Let’s face it, almost every individual wants to land their dream job. Unfortunately, only 14 percent of Americans say they’re in their dream careers.

When it comes to landing the job you’ve always wanted, you can’t rely on your resume and cover letter to do the work for you. Landing a dream job requires patience, persistence, and even a little sweat and tears.

If you’ve found a dream job opening or you’re trying to launch your dream career, here are five steps to landing the job you really want:

Many job seekers share a common perception during a job interview — that they must please employers with their answers. However, this can cause you to come off as “fake” or lacking integrity during the interview.

When it comes to job interviews, employers actually want to learn why you’re the best fit for the position and how your personality, experience, and skills qualify you for the job. Employers want to learn the real you in order to gain a better understanding of how your character and behaviors fit the position and their culture.

As you prepare for your next job interview, here are some tips to help you be your very best self:

I’ve given a lot of advice about ways to land a job, nab those hidden connections, and manage your career to the best of your ability. But what happens when you already have a job and want to get out? What happens when you want to say goodbye?

The latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate about 4.4 million total separations in December, including voluntary quits. If you want to be part of that voluntary number, you may have a certain “quit style” in mind. After all, I’m sure you’ve seen people who’ve said sayonara in a blaze of glory.

But in order to maintain a relationship with your current employer, as well as save your own image, you will need to be a little smarter. You need to say goodbye without losing your cool.

If you’re in the job search, you’re probably feeling a range of emotions. Whether you’re transitioning careers on your own accord or were let go by your employer, the job search is a tough sea to navigate — and your ship can be hard to steer when you’ve hit the metaphorical iceberg.

It’s easy to feel disheartened or unworthy when your job search is going nowhere. While you may go through many emotional stages, such as inner self criticism, feeling anger toward employers, or disbelief, it’s important to understand when your job search methods are working and when they should change. After all, if you’ve only been applying through LinkedIn, but have yet to see a response, it may be time to switch things up.

You’ve tirelessly tinkered away on your resume and cover letter. You’ve read up on the organization. You’ve sent out those winter job search applications. There’s just one problem: All you’ve got in response is, well, nothing. Nada. Crickets.

While you may have read that the first quarter of the year is one of the busiest for hiring, what can you do if you’re part of the 75 percent of job seekers who’ve applied to jobs using various avenues and didn’t hear back?

The holiday season is just around the corner!

From snow-covered streets to warm fireplaces to festive food, the holidays offer a slew of perks. But they’re also a great time to reflect on the past year, evaluate what worked, and look ahead to see what needs to change.

The same goes for your job search. While you may believe job searching is a pain in the you-know-what, there are lots of things you can appreciate, especially during the the holiday season.

Don’t be a grinch! Check out these five perks you can be thankful for:

As a job seeker, you probably apply to coveted organizations, try to hit up as many networking events as possible, and nurture your online reputation quite a bit. However, have you ever sat down and asked yourself a very important question: What do I want out of an employer?

It’s something you may always ponder in the grand scheme of things, but never really hammer out the details. Understanding what you want out of an employer can help you to pinpoint the right organizations, identify the best roles, and assist with your overall professional happiness.

Employees leave companies around the world every day, for a variety of reasons ranging from personal life changes to employer dissatisfaction. For companies, maintaining a positive relationship with these discharged workers can be tough. Business reputation is on the line if they don’t help former workers to get back on their feet — but a carefully created severance package can help.

We’ve compiled the infographic below to help employers understand the importance of employee severance packages and outplacement services for recently discharged workers. A few key points:

We hope, when we apply online that someone is eagerly waiting to read every word of our carefully crafted resume. It is highly unlikely an actual person is reading any of it, at least on the initial screening.

Because companies continue to be inundated with resumes, more and more employers are turning to applicant tracking systems (ATS) to manage the volume and weed through all the applicants. What does that mean for job seekers? Here is a summary of what I have learned.