Stop job hunting: create your own!

How do you get your dream job? You've probably been told that preparation is key. So, you learn languages, study topics that interest you, research the companies operating in your field... If you're proactive, you even reach out to those companies via LinkedIn, ask about job openings and send over your CV. Then you cross your fingers and wait for a response, just like everyone else who’s doing exactly the same thing at the same time.

But what if we told you there’s another way to get your dream job? In fact, more than one?

As Amy Hoy explains on her blog Stacking the Bricks, the way to get your dream job is by creating it. And she knows from experience: “I had a system:

1. I met people in the industry I was interested in by attending both online and in-person meetups.
2. I proved my value to their company through general conversations and by taking part in different activities.
3. I asked them to create a role for me,” she says.

It’s the perfect strategy because, in this case, you’re the only candidate.  How many people send in their CVs for a job offer? Hundreds, thousands. How many take the initiative, research a company's problems and come up with a solution? Aha.

Apply this mindset to your project and become your own boss The same steps work when showing potential customers how your product or service can solve their pain points. Simply shouting about an idea and hoping customers will magically want it won’t work. You’d be relying on demand, and don’t forget: users are researching not just what you offer, but also what your competitors are doing. You’ll be stuck waiting and facing off against rivals, just like in the traditional job hunt.

So, what’s the right way to get your project off the ground? Follow the same system:

1. Find the people you can help.
2. Learn about their needs and how they express their pain points (in their own words, you’ll learn a lot!).
3. Adapt your product or service to their answers and… voilà!

Of course, this isn’t automatic. You’ll still need to convince potential customers that what you offer is exactly what they need, even if they weren’t actively looking for it. You need to understand them. But you don’t need a crystal ball to figure it out, you just need to ASK. We say this often, but here it’s absolutely essential. It’s the only way to truly know what your users want. Their answers are your greatest weapon to offer exactly what they’re looking for.

Want to learn how to validate your project and find out if it could become a sustainable idea?Pre-register for Santander X Explorer, we’ll let you know when a new call opens so you can be one of the first to join!

Photo by Aleksei Zhivilov on Unsplash.