Explore your interests
Before you can work in a niche field, you need to know what you’re interested in. There’s plenty of opportunities for creative workers, with each field offering unique challenges and demands.
You don’t need to have all the answers to your niche research, but you do need to understand the things you enjoy and what is important to you. Be honest with yourself about what you’re drawn to, and you’ll get better at finding your niche.
Here are 8 tips on researching your interests:
Be open-minded
Most of us are looking to enjoy our work and have fun with the process. If you’ve always wanted to work with the environment, and you’re a hunter, you might want to take a look at a job in the safari park and is basic industries a good career path.
Get an internship
You can start interning as early as your sophomore year, or even apply now and get the experience you need. If you’re looking to get into the industry, try putting together a portfolio of work projects and activities. For example, if you’re passionate about innovation, then make sure you submit a project that brings together the skills you already have. Similarly, if you want to pursue a career in marketing, think about what you have done in that area, and put together a project that shows your skill. Also, make sure you apply for internships early in your college career, because the more experience you have, the better your chances.
Start networking
Networking is key in today’s fast-paced world. By actively engaging in networking with like-minded professionals, you’ll form a solid connection that could lead to some great opportunities.
In any industry, you can learn a lot about what makes other professionals tick and how they approach their work. In the context of a startup, you can find out what types of tasks they prefer and what professional services they need.
Once you know the kind of work you want to do, it is essential to put yourself out there by doing some research on these professionals and actively engaging with them.
Reputation
“An amazing way to get noticed is to build a reputation in your field,” said an article from Pudding, a blog that focuses on women in the tech and business fields.
Write a great resume
If you’re in a specialty field, a resume in this niche is the best way to get noticed. How to Write a Great Resume is full of tips on how to write a resume that will get you hired by employers in your niche. The book includes free templates to get you started.
Downloadable Checklist
Attention to detail is important, but don’t be afraid to be creative with your resume. Check out the custom template for a Personal Service Job Listing. It includes seven components that show your professional credibility. You can select your specialty and any extra skills you might have. Then, create your resume with all the information you want to make sure your potential employers can see.
Find a mentor
Seek out a mentor from a position in your field. You may be surprised to find out that your new mentor is a former colleague, or even an older boss from when you were just starting out.
One of my first bosses was a woman in her 50s. When I was hired, I was told that she could be a mentor to me. She knew from my resume that I had experience working in digital publishing, and she quickly recognized my strengths in the industry.
Research employers and positions that are a fit
In order to find a job in a niche field, you first have to find a passion. A passion isn’t enough, however: there also has to be a career that you would want to work in. You also have to search for employers in the niche.
Find out if any of your idols work at companies that interest you.
Learn from others
The beauty of working in a niche field is that you are working with small companies that have a more specialized industry. This means that the companies are more likely to understand and understand your skills well. Also, working for these companies is more likely to help you network and meet other industry professionals.
Study the industry
Before you decide on a niche, do some research on the industries you want to work in. Do a little research about each company in the niche you’re interested in and see what people working there are saying about the companies and their values.
If possible, interview a company. Ask the employees what they are like and what they enjoy working at the company.
Interviewing a company helps you understand what they are like and their work culture.
Learn from your mistakes
“Everyone makes mistakes and people who don’t make mistakes end up in a job they’re not qualified for,” Laurie Eppler, a career coach, told Business Insider.
Take time to learn from your mistakes and get out of your comfort zone. Make mistakes in an area where you can learn from them so that you can learn. A solid way to learn is by working, so take advantage of the internships that you can get.
Take advantage of opportunities that require more than your standard knowledge
Focus on fixing the problem, instead of on getting a good grade or a good college GPA. As you become more confident, you will start to work smarter, not harder.
Keep an eye out for dead ends and misconceptions. Sometimes there are just things that you need to solve for yourself.
Use trial and error to find out what works for you There are about 16 million work-from-home jobs and many of them are related to coding, design, tech, and other creative fields. To get in the game, you’ll need a solid set of skills and have to be good at communicating with people on a team. So make sure you’re willing to spend a lot of time learning and doing the work before you become your own boss.
Go full time
Not many people can quit a job without being in a solid position. If you have to work a job while looking for the perfect work-from-home gig, you might have to be in that job for a while. But if you can prove that you can deliver results quickly, you might be able to negotiate the time you have to devote to getting a new job.
Create a detailed plan of action
Many jobs are just out of reach for new graduates because they don’t have a specific direction. The first step is to map out a reasonable career path and how you’ll reach your goals. This will give you direction on where to start.
Understand what your strengths and weaknesses are
Researching what others are doing in your desired career field can give you a good idea of where you should look. This is especially helpful if you are trying to find a job in a specific field. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will also make you more employable.
Determine how much money you need to live comfortably
Many jobs will require you to make more than you’d want to right out of school. You may also need a substantial amount to cover living expenses.
Know your skills and experience, not the job description It’s okay to apply for jobs in a subfield that you know little to nothing about. Just remember that the job description is more likely to be vague than accurate.
Check the industry standards for each field. Most are available online. If they aren’t, go talk to professionals and ask them for advice.
Networking
If you work hard and are persistent, you should find a good job in your chosen field. But if you’re searching for that job, don’t give up.
The next time you have a clear idea of what you want and how you can get it, then put the networking aside. The ones who are the most successful at landing a job have something in common: they keep at it.
Nationwide, average job openings have decreased slightly. This is most likely due to a decrease in the amount of unemployed workers.
