A Simple Hack to Find Your Dream Career

You ever feel like you know you want to make a change in your career, but have no idea what that looks like? Whether you want a total career change, have gotten laid off and need a new job, or just want to find something more fulfilling, I've got a really simple hack for discovering where you should go from here.

I'm willing to bet the last time you looked for a job, you searched by job title or field. While this works well if you know exactly the role that you want, this is a frustrating way to look for your next move if you feel unhappy with what you've been doing.

Here's my hack for finding what could end up being your dream role: reverse engineer it. Do not search for title or field. Search for what lights you up inside.

Okay, that sounds silly. Think of it this way...

Whether it's at home, when you volunteer or when you're working, what tasks get you in a zone where you forget you're even working? What do you do that's so easy for you, but others depend on you to do it because it doesn't come naturally to them at all?

Maybe you're a teacher right now, but, like so many teachers, you need to change careers for your mental health. You can't just search "teacher" on Indeed and find your next move, so think about what aspects of your role still make you feel alive and full of purpose. Do you love mentoring new teachers? Do you love coming up with exciting ways to teach something that is difficult for students? Still hoping to make an impact on kids somehow?

Find some keywords when you describe the tasks that light you up. In the case above, you might search: mentoring, training, curriculum, instruction, youth.

When I just searched curriculum, here are some titles that came up: Social Emotional Learning Curriculum Developer, Director of Product and Training - K12 Curriculum, Production Trainer, Senior Assessment Designer.

I know it sounds crazy, but if you use keyword for things you know you love, you may just find your perfect next move. With this method, you don't have to know what your dream job is. You just have to take a few moments to reflect and assess and let that drive your search.

Once you find it, here's the biggest change that I want you to make to your resume: tailor your Profile section to the new role that you want. This section should be at the top of your resume, right under your name/contact info, and will capture the potential employer's attention by pulling relevant keywords from your experience and the amazing things that you do so naturally.

It is KEY to grab them from the top, especially if you're making a shift in career. Think of it as a miniature cover letter.

Want me to walk you through tailoring your resume step-by-step? My online class, Resume Roadmap, will guide you through my simple 3-phase process to find your secret sauce, write about it and plug it into my simple and eye-catching Word templates. The Profile section cheat sheet alone is such a game changer for my students. No amazing writing skills required. Check it out here.