Job Hunting·January 20, 2025·4 min read

3 Steps to Land Your Dream Job

Not just any job — your dream job. A practical, three-step approach to networking your way into the specific company you actually want to work for.

Welcome. My name is Michael Vizdos.

While I’ve spent more than half of my 35+ year professional career as an entrepreneur and running my own company, I also know that owning a business is not for everyone.

I’ve noticed many people are either looking for a job or resigning and jumping ship. I sometimes hear from people who ask, “Help me find a job.”

Are You Looking For A New Job?

Re-read the title of this article. It contains “your dream job.” Sometimes it seems that ANY job is better than NO job. But work with me here. First. Breathe.

Please remember: I am NOT a recruiter nor do I receive any compensation for connecting good people. Yes, GREAT recruiters can help you. I am NOT a professional recruiter. I do this to help people move forward in their career. That’s it.

Step 0: The Pre-Work And Preparation

Make sure you’ve done some of the basics like making sure you have an updated resume that matches your profile on LinkedIn.

In my opinion, resumes are very old school and not super useful in actually landing a job. They might help you get through the keyword scraping to move someplace internally within some database of a hiring company. I call this the ether of the job search machine.

Most of the time, you’ve been applying for jobs by hitting “apply,” filling out applications online, and then getting frustrated because that seems to not work.

Spoiler alert: many companies and organizations are required by law to “post” job openings to the public even though they have someone internal in mind already for the position to be filled. They need to check a compliance box. Either it goes into the ether of the machine, or you get ghosted. Over. And over. And over again.

Recommendation: after your LinkedIn profile and resume are in sync, share your online portfolio of work. If you’re a software developer, share your GitHub. If you’re a designer, share that. If you’re an artist, point people to your work. Show off some of your work so people get an idea of who you are — almost like a real-world resume.

Employers who can see REAL WORLD outcomes trump “what you’ve done in the past.” Employers want to know: what can you do for me today and in the future?

Step 1: Let’s Connect And Have A Real Conversation

Tell me who you are and what it is you want to do next for an employer. Send me a direct message on LinkedIn or contact me directly. The more context I have the better it is for both of us.

Step 2: Tell Me Where You Would Love To Work. One Place. Really.

Let’s talk about two or three of your dream companies or organizations you’d love to work for. Dream big. This means you can’t just tell me “oh really anything anywhere in industry X” — this is NOT going to help you or allow others to help you. Complete Step 2 before moving onto Step 3.

Step 3: Let’s Make A Connection For You Today

Spoiler alert: most people never get this far and give up. This is where the rubber hits the road.

Let’s identify people in YOUR network who are connected with people who currently work for your two or three dream companies. If you’ve identified an actual job posting or requisition, share that too.

I’ll either pick up the phone or send an email or a direct message to that person asking if they’d be willing to connect with you directly. Either way, if they’re open to a conversation with you (I ALWAYS ask first), you might just have someone internal at your dream company who can help shepherd your resume and application through the internal process — out of the ether.

Bonus: start following people in that company and start liking and commenting on their posts (relevant responses, not stalking). Professional relationships matter, not just today — this will help you in your career no matter what.

Most people looking for a new job have found success using these techniques. I usually don’t hear from people who never complete Step 0, drop off before starting Step 1, or never get to Step 2 or Step 3. Don’t be that person. But if you’ve read this far, you’re already showing me you’re not.

What Next?

Let’s get started (watch this 5-minute video if you haven’t already). I’ll do what I can to help you land your next dream job. If I cannot help you, please approach some of your friends or colleagues and ask them to help you using this approach.

You can start with a direct message to me on LinkedIn.

Remember: I will point you here to finish Step 1 to prepare for our initial conversation together.

Contact me (with feedback) or connect with me on LinkedIn to discuss this more together.