While some dream to work at a certain position, some wish to simply explore the field or industry of their choice. However, a lot of inevitable variables come into picture in this crucial journey.
Here are 3 easy tips to help you reach where you wish to be:
1. Decide where you want to end up at
If you are reading this post, I am assuming you are already at that point where career gains priority. Then we see where you currently are to measure the gap from here to the destination. Don’t feel intimidated, as it takes time to accomplish our dreams. No one is anywhere close to them in the beginning. I will try to add in as many examples as possible to help you get a better understanding of this.
2. Start getting as close to the industry as you can
Not geographically, of course. With this I mean, start getting as much knowledge as you can about where you want to end up. Currently, since you are not in a related field, you are of no use to that industry. So, with this, you start realising what you are getting into. If your dream is to work for someone in particular, you should to get closer to them and make your presence felt. Make sure you use social media to engage and connect.
This can be time consuming. It may even require a year or so. You need this to be able to make a proper shift of career. Spend time with relevant people. Take up online courses to build on the skill-set that the companies require. Information about skill set requirements can be found on their respective websites or on careers pages. Research about the state of the company and their future plans.Try doing an internship in your field
Here are some examples to help you better understand what I’m talking about:
- I am a Tech writer and reviewer with a growing publication. This one time, we decided to venture into fashion writing. However, none of us were aware about the requirements for that. Eventually, we failed because of our lack of exposure. Post scrapping that idea, one of the partners started assisting a fashion blogger to build his know-how. That, I think, is the perfect way to experience the industry first hand.
- An acquaintance named Aditya worked as a Software Engineer in the States for 3 years. His knowledge was outdated and his coding languages used only by a few. The job got mundane for him. He was passionate about vehicles, electric vehicles of the future, to be precise. His target companies should have been Tesla, Faraday Future and Lucid Motors.Despite being into engineering, the gap between his current state and desired state was massive. But Aditya was smart! He progressed. He had a good look at all the engineering-related openings and the requirements on the pages. Thus, he got a better idea of what he was lacking. Thanks to the internet, he started learning two additional courses. By the day, he would manage his regular job, and by night, he would prepare for these courses. That’s right, be ready to hustle if you want to make it there.Meanwhile, he also started focussing on his savings, because he knew career shifts could be damaging. Now, with a new set of more relevant skills, he applied for an internship at one of these companies. He got in because of his age, experience, and the new skills.I am a believer of the fact that if you are good at your art, you will make an impact, irrespective of your position and that is what happened. His deep interests in that field made him shine at his internship. He is still working there with a slight pay cut (internship v/s full-time day job), and in just 6 months he is already almost as good enough as any other person applying for the post. This is because of the additional knowledge he acquired on how the company works during his internship.
3. Reach out and Get Noticed
Let’s say your dream is to be working with a certain personality in the industry of your choice. She/He is making a name for her/himself there and you wish to work with them. Understand the human element. Working for him could be a lot of things, and not all of them will be very close to him.
Follow them and their work keenly. Follow him/her everywhere on social media. Start showing up in their comments section and get to know them better. There’s a good chance they are reading your comments. See how you can create value for them to create a leverage for you. Get acquainted with their work and equip yourself with the needed skills. Try getting in touch with them through email.
Share with them your objective of working with them. Show how you can be useful to them. You may refer to your past work or the leverage you generated earlier. Keep trying. They get thousands of mails and the probability of them opening yours is slim. But work around that.
You can get to know those who work in the company. You may utilise social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to have conversations with them. Make your objective evident and speak to them. Show them how much you want it and make sure you earn it. Get them to refer you for the future. Ask them how you can improve and be more valuable.
Be humble and learn. Anybody working at that company is an asset to you. They are closer to your dream than you are. Let your personality reflect your passion and ambition.
We are aware that accomplishing ambitions is easier said than done. But your ambition is what gives you the motivation to work harder. If you have specific queries, then leave them in the comments below, and we will advise you on how you can do it!
