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Marketing You, Pt. 1 sets you on the path to finding your Dream Job by motivating you to discover what, specifically, you are marketing yourself for.
You will investigate:
Your Invisible Scripts - and how they influence your approach to job searching and career development
Job titles - and which ones sustain your interest after a deep dive into the details
You will develop:
The foundation of your Job Search System
A prioritized list of your top 3 job titles
It's very possible to get the job of your dreams, if you're willing to do the work (and if you know what work you should do).
A lot of people lose out on the opportunity to find their Dream Job based on those last two steps - they don't know what they need to do, so they obviously don't do it. Here's a very simplified version of what you can do to get into your dream job.
Change Your Mind, Control Your Career
Most people delegate their careers: to recruiters, to job boards, to the "default" path. If they don't get any results, all they do is shrug. You can take control of every single part of your search.
Strategic Job Searching:
Get proactive and tackle your own Invisible Scripts to keep them from holding you back.
Build a system.
Front-load the work.
Think about what others want.
Use triggers to signal your mastery.
How to Find Your Dream Job
Two things matter most when it comes to finding this - Job Titles and Companies. This works because it forces you to get specific.
🢡 This helps to ensure that you talk to the right people (vs. being random), craft the perfect message for those people, and apply to the very best jobs for you (not just whatever jobs sound good).
🢡 We want to really avoid doing Random Acts of Nonproductive Tactics. Our brain often defaults to these when we don't know what to do, or what we need to do is hard/activates one of our invisible scripts/fears.
🢡 Getting specific can be very uncomfortable. Most people actively resist it. Why? They're afraid of "closing doors" and "boxing themselves in", they don't know what their options are, or... they simply don't know how to get specific in a way that's helpful.
Avoid I, I, I Syndrome!
When job searching, most people begin by listing wants: "I want do to something creative, I want flexible hours, I want to work with cool people, I don't want lame busy work!" This is classic I, I, I Syndrome.
Your future boss doesn't care about you. They want to know what you can do for them. Of course what you want matters — to you. But to get that, you first have to figure out what problem you'll solve (Your Job Role) and for who (Your Employer).
Window Shopping Jobs
Yes, this looks like a lot of work, and it is, but it's work that results in you getting a job you actually want at a place you actually want to work. It's worth it!
Building a Job Search System
Your first job idea probably won't be 100% perfect, but that's okay. The system is what's important. Once you build the system, your tactics — the resume and interview stuff — will become exponentially more effective.
Step 1: Look at your Top 3 Job Titles
Step 1: Look at your Top 3 Job Titles
LinkedIn Directory (simply play with the filters to sort and browse jobs by Job Function)
This method isn't perfect. But right now, perfect is the enemy of good. It's okay to "miss" a few things if it means you pick something. (And you're not marrying this choice, you can always go back and try out another title later).
The point is to:
See what's really out there.
Choose from that.
Remember, this will be tough. Many people feel a lot of discomfort and resistance during this step. That's normal. Do it anyway.
Tips:
🢡 When in doubt, aim high. It's better to be too aggressive than too timid. You can always adjust later.
🢡 Unqualified means you can't do the job. Under-qualified means you don't meet all the stated requirements. If you really think you're unqualified, then obviously don't pick it. However, if you're under-qualified but still meet ~50-70% of the requirements, I say go for it.
Step 2: Do Your Homework
Step 2: Do Your Homework
Now that you've picked 3 job titles, it's time to dig deeper into them.
I want you to do 1 hour of research on each job title you selected. Learn everything you can in that hour.
🢡 What's this job really like?
🢡 What does it pay?
🢡 What skills are required?
🢡 What's the career path?
Note: You'll probably end up with more questions than answers, but that's okay — all these will be addressed in future steps you'll take.
And again, if at any point you decide "this isn't for me," simply drop it and find another idea.
Step 3: Prioritize this list of jobs (from 1st to 3rd)
Step 3: Prioritize this list of jobs (from 1st to 3rd)
Coming up in Part 2, you will:
🢡 Use your Prioritized List of Jobs (from 1st to 3rd) to work through Steps 4 & 5 toward finding your Dream Job.
You will...
🢡 Continue to develop your job search system.
🢡 Identify your Dream Companies
🢡 Tap into the job 'Shadow Market'
Optional Additional Reading
Optional Additional Reading
Ramit Sethi's Insights For a Rich Life blog
Acknowledgements
This post quotes directly and sources liberally (with approval of course) from Ramit Sethi's original Find Your Dream Job online course which he has since updated (Modules 1-2 specifically). Ramit has graciously allowed us to source up to 1/3 of his paid materials for our students, in exchange for this mention and for helping you to succeed. His materials have been chosen for sourcing because he uses a process of testing, delivers his material using real talk, and bases his work on either testing or proven science (despite not having a PhD himself he is Stanford educated and he's mentored by many brilliant and University affiliated individuals whose work he translates into his courses). Acknowledgements
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