I landed my dream role. Here’s how I did it (and how you can do it, too.)

Use these 5 tips to help you land your next *dream* job.

Hi everyone! Welcome back for another edition of A Joyful Life! Thank you so much for being here every week. 💖

So… I’m returning to Taiwan on April 20th for three months! I’m super excited to see my family and friends, and to eat Taiwanese food!!! But I’m also sad about doing long-distance with my boyfriend.

Anywho, how was your week?! As always, feel free to let me know in the comments. 😊

Now, without further ado, let’s dive into today’s edition!

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I landed my dream role. Here’s how I did it (and how you can do it, too.)

On March 25, 2024, I started working at Kurogo. 

Kurogo is a leading personal branding agency. 

For context: I first heard of Kurogo in 2022 when I started posting on LinkedIn. 

I even applied for a Personal Brand Manager role at the time. I got rejected (obviously). If you saw my previous application, you’d know why. 

Then, on January 25, 2024, I saw on LinkedIn that Kurogo was hiring. So I decided to shoot my shot again. 

And well, now I’m Pod 1’s Content Writer working with people I’ve admired for the last two years. 

Here’s how I got the role the second time I applied. 

(Fun fact: Here’s a screenshot of a “future” LinkedIn post I wrote the day after I applied for the role. I didn’t get an interview until February 10th. Now, I *definitely* believe in the Law of Attraction.)

Tip #1 — Figure out what your dream role is. 

My career path has not been conventional. 

Since graduating from university, I’ve worked as a waitress, customer service representative at the gym, aesthetician, ESL teacher, and freelancer. 

Were these 6-7 years a waste of my life? 

Not at all. 

After each job, I reflected on what I loved doing, my strengths, and my values. 

Then I experimented until I found a role that aligned with what I wanted. 

Action for you: 

Grab a notebook and pen. Write down the answers to these questions:

1. What are your values?

2. What are your strengths?

3. What do you do or learn about in your free time?

4. What do you love doing? What gives you energy? Pay attention to how you feel after you do certain activities. 

Tip #2 — Look for companies that align with your dream role.

When I set out to find my dream job, I had specific criteria in mind. I knew I wanted:

• To ghostwrite

• A fully remote job

• Flexible working hours

• To work with a high-performing team who valued growth, feedback, ownership, and responsibility, with a positive, can-do attitude

Kurogo fit the bill perfectly.

How did I know?

Because I researched everything about Kurogo. I read their entire website. I checked out all their social media channels. I read LinkedIn posts written by the team.

I made sure the role, responsibilities, values, company culture, work environment, team, and salary all aligned with what I wanted. 

Action for you: 

Research, research, research! 

Again, check if the role, responsibilities, values, company culture, environment, team, and salary match what *you’re* looking for.

Tip #3 — Go above and beyond.

My goal was to stand out in every stage of the application process. Here’s how I did it: 

• When I applied, I sent Kurogo my CV (a Canva deck), a written cover letter, and a *video* cover letter. This took me 5 hours. 

• After being shortlisted for the first interview, I prepared an interview presentation. I built it using Carrd. This took me 12+ hours. And I only had 1.5 days to finish it. Then I wrote a script. Now, I didn’t get a chance to present in the interview… but because I took the time to prepare this presentation, I felt more confident answering their questions. After the interview, I sent the COO and Head of Client Strategy (the two people who interviewed me) the presentation.

• For the writing task, we had to write two LinkedIn posts. I not only wrote the posts, but I also provided short explanations about my work in the Google document. And I created a carousel to accompany one of the posts. This took me 5 hours. 

• My final interview was with the CEO and COO of Kurogo. In preparation, I took Kurogo’s personal branding course just in case. 

Overall, the entire application process took me ~23 hours of work. 

But it paid off. 

Action for you: 

In every application, ask yourself, “How can I stand out?” 

You can send a video cover letter. Build a website. Send your portfolio. Connect with the hiring recruiters on LinkedIn. Or network with the current team. 

Think outside of the box!

Tip #4 — Practice for the interview.

I struggle to answer questions on the spot. 

That’s why I practiced like crazy in preparation for the two interviews. 

I watched dozens of interview videos on YouTube (Shout out to Leila Hormozi, CareerVidz, and Jeff Su.) 

And I used ChatGPT. I told ChatGPT about Kurogo, the role, the responsibilities, and my experience. I asked it to generate 30+ possible interview questions. I wrote down my answers for each one. Then I practiced them aloud. 

I did this for both interviews. 

Now, you might think this is too excessive. But it’s what I needed. 

I suck at answering questions on the spot lol. 

Action for you: 

Use ChatGPT to help you rehearse possible interview questions. 

Also, ask the interviewer questions—About the company, your role, your responsibilities, the culture, and anything you’d like to know. I asked if there were any introverts on the team lol.

Tip #5 — Build your personal brand.

I started writing online in 2021. 

Since then, I’ve gained 1,095 followers across Medium and LinkedIn. I’ve had articles published in Thought Catalog and Better Marketing. And I’ve attracted inbound leads, clients, and job opportunities. 

Ultimately, writing online and building my personal brand on LinkedIn is how I landed a job at Kurogo. 

Action for you: 

Start writing online. 

Begin sharing your insights, tips, lessons, mistakes, and experiences. Particularly on LinkedIn. 

When you consistently create valuable, engaging, and authentic content for your target audience, you’ll increase your visibility, build your influence and authority, and attract opportunities—Like your dream job!

Final Thoughts

The job market is tough right now. 

So my final tip is to detach from the outcome. 

Throughout the entire application process, I reminded myself the only thing that’s in my control is effort. 

It’s my job to go above and beyond to show Kurogo that I’m the best person for the role. That I want to work at Kurogo. And that I can bring value to the team. 

But the final decision is out of my control. Whatever happens, happens. It’s not a reflection of my worth. And I’m being redirected to another even better role. So don’t take rejection personally. Keep trying. 

You’ll find a role that’s perfect for you. 

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This Week’s Recommendations

• The Art and Business of Online Writing by Nicolas Cole — This book is the Ultimate Guide to writing in the digital age. I recommend this book if you want to start writing online (to build your personal brand!)

• The Art and Business of Ghostwriting by Nicolas Cole —  Another great, great book by Cole. I’ve been re-reading it to brush up on my ghostwriting skills.

• Rocking Your First 90 Days...#43 by

  Tinashe D. Ndhlovu
  — Tinashe’s post came right at the perfect time for me! He shares five steps to help you rock those first 90 days in your new role!

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Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed reading today’s newsletter!

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Thank you so much for being here! 😊

I’ll see you next Sunday,

Irene