Tips For Securing Your Dream Job

Like many unhappy workers, you’re probably performing a job that you never desired to work for in the first place. However, certain factors probably compelled–maybe even forced you–to start work in a fast-food drive-thru, serving drinks at a sports restaurant, or even giving out shoes at the local bowling alley. A young and recent high school graduate, for example, may have found themselves starting work in retail because they really needed the money. If you were in that position when you were younger, you’ve probably told yourself “It’s only temporary.” The problem, however, is that you’ve ended up working in the same or similar position years later. Even after you’ve graduated from college and obtained your BA. Or worse, you’ve probably worked in the same position without even attending college at all. 

You’ve probably daydreamed about working in a professional field for so long while fearing that it’s unattainable. But there’s no need to fear. That dream job is still within your grasp and while you may have to go through hard work to achieve it, it’s not impossible. You need to know what companies are looking for in their prospective employees. Here are some ways you can improve your situation and start work in a professional business earning more income.

Resume Presentation

It’s no secret that with the proper presentation you’ve already taken a big step to getting that new job. The first thing that you should consider when it comes to presentation is how your resume looks to potential employers. You probably don’t need to be told that proper formatting is needed for your resume: what needs to appear on the top of the page, your name and contact info, list of qualifications desired by employers in certain placement, etc. But there are unacknowledged aspects of a resume that are often overlooked when designing one. 

Take for instance, if you were applying for a secretarial job with minimal office intern experience but with massive experience in food production. You would, of course, list the office experience above your food-based experience hoping that the employer will only recognize the former. However, having an abundance of food/kitchen experience will likely over-shadow your office experience and potential employers will less likely become “potential” employers. 

How would you fix this? It’s simple, simply take your office experience and make its content appear bigger on your resume. 

What Should Your Resume Look Like?

Whatever duties and responsibilities were performed at your former office intern position make sure to jot them down under the description of that position; even the minor duties. Your main duties may have involved proofreading documents and drafting up business letters. Unfortunately, this alone won’t grab an employer’s attention.

If, for example, you performed website maintenance only three times while you last worked in an office, list it on your resume. Every task that you performed in a professional setting should be noted in your resume when you apply while at the same time minimalizing content for less important past or current positions. It also helps if you distinguish more important qualifications on your resume with less important ones by placing them in separate sections. For instance, you could have one section of your resume titled Professional Experience highlighting your office and other similar experience while another section, titled Employment Experience, could list your kitchen work. An example is given below.

John Doe

125 Job Street, Business City

johndoe@email.com

800-801-8288

Professional Experience

PR Firm Group Inc. – January 2019 – May 2019 

Secretary/Intern

Duties:

• Proofread and Edit Documents for various Business Documents
• Perform Website Maintenance for various clientele
• Update and maintain client’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
• Draft articles, social media posts for clientele promotion
• Pitch clientele to various media outlets
• Research and document media outlets for later or immediate use

Employment Experience

Burger Town – November 2018 – current

Food Prep

Duties:

• Prepare ingredients for appropriate use
• Maintenance and sanitation of food prep and cooking areas

Notice how the duties of the Food Prep is dwarfed by the ones of the Communication Assistant. This sort of formatting is key when submitting a resume.

Increase Your Qualifications

There’s a myth that only a work position can increase your qualifications for a certain job. This is entirely untrue. There are multiple ways to expand or add to your skill sets when you are seeking to obtain a certain position. If you wanted to become a professional proofreader/editor for a publishing firm, as an example, you may be surprised to know that there are multiple online editorial certification programs offered to the general public. 

There’s also a common misconception that internships are only offered to college students. Again, this is completely false. While most employers may list that they are seeking specifically students for their internship programs, some places will offer an intern position to just about anyone willing to learn and dedicate hard work to their business. 

There is also volunteer work which can lead to recognition by potential employers and even further expands your skill sets.

Expand Your Communication Skills

In today’s modern society, where information can be accessed by just about anywhere, it’s unfortunate that literacy is still a rare skill. Which is why it is often sought by employers. If you think about it, most job descriptions will list that the ideal applicant possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills. You don’t necessarily need to take multiple public speaking courses or become a grammar wizard (though, those things will help a lot). But one of the most important factors that contribute to the daily operations of a business is communication. It’s important that you know how to speak both properly and professionally in a work setting that demands perfection. Communication is also a vital part of being successful at your new job.

Hire GL Staffing For Your Needs

Last but not least, if you’re looking to put yourself out there then look into local or online services that will assist in helping you find a new job. One of the best businesses that can help you achieve this is GL Staffing. 

GL Staffing has proudly served the South Florida Market since 2001. We’re proud to have more than 12 locations across the whole state. Whatever work you are looking to perform–volunteer, temporary, and permanent–it’s guaranteed that GL Staffing will help you find what you are looking for. If interested, give us a call at 954-973-8350 or visit our website.