How To Find Your Dream Work From Home Job This Year: A Step-by-Step Guide

Having your dream job seems like an unreachable goal for many individuals, especially if you’re in the market for a remote position. For starters, you may have forgotten what your dream job was. For others, it’s a matter of money. And still, some may feel like the ship has sailed and is no longer a possibility. But with a new year comes new ambitions, fresh goals, and 12 months to make it happen. So if you feel like your dream work from home job is already out of reach, think again. With the right game plan, you can make it happen. Just follow these steps and make your dream a reality.

1. Rediscover or Uncover Your Dream Work From Home Job

One of the most challenging aspects of finding your dream job is remembering what it was in the first place. However, you have more than one way to discover, uncover, or rediscover what you want to do “when you grow up.”

A tried-and-true method is to think about what you wanted to do when you were a kid. The purity of your career aspirations as a child enables you to rule out arbitrary jobs based on money, prestige, or other adult-centric ideas of occupational success. Maybe watching Indiana Jones made you want to become a professor or archaeologist. Or perhaps you couldn’t put down the camera when you were a teen. The idea here is that online courses and the abundance of work from home jobs now make your goals possible.

If you don’t remember what you wanted to be when you were younger, you certainly aren’t alone. But that doesn’t mean you have to abandon your hope of a dream job. Instead, just think about what you would do if money was no obstacle. This eliminates the thought of doing something you don’t like just to perpetuate a lifestyle or image. It frees up your mind to consider all the possibilities of a dream work from home job that translate into fulfillment and happiness, at least from an employment perspective.

2. Think About Your Ideal Workday

The ideal workday isn’t defined by an arbitrary or singular idea. Everyone is different. So before you piece together what your day would consist of, you may find the answers to these questions helpful:

Only you can answer these questions, but they should give you some insight on how your dream career can work in a remote capacity.

3. Decide What Type of Worker You Want To Be

Another important decision to make is what type of work you want to do. While being an employee is ideal for some — you can still enjoy benefits and retirement plans — you may also want additional freedom that employment can’t offer.

Contract jobs or a freelancing career are also viable alternatives as you decide your dream work from home job. In the remote world, these jobs are more readily available than ever before. While you may need to play the role of accountant, salesman, and retirement planner, the added flexibility provides numerous benefits.

You can work when you want and with the clients you want, all while having the flexibility to spend time doing what you love outside of work. It even gives you the opportunity to travel or become a digital nomad — if that’s something that interests you.

4. Get the Education or Training You Need

Not every dream work from home job is as streamlined as others. Sometimes, you may need to get additional education or training to find work. But that certainly shouldn’t deter you.

Any career change or new career path requires time to build your skills, whether it’s hard skills, soft skills, a graduate diploma, or a certificate that adds clout to your resume.

The idea here is that you need a bit of discipline and a timeline to put your plan into motion. One popular method is to use SMART goals. These goals allow you to set realistic ideas of what you plan to achieve while giving you a roadmap to do so. Let’s use this acronym to imagine what to do if you need to get a certification to do your dream work from home job:

Obviously, these will change for your unique position. But putting in the time to create the goals can put you on the right path and give you the little boost you need.

5. Develop Your Personal Brand

Another mandatory activity for attaining your dream job is to develop your personal brand. Whether you believe it or not, your personal brand already exists. It consists of your competencies, skills, image, and experience perceived by others. If done correctly, it can catapult you to your next position. But if done poorly, you may struggle in your quest for your dream work from home job.

To develop your personal brand, you need to identify what’s important to you, your values, your goals, and your strengths and weaknesses. Then, work on ways to showcase your strengths and build upon your weaknesses.

Following this step, figure out how to market yourself to potential employers and clients. By answering the question of what makes you unique and an asset to a company, you can build upon your strengths, whether you’re writing a cover letter, building a resume, or nailing an interview.

Don’t underestimate this step, especially if you want to go the freelancing or contracting route. In these two employment arrangements, clients are looking for ambitious experts with the knowledge to get the job done with little support. Show, don’t tell, and you can use your personal branding to your advantage.

6. Hone in on Your Targets

The last step is to hone in your target markets, regardless of whether you want to become an employee, contractor, or freelancer. The best way to do this is to think about companies that you would love to work for. Alternatively, contemplate what type of work you want to do. Regardless of what the work is, find ways to build your portfolio, network, and leverage social media to your advantage. You never know when the right person just might be looking for someone just like you.

7. Ask for Help When You Need It

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither should your quest for your dream work from home job. So if you hit a bit of a hiccup, ask for help in whatever way you need it. Garnering support from friends and family is always a positive experience that can push you toward your goals.

But what about professional help? That’s where Virtual Vocations comes in. Whether you need to research a company, job coaching, resource guides, or just a list of available openings for your dream work from home job, Virtual Vocations has everything you need to set yourself up for success, all in one place.

Putting your best virtual foot forward will propel you toward greatness. Virtual Vocations just makes it all a bit easier. Sign up today to get one step closer to your dream work from home job.

Which of the above seven stages are you currently in? Have you identified your dream remote job yet? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!