informational interviews to discover hidden opportunities.  Read the transcript at macslist.org/podc

Your mindset affects how you see yourself and what you pursue, but it not to be confused with goals. 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Angela Yeh explains that mindset is having a healthy awareness of your strengths, weaknesses, and what type of situations you thrive in. A healthy mindset about yourself, your career, and your abilities allows you to clearly identify what opportunities might be right for you to successfully navigate a career pivot. Read the transcript of the full episode at macslist.org/podcast

If you’re considering enlisting a staffing agency to help you find your next job, you need to understand exactly how they work. 'Find Your Dream Job' guests Heather Gordon and Moira Farnsworth join Mac this week to underline that recruiters are not career coaches, but matchmakers of job seekers and employers. But their number one tip is to have clear goals before reaching out to recruiters so they can help you land in the right role.  Read the transcript of the episode at macslist.org/podcast

Mixers can be awkward, especially if you’re shy, and many people often talk only with those they already know. 'Find Your Dream Job' guest David Burkus says to avoid this, focus on conversations that delve into topics outside of work. And whenever possible, he advises to skip any event with a vague sense of connecting as the main goal. Look for events that have a purpose, such as a charity drive or a shared activity that benefits others. Read the transcript of the full episode on macslist.org/podcast

Networking is crucial, not only when you’re looking for a new job, but even before you find your first one. Your college professors can be a great resource for networking with leaders in your chosen field of study. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Liz Mead and I talk about how she used LinkedIn and her university contacts to find companies that reflected her values.

Your natural inclination may be to apply for a job as quickly as possible for a better chance of being seen. 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Connel Valentine shares that sending in a general resume, no matter how early, is a great way to land in a discard pile of other generic resumes. Instead, to get ahead of the competition, you need to understand the job description, conduct extensive research, and use that research to arrange a meeting with hiring executives.  Read the transcript at macslist.org/podcast

Figuring out the next step of your career journey takes energy and focus. If your strategy so far has been to apply everywhere and see what happens, getting clear on your purpose has powerful benefits. 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Erin Thomas says you need to know exactly what type of job is going to leverage your unique talents and strengths. Erin also shares five steps to identify who you are and what matters most to you in a job search. Read the transcript for the full episode at macslist.org/podcast

Eventually, everyone will have gaps on their resume, and employers will want to know why. Whether you were raising a family, laid off, or left a job after a short period of time, 'Find Your Dream Job' guest Chris Villanueva says that how you address these gaps on your resume can mean the difference between getting a callback or no response. Chris also shares how to positively reframe resume gaps to set yourself up for job search success. Read the transcript for the entire episode at macslist.org/podcast