Should You Wait for Your Dream Job, or Settle

Should You Wait for Your Dream Job, or SettleIf youre like most people, youd love to have your dream jobthe one that pays a great salary, energizes and motivates you to get up and go to work every day, and makes you happy in generalthe one that, in short, completely fulfills you. But what if its not coming along? Should you settle?Catherine Willbrand welches in just that dilemma. She graduated from the University of Missouri, and set out for Los Angeles to find a job in the field of public relations. She sent out a lot of resumes, and got a lot of interviewsbut nothing seemed to work out.Willbrand isnt alone. In fact, in recent years, almost 50% of people have taken jobs that they really didnt want, just so they could afford to live. In fact, a study undertaken by Rand Ghayad, an economist, in 2014, showed that people who are unemployed for six months or longer have much greater difficulty finding work than those who have been out of work for shorter periods. Is it any wonder why peo ple settle?The trouble is that settling takes you out of the field you dont have the time to look for the job that you really want. So what do you do?Before you take a job that doesnt really appeal to you, perhaps you should rethink your strategy. Accepting a job is a lot like getting married, and who really wants to forego Mr. Right for Mr. Right Now?So, how do you get out of the rut? If youre being rejected, think about what youre doing wrong. Could your cover letter be better? Are you not dressing properly for your interview? Ask your family and friends to critique what youre doing. You might be surprised at what you discoverThe other thing is, if you really want a job that youve applied for, show that youre excited Dont ask about salary, benefits, or schedulingtoss ideas back and forth. Tell your potential employer about relevant projects youve spearheaded. Talk about whats going on in the industry.Of course, you may have to settle in the short term. But the general rule of thum b is that if youve been unemployed for three months, you should keep trying. If its been more than three months, time to settle. You can leise look for something better, but you do have to keep food on the table.Dont give up, though. Reassess. What Catherine Willbrand did was think completely outside the box. Shed been looking for a job in PR, but she loved acting, so she decided to give it a shot. Now shes acting in commercials and music videos, and says that the difficult job market actually encouraged her to find another path.