how to land your dream job this year

Apps and ebooks to help you track down your ideal role

If you’re unhappy in your current role, there are plenty of apps, ebooks and personality trait tests available to help you figure out what type of job makes you feel like you have a real sense of purpose; the kind of job you’ll eagerly spring out of bed for each morning.

The Career Coach (available as an ebook, £9.35), written by career management expert Corinne Mills, has a wealth of information for those at a crossroads, unsure whether to progress in your current field or to try something new. Through a series of tips and exercises, Mills helps you figure out your skills, passions and achievements, and how they can be blended into a recipe for your dream job.

The PathSource app (from free, iOS/ Android) is another way to drill down into what you like doing, what you’re good at, and into which types of roles those likes and skills could lead you. The app goes a step further by explaining (through paid-for articles and videos) what a typical career path might look like for your dream job.

GET YOURSELF NOTICED

Once you’ve got a handle on what your ideal role is, get your CV in shape, tailoring it to the job you want and not to the one you already have. The dos and don’ts of writing a killer CV change by the minute, so download the CV-Library app free, iOS/Android) to learn how to write a CV that gets you noticed. You could even make an ‘elevator pitch’ infographic style CV at Visualize.me.

Networking can also lead you towards your dream job. Try Shapr, the networking app (£17.99 per month, iOS/Android), to see if there’s anyone local to you working in the field you want to be in, and who might be able to get you an ‘in’. Uploading your CV to job search apps like LinkedIn Job Search, Indeed and BrighterMonday (all free, iOS/ Android), and creating alerts for your dream job, will also help you double-down on seizing any great opportunities as soon as they arise.

Once you have a handle on what your ideal role is, tailor your CV to the job you want and not to the one you already have