What’s stopping you from getting your dream job? It might be circumstance, like location or education, or it might simply be something inside. With this list, we’re hoping to locate what’s keeping you from that dream job that is within reach, whether it’s comfort where you are or a new design on the CV.
You’re following someone else’s idea of success
Turn off Instagram and step away from LinkedIn. If you’re someone who finds themselves with a pit in their stomach when someone posts about their new job or promotion, maybe it’s time to step back.
You’re not them. You’ve travelled a different journey, you’re on a different path, you’ve faced different obstacles, and you’ll achieve different milestones in your own time. Don’t compare yourself to anyone you see online or what you think society expects of you, or you’ll end up freezing and too scared to even open the job listings. Maybe your skills aren’t there yet for getting your dream job, or it’s in another location, or something else is holding you back. That’s okay. Start taking steps now and eventually you’ll get there.
You don’t know what you want
Maybe you don’t know what getting your dream job looks like. It might not even be narrowed down to a single industry. You just know you have a skill that you love and you want to make your career, but where to apply it has you stumped. This can have you doing two things: applying for every job that could use your skillset and seeing what sticks, or unable to commit to any job application in case it’s the wrong fit.
Narrow your options down to what feels best right now and commit. Maybe you give it a try and decide in a few months that it isn’t right for you. You’re going to gain valuable skills and experience anyway, that you can take on to getting your dream job.
You’re comfortable
Sometimes we’re stuck even though we want to move. Sometimes the mud we’re in is comfy. The job doesn’t offer any experience, it got boring ages ago, but it pays enough to get by and the job market is so overwhelming. Sometimes you just can’t face the tailoring CV’s to each employer, the sifting through jobs and getting more disheartened seeing dealbreaker after dealbreaker, the time out of your hard-earned off-duty time.
You’re going to regret that come Monday morning and you find that work seems even more boring or stressful than it was last week. Getting your dream job needs action now.
An outdated CV
Sometimes what’s standing between you and getting your dream job isn’t so much your attitude, but something much more practical, like your Curriculum Vitae. Like stepping away from the easel for a day, you’ll come back to your CV and see all the flaws sticking out after time employed. Maybe it’s time for a redesign.
Plus, you’ll need to add all the new skills you gained from your current job, right?
A lack of new skills
That’s another area that holds people back. You might be stuck in a dead-end entry level job, which are depressingly common. You’re doing the mundane tasks that need done every day, but aren’t valuable enough to go up a pay grade.
If your current job isn’t allowing you the natural opportunity to gain skills that you can take out into the world, consider gaining them yourself. Take a few free courses, or even head to night school for something more substantial. It’s hard work but it’s worth it if it gets you out of that dead end job and upwards in your career.
But skills are just half of the equation. If you’re in an organisation where you can use some newly acquired skills, ask if you can flex them in the office. Ask to shadow someone, or to take on some new tasks for a chance to gain some valuable experience for getting your dream job.