How to Get a Fun Job in 5 Easy Steps

Looking to have fun, and get paid while you do it? Look no further, below we reveal the 5 easy steps to making your dream of landing paid fun jobs a reality!

(Written by someone who has felt like she’s never worked a day in her life!) I’m a writer- I love what I do, I have a fun career that pays well, and allows me to do what I really love: travel! It’s possible for you to get a fun creative job as well- just follow our guide here and you’ll be on your way to your dream job!

Source: Unsplash

Step 1: Define what fun means to you

Do you love travel, writing, cooking, children, computers, figuring out how things work? Make a list of hobbies that you love spending your free time doing, and figure out how to make money doing them. Brainstorm a list of careers or fun jobs that include your favorite activities. For example, if you love fixing things, look into IT. If you live for those fun new recipes and trying things out in the kitchen, start a blog for foodies or see if you can teach small cooking groups. If you first start with your passion, the search towards a fun job will be much more exciting and rewarding!

Need help getting started? Watch this 3-minute video to instantly get inspired!

Step 2: Get first-hand accounts

Once you’ve figured out a few things that you absolutely love to do, get in touch with people who are doing similar things. Use Linkedin to find people with jobs you are interested in. Look into their employment and education history and skillset to get a feel for what might be required of you on your journey to get your dream, a fun job! And of course, don’t be afraid to send them a message for advice on how to achieve your dreams!

Finding mentors online, through mutual contacts, or through your university will be a huge help to guiding you through the process of achieving your dream of having a fun job.

Now that you’ve found a mentor to advise you on getting your fun, creative job, get your questions answered. If your mentor is in your area, see if you can take them out for a coffee to pick their brain. If not, try to schedule a phone or video chat, or shoot them an email with your questions. Here are a few suggestions for questions to ask your mentor in order to get that much closer your dream job!

• How have you arrived at where you are today, professionally?
• What have been the most challenging and rewarding moments?
• Would you do anything differently?
• What is their feedback on the approach you are currently taking to achieve your dream career?
• Is there anyone else you could refer me to?
• How can I best reach out to you if I have further questions regarding this career path?

Always present yourself professionally, and make sure to show your appreciation for your mentor taking time to meet or talk with you. Set yourself up for further contact with this mentor and others. This is a great way to get your foot in the door in a new field!

Source: Unsplash

Step 3: Make yourself desirable

Once you know your direction, and how to get there, you need to make yourself desirable. If you can’t make the transition straight away, because of family or money commitments, start slowly on the evenings, and weekends.

If you need education to change your direction, you can apply to online universities such University of the People who offer tuition-free fully accredited online US degrees. Due to it being online, you have lots of flexibility to study whenever and wherever you want.

Then when you have all the qualifications you need, try using extra curriculars to make yourself stand out from other applicants. For the computer science field, you may want to build a website or develop an app. For business majors, you may need to show commitment abilities through long-term volunteer work, or leadership skills by organizing a Ted Talk in your hometown. If you’re trying to break into any creative field, make sure to have a portfolio ready, even if it doesn’t include paid work.

Increase your GPA. There are easy ways to up your GPA, take classes you excel in, and pay attention to the weight of scores. Put more of your energy and effort into the parts of class that are worth more. For example, if your final exam is worth 70% of your grade, better make sure to study up, even if you have 100% attendance!

Help from your university: most colleges have a career center where they offer help writing resumes and cover letters. Some will even let you set up mock interviews for jobs you’ve been applying for, and give you constructive feedback on your interview skills. This kind of career help can go a long way for your confidence during the application and interview process, so don’t overlook these services!

Finally, look up job posts for your desired field, and make yourself into the applicant they’re searching for!

Source: Indeed.com

Step 4: Rock the interview process

Have your resume ready and in front of you for reference. This ensures you won’t forget any key, awesome facts about yourself if you get nervous! Be personable and friendly and show your personality in your answers.

Get recruiters attention by doing something different. Dave Sugar, VP at Cedrone & O’Neill – Executive Search & Career Transition, shares his advice on a unique way to stand out: Leave a “Candidate Fit Summary.” This document can be handed in after an in-person interview, or emailed after a phone interview. The Candidate Fit Summary should briefly describe your relevant background and core strengths.

As with all aspects of the application process, tailor this letter to the job and company. Not only will creating this document help you remember why you’re the best candidate for the job, it was also show the interviewer how interested you are, and that you took the extra time to show how you fit with the company. Much more powerful than a simple, handwritten thank you note!

Source:  Unsplash

Step 5: Always reevaluate where you are in your career

If you’re not having fun at your current job, there are lots of ways to make it fun! Your life is in your hands, and try to get creative about making your job a fun place to be. Find ways to improve your workload, such as finding little parts of your job that you do like, and focusing more energy on those. The more experience you get, the better you’ll get and the more likely you’ll get assigned similar projects in the future.

Talk to your boss about adding projects that interest you. Make sure to approach those in charge with clear ideas that could really add value to the company, and that have a good chance of being implemented. Highlight that you are the best candidate to implement these ideas. You can even show initiative by staying a little later to start some of these projects to show what can be done.

Types of fun jobs out there for inspiration (that pay really well!):

Private Island Caretaker: make up to $100,000 a year to literally be on vacation, not bad!

Source: Unsplash

Food Critic: If you live to eat, this could be the job for you. Food critics get paid to eat at restaurants and leave reviews. Average annual salaries for food critics: $88,000

Source: Unsplash

Sommelier: Know more about wine than your waiters do? Make a career out of it! Sommeliers just need to know a lot about wine and get a certificate. Salaries range from $78,000 to $150,000!

Source: Unsplash

Video Game Designer: This career will take an advanced degree, but can offer a huge payout- salaries of up to $95,000.

Source: Unsplash

Ethical Hacker: Yes, you can get paid to hack systems- ethical hackers test computer systems and networks for security and safety. Average starting salary: $95,000

Source: Unsplash

So there you have it, you can have fun and make a lot of money doing it! Finding a fun job should be easy, and the process to find your dream job should be fun and enjoyable too. With each step we’ve provided is a new step towards your new life with a fun job!

Source: Unsplash