How To Get Your Dream Job

Out of experience I can say that regardless of the amount of opportunities there are certain factors to be considered when looking to land your dream job. I have created a summary of the 5 most important ones that have worked for me in the past.

1. Do your research

Read about the job description as well as the organisation, to not only be prepared for your potential interview but also if it’s the right fit for you. Can you identify yourself with the company culture and services and product offerings? If it’s a multinational, do they have offices in your home country? This can be a great advantage as a potential business trip to your home country or the possibility to relocate there in the future may be a very important decision when choosing the right opportunity.

2. Network 

Living in this region it is crucial to network. This may be done via Social Networking sites or face-to-face at social or business networking gatherings.  There are various options from LinkedIn to ExaptWoman.com that allows these fruitful relationships to form.  Mingle as much as you can. It can be really fun. At the end of the day it is not only what we know, but at times who we know. 

3. Market yourself

Make sure to create a set of business cards. There are plenty of providers that offer price effective options. Have an online presence on local recruitment websites such as Bayt.com, ExpatWoman.com as well as LinkedIn. LinkedIn is not a traditional job site however there are options to apply to jobs and even contact recruiters directly which I have always found to be very effective.

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4. Interview phase 

Once you have passed the employers initial review in most cases a phone interview is the next step. Make sure to arrange it at a convenient time for you so you won’t be distracted while speaking to the person who is interviewing you. By this point make sure to have gathered sufficient information on the company as well as the vacancy and your roles and responsibilities. 

Once this first step has been successful a face-to-face interview usually follows. Again do your homework and be sure to be prepared. Get plenty of sleep the night before. What works best for me is to wake up early the morning of the interview and have a final read through my notes. Practising possible interview questions are also a great help. Googling “Interview questions” you can find hundreds of questions that are worth looking into. Even if the questions you use during your preparation phase aren’t actually used within the interview it will give you confidence.
 
Depending on the company you applied for you may have follow up interviews.

5. Patience 

Now you have completed the first phase of landing your dream job, the most challenging phase follows. Patience. Some employers may take days, even weeks to revert to you so during this time it is important to remain patient. I would strongly advise you to not turn down any other offers you may receive in the meantime as the chances you may this job are equally to not landing it so it is always important to keep your options open. Having other opportunities gives you the chance to compare the packages and make the final decision at the end. Landing your dream job can take up to weeks and months or it can just be as fast as in one day. The most important thing is to keep being prepared, hopeful and positive and trust your gut instinct when choosing the right vacancy. It has always worked for me.

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Zehra Fattah-Bani is a journalist and founder of  a boutique consultancy. She has taking the leap in going solo, using her expertise to follow her passion, which always has been entrepreneurship and journalism. Zehra is very well travelled and having the opportunity to travel more than 50 countries so far has assisted her in evolving an in-depth knowledge of developing business relationships and opportunities with an array of professionals from a variety of cultures.