How to Find a Job You Love

Last updated October 14, 2021

Would you love to land your dream job? Good news, the job market is hot at the moment so it's a good time to be looking for a new job, yet so many applicants are approaching the process in the wrong way.

My number one piece of advice:

If you’re looking for a job that you’ll love, the first thing to bear in mind is that you and your potential employers are at opposite ends of the spectrum. You are both managing risk, but you are managing it differently. 

Your approach

Usually, you are trying to ensure you get more than one job offer. So you apply for as many jobs as you can, in the hope of getting the best job available, with the best salary, the best conditions and the best work. 

You are trying to mitigate the risk of landing the wrong job or, worst case, not getting any offers at all. Often this means you will look at job-search sites and apply for anything that fits your criteria. It’s a common job search strategy.

The employer’s approach

Employers, on the other hand, want to employ someone who has the right skills, as well as the right experience, the right attitude and the right fit. In the effort to reduce the risk of making an employment mistake, more often than not, they will look for people who are the best fit and the lowest risk.

So how do they reduce the risk? By exploring. They talk to people they already know, who might be looking to change roles. They may encourage them to apply formally or engage them as a contractor.

So how do you approach your job search as an employer would?

You think like them.

As well as applying through normal channels, like job sites and recruitment agencies, you should take time to reconnect with your network to let people know you are ready to move, and what sort of role you are looking for. 

When you connect with your network, don’t ask for a job outright. Instead, treat it as research. Find out how your contacts are doing, what’s happening in their job/company/industry, who has moved, what projects or new initiatives their company is doing, what challenges they are facing, what positions might be coming up and if the company is looking to expand. 

Before you finish talking with your contact, always ask, “Who do you know that would be good to talk to? And is it okay if I approach them and say you suggested I get in touch?” Then make the approach. This is called thin edging your network, and it’s how you expand. Of course, you should return the favour when you can. You can also join organisations in which you might make new connections. 

If you are looking to change careers, talking to people who work in the field you are interested in is very important. Ask them about the path they have taken to get to where they are. People love to talk about how they built their careers and give advice to those looking to enter the same field. This could lead to very insightful conversations. Here is a useful guide to conducting these types of “informational interviews”.

Remember to send a thank you note to people who have taken the time to talk to you, and always treat conversations as research, rather than pitches for work. This is how you uncover the hidden job market.

The other way to do this is to go temping or contracting. The benefits are threefold. The first is that you get to see inside various companies in ways you wouldn’t get to through the normal interview process. Secondly, employers get to test you out, and if they like you, they may offer you a permanent role - or you can apply for roles as they come up. The third benefit is that you get to experience a wide variety of roles in a range of companies - all whilst building new relationships and expanding your network.

Be kind to yourself and good luck with your job search!

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