How to Land Your Dream Job

As a college woman you already have many job search tactics in the back pocket of your skinny, dark-wash J Brand jeans. In fact, you apply many of these tactics on a daily basis without ever realizing it. Seriously.
 

Everything from your resume, to your cover letter, to networking, can have a fearless feminine touch to them. And even though a job search can feel super overwhelming, if you apply these tactics you’ve surely already mastered, you will feel more confident about landing that job of your dreams. Because really, you already know you can get everything you want — from that pair of Christian Louboutain heels to that boyfriend with the sexy-as-hell grin, if you just put your mind — and your feminine instincts — to good use.
 
1. Apply ‘Facebook Stalking’ When You Write Your Cover Letter
One of the most important aspects of presenting yourself to your future employer is your cover letter. Not only should it serve as the reason why you are applying for the job, the best fit for the job, the perfect person for that company, etc., but it should serve as an avenue to give the recruiter a taste of your personality. It’s a hiring manager’s chance to see what you’re like, and if they like what they see, bring you in. It’s really no different than what you do on a daily basis already every time you go through the Facebook pages of those girls who comment on your boyfriend’s wall. You probably ask yourself, “Is she a threat?” “Is she someone who I could be friends with?” “Does his sister really have a real Chanel purse?”
 
The Bottom Line:You already screen people daily without realizing it, whether it’s the girl wearing the Stella McCarney adidas yoga pants at the gym or that guy who’s eyeing you from across the bar. When you write your cover letter, think about how someone would screen you, and then adapt your cover letter to what you want to communicate.
 
2. Your Resume is Your LBD
You know that ridiculously perfect, slimming little black dress that always takes up the best real estate your closet has to offer? Your resume is no different. It should be just as tailored, wrinkle-free and form-fitting as your dress. Like a lbd is the best tool in your wardrobe, your resume is the most important tool in your job hunt arsenal. You want a document that reflects you personally, shows off your best assets and accomplishments, and makes you shine in your best light. You don’t want a snag or deodorant marks on a black dress, and you don’t want spelling or grammar mistakes on your cover letter!
 
The Bottom Line: Make sure your resume has thought behind it. Spend as much time putting it together as you would finding that one amazing piece in your closet. It’s the one document you will bring out the most as you apply for that next perfect accessory — that fits-like-a-glove job.
 
3. Networking is All About Gaining Access
What do you do when you want to get into your favorite club on a regular basis? You befriend the bouncer, the promoter or one of the bartenders, right? The same thing applies to finding out about that amazing sale at your favorite store. It’s so much easier to gain access to the best stuff that’s going on sale if you’re friends with the store manager or owner. You network to get the things you need on a daily basis. Now just apply those techniques to your job search. If you want to get a job at a finance firm, use LinkedIn to find out who works there, see if you know anyone who can help you get an “in,” and then put on that arresting smile of yours and wow them with your stiletto-sharp knowledge.
 
The Bottom Line: We all have ways of getting what we want in our lives. Your job search is no different. Start looking at networking like getting into that can’t-miss party or of-the-moment sample sale, and you’ll be piling up business cards like shopping receipts before you know it.
 
4. Finding the Job is Like Finding the Guy
We’ve all been on those horrible dates. You know, the ones where you sit there listening to him drone on and on about his latest Fantasy Football picks while all you can think about is who should be eliminated next on “The Bachelor.” And chances are if you’ve been on the prowl for your first (or next) job, you’ve sat through the same mind-numbing conversations only in interview form. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you ever find the guy that actually gets you and holds your interest for more than two weeks. Sometimes we think we’ve found “it” only to be disappointed months — or years — later when it fails.
 
The Bottom Line: Each job interview — just like each date — brings you that much closer to finding out what it is you want — and don’t want — in your job. Look at these situations as opportunities to learn more about yourself and how to work with others. Because even that nerdy guy who likes augmented reality might teach you something about how you view the world.
 
5. Make Your ‘Pitch’ as Effortless as Your Makeup
No woman wants to spend hours getting ready each morning, and if it’s something they have to do for some reason or another, chances are they have a team of stylists on speed dial. We recommend when you approach your job search that you have an elevator speech — a two-minute “this is why you have to hire ME” soundbyte that you can drop at a moment’s notice. But that speech has to be honed and perfected, until it communicates exactly what you want to say in the clearest way possible. So, you know how you have a five-minute makeup routine and maybe a 15-minute one for those really big occasions? Create a short elevator pitch and then another that’s just a bit longer for those more in-depth “I can’t believe I’m talking to the CEO” moments.
 
The Bottom Line:Keep it simple. Don’t over-think and over-complicate what it is you’re trying to say when someone asks why you want to get into a certain industry, or why you want to have a certain kind of job. Keep it easy, breezy and effortless. Confidence is your best accessory in your everyday life and your job search.

 
Brianne Burrowes is the founder and editor of iwantherjob.com, a site featuring women in all professions of varying ages who have one thing in common – a fierce love for their career. In addition, she is the editor-in-chief of careersparx.com, a website aimed at equipping recent college graduates with the skills to land their first job after graduating college. A print journalism graduate of The University of Montana, she became the youngest ever editor-in-chief of the Montanan, UM’s alumni magazine, at age 22. She also served as an intern in the features and entertainment departments at Seventeen magazine, appeared briefly on an MTV reality show and contributed to more than eight national women’s interest magazines, including Seventeen and CosmoGIRL!