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 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.
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:
Two things matter most when it comes to finding this - job titles and companies. (The reason why this works is it forces you to get specific.)
In other words... Your Dream ROLE + Your Dream EMPLOYER = Your Dream JOB.
This also helps ensure 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 sounds 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"... or they don't know what their options are/simply don't know how to get specific in a way that's helpful.
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).
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.
① Select your potential Dream Job.... look it up.... still interested? If yes → ② Do some deeper research into the title and the company... still interested? If yes → ③ Do some natural networking (where you'll find out even more)... still interested? If yes → ④ Test the market and see if you're getting results... still interested? If yes → ⑤ Focus on this job and get it! (If no at any stage, restart from the top!!)
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.
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:
Remember, this will be tough. Many people feel a lot of discomfort and resistance during this step. That's normal. Do it anyway.
Tips:
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.
You'll use it in the next steps!