If you can dream it, you can do it. Walt Disney
// April 2015 //
We spend so much time throughout our lives in work. I think it’s crucial that we do something we love because life ain’t no dress rehearsal. If you are unhappy in what you do I truly believe you should seek alternative opportunities, regardless of your age or situation. Here’s 10 steps to help you to chase your ideal job:
1. Make your goals a priority. What do you really want in your life? Consider everything. What makes you tick? If you want to move from one job to another, why do you want to move? What is ‘wrong’ with your current job? Decide on what you want out of your future and pursue it.
2. Consider. What are you really good at? Even going back to when you were in school, what did you enjoy most? Try to find something where you can utilise your passion and make it a part of your life.
3. Cast your net wide. Use recruitment agencies, company websites, recommendations from friends, social media, LinkedIn, sign up to job alerts online … the list goes on. Open your eyes and you will find a mass of possibility out there waiting for you.
4. Be brave. If you have spotted a company that has grabbed your attention get in touch with the HR department directly. Call them and ask for a meeting to introduce yourself in-case any jobs are available. Also ask to be put on a waiting list for future opportunities. Be forward and they won’t forget you in a hurry! … This is how I secured my job at Look magazine. I loved that job so much it didn’t feel like ‘work’ and I was there for nearly 4 years. I set the ball rolling with a single phone call. I made that happen.
5. Remember. You have absolutely nothing to lose. When looking for your perfect role remember if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Put yourself out there and make yourself heard.
6. Be realistic. Although we all have goals, be honest with yourself about what is achievable. I wanted to be a professional show jumper when I was growing up but I knew really that it would never happen so I kept it as a hobby instead … focus on what is possible and it will be more likely to come to fruition.
7. Be passionate. Someone who is eager, excited, bright eyed, bushy tailed and well informed on the company they are applying to is going to stand out from those who are quiet and don’t prepare for the interview process. Don’t be that person. Know your brand from Day 1.
8. Look away from the norm. More and more people are working abroad, in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and beyond. Europe is also easily accessible if you are from the UK. Weigh up the pros and cons of a life unknown and if you like the sound of something completely new, go for it. If you don’t like it don’t worry – home will always be waiting for you.
9. Never give up. If you don’t get the first position you really had your heart set on don’t give up. I got down to the final stage for a truly amazing marketing role at MTV headquarters in London before I came away. I made the final 2 out of 200 applicants and the interview process went 3 stages. It started in November 2012 and it was only in February 2013 I found out I had just missed out! The process took it out of me, I had put my all into it and I was devastated but I kept going. Soon afterwards I landed a more Senior Digital role for another global brand – that job turned out to be one of the best career moves I have made to date – it was all meant to be!
10. Know. We make our own luck in life. I consider myself extremely lucky for the places I’ve worked, the inspiring people I’ve worked alongside, the uncountable opportunities I’ve had in my career so far but at the end of the day I know I worked very hard to get where I wanted to be. I got my Masters degree in university, put myself on the map in London, got where I wanted to be and just kept going. I made it all happen and so do so many others – you can be that person too.
These thoughts apply to everyone, from those looking for their first job to those at the tail end of their working life. There’s a whole wide world out there and if you don’t seek you don’t find – at the end of the day everyone deserves to be happy. Make it happen for you.
@LaraLain
I kick started my career in 2008, whilst I was still studying for my Masters Degree in Cardiff University; I secured a marketing/ events role with Nuts (the leading men’s magazine in the UK at the time). I went on to work on the UK’s best selling glossy weekly magazine, Look, for nearly 4 years where I won a coveted Time Inc UK ‘Marketing Executive of the Year’ award for my efforts in my role. I’ve worked on various other world leading brands both in London and Sydney, Australia. See what else I have done that might inspire you on my LinkedIn profile.
I wish for my ‘Career advice’ posts encourage others to follow their dreams just as I have always done. The next part of mine begins in New Zealand, I fly there to look for work on 18th April 2015.
(Photograph credit SortOfNatural)
