Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job

Do you want to work in the nonprofit sector and still make money? There’s a common misconception that working for nonprofits means you have to give up a competitive salary in exchange for mission-driven work. Our guest this week on the Find Your Dream Job podcast, Catalina Rojas, says that you don’t have to choose between a nonprofit job and competitive pay. By doing your research, knowing your worth, and advocating for yourself, you can have a fulfilling job and the compensation you want. About Our Guest: Catalina Rojas Catalina Rojas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/catalina-rojas-912b9a2/) is the host of the Social Change Career Podcast. Catalina is an expert on nonprofit salary negotiation. She says if you choose to work for a nonprofit, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for a good salary. Catalina emphasizes the importance of being prepared and knowing what you want before sitting down to salary negotiations. Her advice is practical, actionable, and much of it applies to private sector jobs, too. Resources in this Episode: Listen to Catalina’s podcast, the Social Change Career Podcast, to hear how professionals in the social change field are changing the world while making a living and learn how to align your own passion with your purpose. Visit: https://pcdnetwork.org/the-social-change-career-podcast/  For global social change resources, visit the Peace and Collaborative Development Network: https://pcdnetwork.org/. Knowing the average salary of the position you’re going after will make you a stronger negotiator. You can find the true salary for positions in your area using online tools that compile this data. Catalina recommends Glassdoor.com. Learn how to negotiate for the salary you deserve. Download our free guide, “How to Talk About Money in an Interview,” at macslist.org/moneytalk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up to 80 percent of jobs are never posted online. So how are these positions filled? Through networking. Networking is essential to landing a fulfilling job you love, but most people feel icky doing it. Today’s Find Your Dream Job guest, Halelly Azulay (https://www.linkedin.com/in/talentgrow), shares what good networking looks like and how it can help you find your next role. Halelly says that networking is all about authenticity and service to others. Giving without thinking of receiving will build a strong community upon mutual respect, and those relationships will help you land your dream job. About our guest: Halelly Azulay Halelly is CEO at TalentGrow (https://www.talentgrow.com), a consulting company that develops leaders and teams. She’s an expert in leadership, communication skills, emotional intelligence, and authentic networking. In her weekly podcast, Talent Grow Show, Halelly shares practical, tactical tips on how to overcome the ick factor in networking and find your next job as a result. Resources in this Episode: Learn more about Halelly’s work improving leadership and teams by visiting www.TalentGrow.com. Halelly has written two books: “Employee Development on a Shoestring” and “Strength to Strength: How Working From Your Strengths Can Help You Lead a More Fulfilling Life” for leaders wanting to strengthen their teams. Listen to Halelly’s weekly podcast, Talent Grow Show (https://www.talentgrow.com), for tips on networking and authentic relationship building. Halelly has a special offer just for listeners of the Find Your Dream Job podcast. Go to talentgrow.com/dreamjob for a free guide on Ten Ways to Become a More Engaging Communicator. Halelly encourages Find Your Dream Job listeners to learn how to build your network in just five minutes a day from the most networked man in Silicon Valley, Adam Rifkin. Read Adam's best tips in this Forbes article from 2013: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelsimmons/2013/08/22/how-the-worlds-top-relationship-builder-makes-introductions/#54186d7a38fd. Your presence online is critical in order for employers to find you. Learn how to use your social media to leave a good impression with my free online course. Go to maclist.org/wow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When you’re a recent college graduate, it can feel daunting to search for a job without previous experience in your field. The good news is, all you need to find a great job are: a good network, special skills that set you apart, and knowing how to use those skills. On this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Drake MacFarlane and I talk about how he used his strengths and interests to pinpoint and highlight his unique skills to land his dream job at Columbia Sportswear - and get promoted there within his first year of employment. Learn more about Drake’s career history below in this installment of our Success Stories series.   What do you do for a career? Who do you work for? I am the new fraud analyst in Columbia Sportswear’s eCommerce department. I build statistical models to predict cyber fraud risk and make financial projections incorporating those results. Additionally, I do data analysis and reporting on eCommerce key performance indicators (KPIs). In other words, I stare at numbers all day—and like it! Since I’m bilingual, I also work with the French-speaking customer service representatives in the department. How long did it take you to find this job? It took me about ten weeks after graduating from Lewis & Clark College. How did you find your job? What resources did you use? What tool or tactic helped the most? My job search was two-pronged: plenty of applying for jobs found on Glassdoor and Indeed, as well as a series of informational interviews with contacts I had made. Although I found my current role from a posting on Indeed, most of my potential job opportunities came from contacting those in my network. What was the most difficult part of your job search? How did you overcome this challenge? The hardest part was facing rejection after making it through several rounds of interviews. It’s certainly disheartening and has happened to me a few times. I overcame this challenge by pounding the pavement. After each rejection, I’d send out at least three job applications and contact someone in my network. Rolling with the punches helped immensely and kept me on track, in addition to copious amounts of caffeine from coffee shops around town. What is the single best piece of advice you would offer other job-seekers? Job searching is a numbers game in the end. Although some strategies are more optimal than others in finding a job, it is simply about getting as many tailored and effective resumes out there as possible. I advise against spamming every company’s HR inbox with cookie-cutter resumes–but you should set a quota goal for each day and hit it. Whether that means you send three customized resumes out a day or to have two informational interviews a week, what matters is that you keep racking up those numbers. Eventually something will bite. Why do you love your job? First, I get to actually put to good use all the math classes I’ve taken over the years. I am afforded the opportunity to solve difficult problems through mathematical models I build with a ‘fail-fast’ mindset. If something works, great. If not, I scrap it and do something new. In addition, I’m able to put my mind to not just answering financial questions, but also towards predicting and deterring the actions of fraudsters and hackers. Finally, I’m lucky enough to have supportive colleagues and a great mentor within my department. The Columbia corporate culture is supportive towards personal career growth and collaborative success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As a job seeker, what is the first thing you do when looking for your next job or career move? Do you get online, find jobs you might be interested in, and then go through the online application process? If so, you might be shocked to learn that you have a better chance of getting into Harvard than you do of finding a job you love through an online system. On this episode of the Find Your Dream Job podcast, career expert Austin Belcak tells you how to get around the online application system, how to build relationships with people on the inside, and how to find your own personal champion within a company.   About Our Guest: Austin Belcak Austin Belcak (https://www.linkedin.com/in/abelcak/) is the founder of Cultivated Culture (https://cultivatedculture.com/) and is an expert on how to find jobs in unconventional ways. He shares highly effective strategies for landing amazing jobs without traditional experience, without connections, and without applying online.   Resources in this Episode: Austin shares a detailed breakdown of his entire job process as his flagship course. Check out Austin's Dream Job System: https://cultivatedculture.com/macslist/  Rapid Resume Revamp (https://cultivatedculture.com/?s=rapid+resume+revamp) helps you create a resume that will help you build a relationship with the employer and beat applicant tracking systems. Get in touch with anyone with Hunter (https://hunter.io/): the easiest way to find someone's corporate email address. Austin has provided several free courses for Find Your Dream Job listeners. Visit https://cultivatedculture.com/macslist/. Need help getting clear about your goals? Check out Finding Focus in Your Job Search, a free resource from Mac’s List. Download it at maclist.org/focus.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When preparing for a negotiation, especially about money, people are often told that their feelings don’t matter. We are warned to not get emotional at the negotiating table. Women are seen as emotional while men are seen as rational thinkers and therefore better negotiators. But are your feelings truly a weakness when it comes to negotiations? On this episode of the Find Your Dream Job podcast, Jamie Lee helps us understand why we should pay attention to our feelings and why emotion has a place in business conversations. About Our Guest: Jamie Lee Jamie Lee (https://www.linkedin.com/in/leejieunjamie/) is a leadership and negotiation coach. She has led hundreds of workshops on negotiation, self-advocacy, and transformative leadership. Her clients include leading organizations in technology, finance, and diplomacy. She also hosts the weekly podcast, Born to Thrive (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/born-to-thrive-with-jamie-lee/id1357660344?mt=2). Resources Shared in This Episode: Jamie’s free webinar series: Bolder, Braver, and Better Paid (https://sg429-a09a41.pages.infusionsoft.net/). Recommended Reading: Jamie encourages our listeners to check out this book written by psychiatrist turned negotiation trainer, Mark Goulston, “Just Listen,” (https://www.amazon.com/Just-Listen-Discover-Getting-Absolutely/dp/0814436471). More from our guest: To learn more about Jamie and access her free resources, go to jamieleecoach.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do you think it’s a best practice to never call or write a hiring manager? Or that you should only apply for jobs where you meet 80% of qualifications? How about the notion that you must tell a hiring manager what you earned at your last job? Our guest Clark Finnical debunks these jobs search myths and unlocks the keys to finding more career satisfaction. About Our Guest: Clark Finnical Clark Finnical is the author of “Job Hunting Secrets (from someone who's been there)”: https://amzn.to/2MPx1PN. Clark worked in the corporate world for 30 years. And he knows firsthand what it’s like to look for a job. He’s done five successful searches himself. Clark is passionate about dispelling myths that put a job seeker at a disadvantage. He shares his career advice in frequent articles for LinkedIn. He also volunteers as a career coach. Resources Shared in This Episode: Get Clark’s book: “Job Hunting Secrets (from someone who's been there)”: https://amzn.to/2MPx1PN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you're in the midst of a long job search, it can feel like you've exhausted every possible avenue to find a new job. Consider taking a closer look at your LinkedIn profile and connections, and revising your cover letter to find more success in your job search. On this bonus episode of the Find Your Dream Job podcast, I chat with Zerline Hughes Spruill, who is the Managing Director of Communications at the Advancement Project in Washington, DC about she used LinkedIn as a platform to grow her professional brand and attract attention from potential employers, and how she used her cover letter to refine her job search. Learn more about Zerline's career history below, in a Q&A featured as a part of our Success Stories series.   What do you do for a career? Who do you work for? I am Managing Director of Communications for Advancement Project. I manage the strategic communications and outreach for a mid-size nonprofit that is dedicated to racial justice, particularly as it relates to voting rights, immigration and education. How long did it take you to find this job? Though I wasn’t actively looking for full-time employment, the process from start to finish took two months during the summer. How did you find your job? What resources did you use? What tool or tactic helped the most? LinkedIn really works! I wasn’t looking for a job, but heard with regular updates to LinkedIn, including weekly posts, comments and keeping your profile updated, that other users will notice you. This was the case with a headhunter who apparently found me on LinkedIn. What was the most difficult part of your job search? How did you overcome this challenge? Because I wasn’t actively searching, there was no difficulty in the hunt. However, being patient over the two-month period with the one employer was difficult. As a contractor, I was squeamish about taking on new contracts in the event I was, in fact hired. But I understood that the process was going to take time because the organization wanted the right person for this leadership role; it was summer and staff wasn’t readily available for panel interviews and they didn’t want to rush into such a big decision. What is the single best piece of advice you would offer other job-seekers? When working with a search firm, ask them questions. Let them truly guide you by asking for their input on your resume, cover letter, interview input. They want you to succeed as much as you do yourself. Why do you love your job? I love my job because after only two weeks, I feel valued, appreciated and needed. I also love my job because I know what I’m doing – what we’re doing – makes a difference. Finally, I love my job because they hosted a staff retreat where staff really got to “retreat,” and relax, and team-build. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you find yourself experiencing doubts about your current job position, look for warning signs that it’s not worth sticking it out. A toxic workplace culture, stagnant company growth, no room for career development and other indicators can be clear signs that it’s time to move on. Our guest expert Jessica Hernandez shares how to overcome obstacles as you face a career change. About Our Guest: Jessica Hernandez Jessica Hernandez is an executive resume writer and President and CEO of Great Resumes Fast. Resources Shared in This Episode: Go to https://www.greatresumesfast.com/ Fifteen Keys To Get Your Resume Through Applicant Tracking Software Systems: https://www.greatresumesfast.com/macslist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, the Mac’s List team marks a major milestone. This month marks the third anniversary of the Find Your Dream Job podcast. We’ve now recorded more than 160 weekly shows. Add the more than 50 bonus episodes, and that makes more than 200 podcast programs. To mark the occasion, the Mac’s List team gathered in the podcast studio to share their favorite career lessons learned and most impactful job seeker advice they’ve discovered along the way. Here’s a few of the big takeaways the team shares: Why taking action and making a commitment is an important first step How to ask your network about your strengths The importance of having focus in your job search Why you should always write a cover letter How to pay it forward and keep your career development moving even when you’re not actively job-hunting Listen in to this bonus episode as the Mac’s List team celebrates how the podcast has grown and looks forward to what’s next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In order to find a job where you will thrive, it’s essential to determine if the company’s work culture is the right fit for you. Do you thrive in structured work environments or do you need to work remotely? During the interview process, ask tactical, specific questions about the company’s culture and determine if it fits your needs. Dorianne St Fluer, HR practitioner and diversity/inclusion enthusiast joins us to examine how to identify if a company’s culture is a good fit before you accept a job offer. About Our Guest: Dorianne St Fleur Dorianne is a HR practitioner, Diversity & Inclusion enthusiast and career and salary strategist based in New York City. She is also the creator of the online career coaching boutique, Your Career Girl as well as the host of the weekly career podcast called, Deeper than Work. Dorianne coaches, speaks and podcasts about how women of color can leverage their unique strengths to decrease the leadership gap in Tech and Finance. Resources in this Episode: New tool: Keep in mind these 7 warning signs before you accept a job offer, from Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/40585779/7-warning-signs-that-you-shouldnt-accept-a-job-offer Listener question: Alex Franklin, Portland, OR, is passionate about politics and frequently uses social media to discuss political issues. He asks, is it okay to be politically active when looking for work? More from our guest: Go to yourcareergirl.com Subscribe to Dorianne’s podcast, The Deeper Than Work Podcast: https://yourcareergirl.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.