How do you get the perfect job that pays you plenty and has all the right perks and things you always wanted to have? Getting the perfect job is an art, that is why most of us settle in ‘some job’ to pay off our mortgages, constantly whining about our jobs thinking, ‘one day we would land in the perfect job’.

We have to agree that few people are smart enough and good in this art and always seem to land in the perfect job all the time. How do they do it? I have compiled these notes from my own experience of job search in the last few months (I got a job a month ago). These tips are based on my experience with Australian industry, and I am certainly guarantee that this approach will work in any country. If you follow these steps, you too will land in a perfect job.

1. What are the things that matter to you?
Spending time with yourself is the essential because, you need find out (ask yourself) about the things you like, the things you hate, your priorities in life and values that matter to you.

If you understand yourself first, you will find the kind of job that you like and hate. This is one crucial step that will make you a huge difference. Do not go to a job because, you like the salary. If you do not really like the job, after very few months, you will get pissed off by your job.

So, find your values and priorities in life. If you are unsure of what your priorities and values are, then grab this book, “What colour is your Parachute?” from a local library or a shop. The initial chapters of the book will guide you to identify your personality traits and the jobs that most likely will interest you.

2. Do you know which your perfect job is?
To get a perfect job, you need to define the perfect job by your own standards is. A perfect job according to my standards will be a completely boring job for you, because, we are two different, unique individuals. Before you begin your job search, answer the following questions. Write down the answers in a notebook.

- what is the nature of job you would like (independent or team, technical or managerial)
- write an ideal job description of your perfect job (look for some job advertisements in your own field – pick the right things from several ads and compile you own job ad)
- get down to salary, perks and other details
- set your limits (minimum salary, perks, willing to move to another city, working environment)

Also, having a picture of a perfect job, will allow you to check if you are responding to an appropriate job advertisement.

3. Show me your CV/Resume
If you are concerned with the different terms and worry about misusing them, either read the CV, Resume or Biodata definitions or follow the job advertisement you are responding to. Deliver what they need.

Ok, you have found out what you like and ideal job that you want now is the time to write your magical CV. A CV or Curriculum Vitae is the first contact your employer will make with you. You need to put in all your energy to make the document ‘smart’. It is just like a ‘tv commercial’ that draws attention and makes you to act.

Write your CV matching with your ideal job description. We need to check your CV with your friends or job consultants (also supply them the idea job description) that if your CV reflects the qualities and skills needed by the ideal job – they will find out the flaws. We overlook such flaws, since we wrote the CV thinking ‘Isn’t that obvious?’. Nothing is obvious until you explicitly write in your CV.

4. Do you sell apples or oranges?
If you are sending pre-prepared job applications (CV + cover letter) to respond to the job ads, stop doing that. Probably that’s why you are not getting beyond the point in your job search.

Australian employers specifically want you to address how you fit for a job and they need to see your responses in your cover letter or in a separate document. I recommend using a ‘responses to the selection criteria’ document along with your cover letter and CV. Your cover letter should answer why you are applying for the job and include pointers to your CV and the ‘responses to the selection criteria’ document.

a. Start with the job advertisement – study what the employer is looking for.

b. Always respond to the advertisement – Double-check if your CV completely convinces that it fits the job ad, if not add the extra information. Note down the selection criteria and essential qualities that you need to address.

c. Illustrate your qualities with examples – illustrate where you previously used a skill or trait (that is required for the current job). If you are applying for the first job, then feel free to include relevant examples from your family, sports or social achievements.

d. Write your ‘responses to selection criteria’ in STAR style – most employers read your response looking for these details.
- Situation that you encounter e.g. angry customer
- Task assigned e.g. attend to the angry customer’s need
- Action taken e.g. solved the problem / issue
- Results achieved e.g. the angry customer came home happy

I have done this mistake (of sending a common CV and cover letter) in my initial days of job search, when I wanted to respond at least 10 job ads in a day and I didn’t have time to write a different job application to each of them separately. It’s not that difficult to do this at all, if you follow this trick.

I have a master word document, in which I have compiled all my “responses to selection criteria”, and whenever I have to write a job application, I copy and paste ‘the relevant response’ from it. If I need to write a new response to a specific job ad, I write it and then copy it and paste it in the master document of “responses to selection criteria”. As you apply for more and more jobs, the time to prepare the application drastically reduces. You can make a custom-application in few minutes.

When you employers are looking for apples, don’t send the brochures of your oranges, however sweet they might be.

5. Did you get the call for an interview?
This is not an action item for you. This is a check point. If you have done all the above steps fairly well, you must receive a call from your employer. If you have not heard from the employer, there can be two possibilities, either the employer have found better applications or your application is not considered appropriate. But, if you have applied for 10 different jobs (each with a specific, custom-made job application), and never heard from your employers, then seriously some thing is wrong – go back to the drawing board.

Study what could have went wrong; often your job consultant will know the ‘behind-the-scenes story’. Ask your job consultant why your application was not short listed, find the true reason. If the mistake is not in your part (you are not in the right city, your expected salary is too big, better candidates were applied), move on.

Always wait for feedback (even no responses from the employer) such as this. In my initial week of job search, I sent 10 job applications (3 custom-made and 7 common CV + cover letter), out of which I had got only three rejection letters. No phone calls at all. I went and met a career consultant with my CV and cover letters and the job ads that I had applied for. He pointed out my mistakes, and suggested me to improve the layout of my CV (content was good). It didn’t cost me anything, I had sincerely asked him how to improve my next job application and he helped me.

If you continue applying for jobs (and getting no responses), with the same job application, then the job consultants will black list you and may report any email from you as a spam (not kidding).

That’s too much of information on one day. I will take a break here. I will return with tips on attending personal, phone interviews, how to answer questions, what questions you should ask your interviewer and how can you tell if you have got the job or not (before they tell you).

If something is not clear, ask me.

Stay tuned!

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