Steps to your Dream Job

This weekend, I got the privilege to attend Illuminate’s Think Tank with Mash Chowdhury, a

cybersecurity consultant at Deloitte, as part of Illuminate’s Associate National Lead program. I was extremely inspired and would like to take the opportunity to share what I learned with my Linkedin platform.

Mash showed us a six step formula to apply for our dream job/career. It includes showcasing our academic strength, personality strength, professional wow points, why we are ready for the role, what makes us stand out, and the must-have job requirements. Mash also gave us important advice towards the whole process.

The first law is about first impressions; Mash talked about how important it is to show people how special you are and that no one is going to talk to you unless you show them you are worth their time. Mash gave us advice on Linkedin and how to improve our profiles to look professional. He insisted that we have to keep everything brief and very specific. He was very kind and took the time to look over everyone’s Linkedin profiles. He gave me great tips such as writing a clear and concise description to highlight what makes me special and different from others. He highlighted that It is not embarrassing to brag or showcase all your achievements on your profile.

The second law is to always stand up for yourself. You cannot rely on your parents, teachers or insider connections to get you into any organization. Based on Mash’s past experiences, any employee that got into the organization through connections never ends well because they will be isolated by other employees in the company. Therefore, Mash suggested we be cautious when we build our mentor relationships; we should constantly stay engaged and ask for tips. With that being said, Mash taught us how to find connections on Linkedin by searching for people who have similar interests in you or have been through the same education. He showed us ways to ask for tips and how to reach out to people whom we have never talked to. His greatest advice for me is to be genuine and not to be too formal which I believe is quite important to building up a relationship. It is also important to keep sending these messages and send them more consistently in order to build up connections.

The third law is to never send the same resume to twenty jobs. I am glad Mash mentioned that because I was one of the people who was going to do so. He told us it is crucial to send tailored resumes and cover letters to one specific job. This will show the company your involvement and it will increase your chances of getting chosen for the position.

The fourth law is about commitment. There is no way to be on top; success has millions of definitions. Our biggest challenge is to be successful in our own way because we will never succeed if we never act on the things we learn. Simply listening to others talk about their success means nothing to ourselves. We must stand up and work hard for what we want. I believe the last law is the most important and it will be my motivation to work hard from this day forward.