▶ You make everyone you speak with feel like they’re the most important person in the world.
▶ You stay positive in the face of disappointment.
▶ You thrive on finding creative solutions to the toughest challenges.
▶ You love bringing together people of various talents and perspectives to approach projects collectively.
These are examples of valuable and prized defining qualities. And you no doubt have many of them. Together they comprise Your Magic.
Your Magic is what makes you unique among the 8 billion+ people on the planet. It’s the secret ingredient that sets you apart in your job search, career change and all the materials that support both. Without it, your approach risks being bland and uninspired — leaving your results equally underwhelming.
The 3 Ingredients
In Part 1 of this three-part series, "THE 3 ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS IN YOUR DREAM JOB RECIPE (STARTING WITH MINDSET)" we discussed the three ingredients vital to successful career transformation work: Your Mindset, Your Magic, and Your Mechanics. Like any great recipe, all three must be high quality, balanced and added in the right order.
The first ingredient, Your Mindset, needs to be mindful — keeping you calm, focused and intentional and committed to growth and success so you stay eager, open to new possibilities and geared toward achievement.
The challenge? Your Mindset often gets overlooked. Many professionals are so eager to dive into their job search or start updating their resume that they fail to address their frame of mind. When people plunge in without addressing their mindset, they often do so feeling stressed, scattered and unfocused. Clearly not the best approach.
More Magic, Please!
Now, let’s talk about the second ingredient: Your Magic.
The most common problem here? Not enough of it. When Your Magic is missing or underplayed, your job search materials come across as generic, and you'll be unable to distinguish yourself among the competition. You won't be able to showcase exactly how amazing you'd be to your potential new employer and your dream job.
Take another look at the four examples at the start of this post. Many of us don’t fully recognize the qualities that make us exceptional — qualities that employers value. Identifying Your Magic requires self-awareness, curiosity, and a willingness to dig deep. What do you bring to the table that others might not? What combination of traits, skills and experiences make you uniquely you?
In order to create job search materials and ultimately find work that brings us great meaning and happiness, we need to get really clear on several things first.
How To Discover Your Magic In Your Dream-Job Recipe
To uncover Your Magic, start by exploring these questions:
What's your why?
What lights your fire?
What do you add to positions that others can't?
What issues and causes you care about most?
What values guide you decisions and actions?
What problems are you excellent at solving?
What do friends and family count on you for?
What skills and talents bring you joy when you use them?
What kinds of work or activities energize you?
How do you want to spend your time?
What ideas and issues do you think about a lot?
What kind of impact do you want to make in the world?
What’s your personal mission?
What are your top priorities in life?
How do you define success?
What does your ideal career — and life — look like?
These are really exciting ideas to explore. Some may be ones you’ve never considered. Or they may be ones you can answer right now without hesitation. Everyone is different, and for most people, your answers will shift dramatically over time.
The Power Of Your Magic
Your answers form the foundation of Your Magic. They reveal who you are, what you want and how to communicate your unique value to employers. This clarity helps you:
Pursue roles aligned with your strengths and goals.
Build a personal brand that’s compelling, authentic and memorable.
Craft a standout resume with a personal branding statement tailored to each opportunity.
Excel in interviews by sharing specific, measurable examples of your achievements.
When you infuse Your Magic into your career transformation, every aspect of your job search becomes more focused and effective. Your Magic, combined with Your Mindset, lays the groundwork for the final ingredient of your dream-job recipe: Your Mechanics.
We’ll dive into that in Part 3, so stay tuned!
P.S. If your dream job is eluding you, DOWNLOAD the free Job Search Success Audit now so you can see where you're stuck and fix it.
Maria Katrien 'Trie' Angeleva Heslin, MA, MA
Certified Coach, Author & Trainer
Dubbed “Professor Dream Job,” by her students, Trie is a former COO and founder of Reimagine Monday. She specializes in helping individuals transform their careers and lives through mindful, strategic approaches. Trie developed and taught career success courses at Indiana University, building on her proven methodology, The Love Monday Method. Her latest release, Launch, designed to help new college grads get unstuck in their search and empower their new career, is now available for Pre-Order.
With two Master's degrees, a Certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University, six coaching certifications and a deep passion for guiding new graduates and professionals in their prime, Trie supports individuals in navigating their career paths with clarity and confidence, and is dedicated to helping YOU turn your dream job into a reality.
Connect with Trie at trie@reimaginemonday.com.
