How to Get Your Next Dream Job

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How do you get a job that you’ve never done before?

It’s a question that everyone faces at some point in their career. Maybe you want to transition from the site to a desk job; maybe you’re eyeing a promotion into management; or maybe you’re looking to do something else entirely.

Pretty much every job I’ve had has been a dramatically new experience. And I’ve advised dozens of people pursuing careers in AEC, tech, consulting and more. So I know a thing or two about making a successful career evolution.

Inevitably you’ll have doubters. Everyone has those people in your life who’ll ask “what do you know about X if you’ve always done Y?” But most of the time the struggle will be against silent gatekeepers:

• Job descriptions with unrealistic expectations

• Companies afraid of investing in talent that doesn’t fit their mold

• Managers who expect you to wait your turn… just because 🤷‍♂️

But as someone who’s taken my career through multiple evolutions upwards and outwards, I know it’s 100% possible to break through into just about any position. It’s not always easy but you can do it.

You just have to be strategic about it. As one of my favorite career coaches advised me once, reach authentically, and plan

This 5 step approach to career evolution is a plan that has worked for me and I want to share it because I believe it can work for you too.

1. Start with the story

Many people gunning for their next role know exactly why they would be a perfect fit. But very few are successful at convincing the hiring team of that. While it might be obvious to you why transitioning from Engineer to Project Manager is a natural next step in your dream career, it’s much less likely to be clear to them.

Hoping that your future manager magically sees your true potential isn’t going to cut it. Instead, put yourself in their shoes. Think critically about what they need to believe in order to convince themselves that you are their dream candidate.

Start with the story they’ll tell themselves about you, then work backwards to make it a reality.

Imagine the group of people who will be discussing your application for that PM position. You want them to tell themselves some version of, “X doesn’t have typical PM experience, but she’ll get up to speed quickly and her engineering background will be a major asset for that new project we have in the pipeline. We need someone different like her in this role.”

This reframe from what you want to what they need (even if they don’t know it yet) is critical.

The biggest roadblock you’ll run into is having your resume lumped in with everyone else that has a more “normal” background. You’ll wind up getting compared with them apples to apples. That’s a game you’ll lose.

However, having a clear story explaining why your future manager needs exactly what you offer provides a roadmap for positioning yourself strategically.

Once you have your story written down, your task then becomes figuring out how to make it a reality. That’s is what the next 4 steps are all about.

2. Map your skills

This step is straightforward, but critical. Understand the skills that you'll need in your future role and map how your current capabilities and experiences connect to them.

Here's the thing most people miss: you don't need to have done the exact same job to have the relevant skills. What matters is demonstrating that you can think and execute in ways that translate.

Let's say you're moving from sales to marketing. Don't just focus on the obvious overlap like "customer facing experience." Dig deeper. What about your ability to read people and adapt your message on the fly? That's A/B testing in real time. Your skill at objection handling? That's understanding pain points and crafting compelling value propositions.

Make a two-column list. On the left, write every skill requirement from job descriptions in your target role. On the right, write specific examples of when you've demonstrated that skill, even if it was in a completely different context.

You’re not going to show this list to your boss or hiring manager, but when they ask you about skills and experiences, it’s super important that you can confidently and authentically talk about all that you are capable of.

3. Work your network

Most people get networking all wrong. They think it’s just about connecting on LinkedIn and asking for favors.

Instead, start to understand individuals in your network according to the roles they can play in your career. Be strategic about how you engage with each.

Champions: These are people who will actively advocate for you. They've seen your work firsthand and believe in your potential. Maybe it's a former boss who watched you handle a crisis, or a colleague who saw you lead a cross-functional project. Cultivate this relationship and clearly communicate what your career aspirations are.

Influencers: These are decision makers or people with significant input in hiring and promotion decisions. They might not know you well yet, but they're worth getting to know (and making sure they get to know you).

Coaches: These are people already doing the job you want, or who made a similar transition themselves. They give you intel about what the role is really like, what skills matter most, and how to position yourself. They're your reality check and your strategy advisors.

Connectors: These are the people with strong networks who love making introductions. They might not be able to hire you directly, but they know someone who can. Treat them well—they're gold.

The key is being intentional about which bucket someone falls into and approaching them accordingly.

4. Identify critical need

In order to make it into more senior roles, you have to have a point of view about what it takes for someone in your target role to be successful.

This is where most folks fall short when trying to make a big career evolution. They focus on the basic job requirements, not how they can uniquely add value.

Start by researching what's keeping leaders in your target function up at night. What are the biggest challenges facing PMs in your industry right now? What skills are marketing leaders desperately looking for but struggling to find?

Identifying these issues will open up doors to stand out, even when your profile isn’t from the typical mold. This is because you can leverage your own unique skills and experience to demonstrate that you can address these needs like no one else can.

You can find this intel everywhere: industry reports, LinkedIn posts from executives, conference talks, even job descriptions themselves. Look for patterns in what companies are emphasizing.

Once you've identified these critical needs, develop a perspective on how someone with your background can uniquely address them.

5. Maximize feedback

Failure and rejection are painful, but they’re also the best teachers. There aren’t many playbooks for career evolution, so it’s up to you to navigate a path.

When you get a "no" or a “not yet”, don’t move on to the next opportunity quite yet.

Instead, turn every rejection into a learning opportunity. Ask for specific feedback from the hiring team (which you might not get), and more importantly, turn to your network for coaching and advice.

Career evolution isn't about waiting for the perfect opportunity or hoping someone notices your potential. It's about being strategic, and taking as many shots on goal as you can in order to learn what works and what doesn’t.

The approach I've outlined works because it forces you to think from the perspective of how you can make the biggest impact in an organization, vs what you want for yourself. When you start with their story about why they need you, when you map your skills to what they actually care about, when you leverage your network strategically, when you understand the critical needs in your target role, and when you turn every rejection into valuable feedback—you're playing a completely different game than most career changers.

Most people approach career transitions like they're trying to convince someone to take a chance on them. But that's the wrong mindset entirely. Your job is to make it obvious that hiring you isn't a risk—it's the smart move.

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Until next time,

Emma & Sawyer