How I Found My Dream Job Thousands Of Miles From Home

photo:soincarmel

 

I saved for almost a year before I moved from Ottawa, Canada to London, England. I thought that I had a plan, that I’d get the career I wanted and everything would work out well. If you’ve ever read Eat, Pray, Love, sometimes you just want to up sticks and have an adventure. And I was ready for adventure.

But nothing will shock you more than moving around the world and realizing the plan that seemed perfect on paper isn’t possible in the real world. When I realized that my career prospects weren’t going to happen the way I thought, I needed a new plan, FAST. So here’s what I did…

I told EVERYONE what I wanted.

I mean everyone. My parents. My cousins. The guy I bought my milk from. I told him I was looking for an internship in fashion journalism, and nothing was going to stop me.

And weirdly, slowly, opportunities started crawling out of the woodwork. You never know when your cousin’s friend’s dog groomer might know of a position that would be perfect for you. A perfect example of putting my intentions out into the Universe.

I used social media like crazy.

If you type “Fashion Intern London” into Twitter right now, you’ll get hundreds of results. Digital natives like bloggers use social media to find people who are clued into social media. One of the best ways to gain work experience.

So when I realized I had to go out and grab my opportunities by the hand, I took to Twitter and social media to make it work. Not only does tweeting help, but following the right accounts, re-tweeting and liking and even direct messaging can help you land your dream job.

I made it happen by myself.

I started writing my own blog about life in London, fashion, and everything that I was seeing. This gave me a focus during my free time, and it meant that when employers asked what I’d been doing since I landed, I had something tangible to show them.

As long as you’ve got your CV and cover letter polished, you will be okay. Be confident and follow your passion. I thought I had made a mistake when my plans were dashed, but instead of giving up I told myself I am the only one in charge of my dreams.

 

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