The keys to getting your dream job is to deeply understand what draws you (by doing meaningful research and going through the process of asking yourself hard questions and answering them) and being of service to people currently working at your dream job. These three steps are elaborating on below:

Ask yourself hard questions.

1. What are the kinds of clients/industries you want to help? What draws you those clients/industries? What experience do you have with those clients/industries?
2. What are the issues that people working in these industries (business people and their advisors) spend their time thinking/worrying about? Are those the issues you want to spend your time thinking about? Do you have innovative ideas relating to these issues or the industries generally?
3. What are of law is most relevant to the clients/industries you have identified?
4. What about your background or interests makes you well-suited to work in these industries or with these clients?
   
   • What are you offering that is different?
   • How and why is it different?
   • How would it help the prospective employer day one (minimize risk)?
   • Why are you the right person to work in this area?
   • Who else thinks you are qualified?
   • What do you still have to learn and are you open to learning it?

Do some meaningful research.

• Who are the leading players/law firms in these industries?
• Can you confirm that they spend time thinking about the issues you identified above?
• What about their background/experience makes them well-suited for the job?

Serve, serve, and serve some more.

• Forget networking for coffee to learn more about their career path (that is also happening but you may find it helpful to focus on giving).
• Instead meet with folks and provide ideas.
• Serve people so deeply they will have no choice but to hire you.
• Ask them what they worry about at night and then provide good ideas and be helpful.

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalPhotos.net