Top 5 Tips to Finding Your Dream Job in Your 20s

Top 5 Tips to Finding Your Dream Job in Your 20s
By Marcy Morrison

Your dream job is out there and waiting but how do you find it? In your 20’s you may be lacking in experience, but take your passion, enthusiasm and energy and make it happen by following these 5 tips.

1. Uncover what you love to do and what are your strengths. You don’t need to wait until your 40s to have a mid-life crisis wishing that you did what you wanted to do when you first started out. Do what you want to do by finding a way to make it happen. This may require making sacrifices, getting additional training, and going the extra mile. The key here is to do what YOU want to do – not what your parents, society, friends and others want you do. Get clear on what you want to accomplish and become the expert on marketing and selling yourself. Remember when you are genuinely passionate about your career path – your energy and enthusiasm will attract the necessary resources and people you need to find your dream job.

For example, Jesse Smith, age 23, is a talented musician and lead singer for The Pheromones (http://pheromonesmusic.com/). Jesse is doing what it takes to make his dream a reality by working in a coffee shop to support himself while he and his band play their gigs and build a following in San Diego. Does that mean sometimes Jesse works around the clock? Yes, but all of the sacrifices and hard work are worth it to Jesse since he already is living his dream and he is confident that his dedication and merit will be rewarded.

Also take into consideration that all of us are naturally talented in certain areas. Take the time to think about what comes naturally to you and where you excel. Leveraging your strengths is the key to overcoming the hurdles of not having that much experience. Once you are clear on your strengths, you will be more confident in marketing and selling yourself.
2. Trust Your Gut/Believe in Yourself. Get clear on what truly makes you feel excited and what kind of work would make you jump out of bed with energy and enthusiasm ready to start your day. Trust what answers come to you and go in that direction. There are many people that will tell you that what you want to do isn’t possible. Learn how to block them out and keep moving towards your dream. After graduation, my dream was to work in Latin America saving the world. I graduated in the middle of a recession, so I constantly heard that not only was I not going to find my dream job, I would be lucky to find any job. I didn’t let that discourage me, I stayed focused on my dream and after pounding pavement for three months, I landed my dream job with the Inter-American Foundation doing grassroots development work in El Salvador.

Are you finding yourself passionate about something other than the subject that you majored in and feeling stressed that you may bethrowing away four years of hard work? Don't fret - it is more importantto follow your passion than force yourself to work into a field that you studied and that maybe you are now less passionate about.

For example, Ruthi Bozman-Moss, age 23, saw several choices in front of her that included career options in the area of her major, which was international studies, or following her other passions in life, which consisted of helping people in the areas of health and wellness. She trusted her gut, which kept directing her towards activities which she previously thought were simply hobbies and personal activities. Now she absolutely loves her job as a Wellness Coach for an alternative health care company. The greatest part is that Ruthi is able to have her cake and eat it too by serving as the President of Young Professionals for International Cooperation (a networking group for young people interested in global affairs and international cooperation) and thus keeps her passion for work in the international field alive.

3. Networking: This is vital to finding your dream job. I can attest to this since all of my jobs have come through networking. A lot of times, attending events can be expensive but a critical way to meet people in your dream field. Contact the event organizer and see if they need volunteers and if so, take advantage of this golden networking opportunity. Another fantastic place to network is via your Alma Mater’s Alumni Network. Contact your school for more information on how to connect with alumni in your dream field.

When networking, make sure you can articulate what you want to do and what you have to offer in a 30 second presentation. People don’t have time to listen to long-winded stories. Plus you never know when this 30 second pitch may be useful. For example, during undergrad, my dream was to work at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City and I made it a point to let everyone know that with my 30 second pitch (sometimes it helps to have a big mouth) and next thing I knew a professor at my school was friends with the President of the Council of Foreign Relations and wrote a letter on my behalf. It was the key for me landing my dream internship.

Allie Herson, age 21, a recent graduate from the University of California, San Diego is leveraging an important step to getting a dream job, which is finding a key internship. During a session with Allie, we determined that her passion was working in women’s global policy issues and as a result, Allie set out on her quest to find the best way to reach this goal. Currently, Allie is interning with the State Commission on the Status of Women with a lobbyist working on women's issues, which represents an outstanding opportunity for Allie to network and gain valuable information that will lead her to her dream job. Allie is already researching her next step, which is to attend law school so she can represent women who lack the ability to do so.

4. Build a Support Team. Looking for a job can be discouraging at times and for this reason, it is vital that you surround yourself with a support team of positive people that believe in you. Find a mentor via your networking or seek out someone who is successful in your dream job field. If you are unable to find a mentor, consider hiring a professional coach to help you achieve your dreams. Mentors and coaches are crucial in helping you in many different areas including uncovering areas of weaknesses and providing suggestions on how to overcome them. In addition, seek out inspirational people who have accomplished feats that you thought were impossible. Reading biographies can serve as valuable information and can give you a roadmap of how to achieve your dreams. For example, reading “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World” by John Wood (http://www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com/) was a huge inspiration for me and proved to me that anything is possible when your heart is in the right place, you follow your gut/dreams, seek out/focus on solutions and dream big. Check in regularly with people that truly believe in you and support you to keep you on track and your confidence up.

5. Set Goals/Get Organized: To ensure success in finding your dream job, you need to stay focused and organized. This is a great area to leverage the support of your mentor or coach who can keep you accountable for the goals that you have set. Create a tracking system with concrete goals including when you need to find your job and determine what steps you are going to take to make that happen.

Now its time to put this plan into action – don’t hesitate, your dream job is waiting. And remember: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you'll be a success." -- Albert Schweitzer, humanitarian

Marcy Morrison, Career Strategist, has created a personalized and unique approach to help others find their dream jobs. She can be reached via email marcy@marcymorrison.com or by visiting her website www.marcymorrison.com