If you want to find your dream job in London – you’re going to need a plan of action.

Success is determined by answering 3 key questions. What are the trends affecting the global economy? What type of jobs are typically held by senior members of staff in companies? Do I care more about career progression or doing what I love? – sometimes you can have both – often you cant.

What are the trends?

All the companies – in every country of the world are either losing money because of trends or making money because of trends. Right now we are in the technological revolution. The number one growth sector in employment is technology jobs. Is your career path threatened by trends or are you positioned to take advantage of trends?

Is your career path one of the ‘golden career triangle’?

The golden career triangle is a phenomena I have observed working in multiple companies over many years. You see any company ultimately can be broken down into 3 core functions. Creating a product, Marketing and Selling the product, Managing the finances. Therefore if you analyse the typical company you will find senior roles are held by individuals who come from either product development, marketing and sales or finance.

Passion or pay?

As you can see by the golden career triangle. It may not be possible for you to have career progression to the highest level of a company. So you need to ask yourself do I care more about doing what I love or do I care more about status and pay. Thats something only you can decide. If you have hit a ceiling doing the job you do now. You may have to move into another line of work. Easier said than done – which is why its so valuable to understand the golden career triangle as early as possible in life!

Do your research

Planning is key – you need a strategy or your job search will take forever and when you are looking for a new job in London, time is most definitely not on your side.

There’s a popular phrase, if you throw enough mud at a wall some of it will stick, in this context, if you apply for lots of job, eventually you’ll get an interview. But to make it really work, you’ve got to make sure you are throwing the right mud at the right wall.

Target specific companies

Not all companies are equal. Even if an organisation should be growing because of trends it might not be doing so because of poor management, too much competition or a host of other reasons you will struggle to find out!

The best way to start your career planning is by making a list of all of the companies you’d like to work for in London. If you find companies that do match, put them on the list to target – and keep an eye on them until you are ready to take the leap.

Once you have the list you need to start gathering information about these organisations. Is there positive or negative stories about them online. Search to find out if they are hiring or firing staff. Then only when you are sure they are a high performance organisation – contact them via their website or LinkedIn.com.

Have your dream job goal

Getting a job is like getting into a relationship. You need to understand what you are getting into and where your future lies. There’s no point pursuing careers and opportunities in companies that don’t match your skills, expectations and goals. In the long run, you’ll end up in a field or job you hate.

There is no ‘one’ economy. There are always low demand and high demand jobs. If your career is under threat – you should not fear switching jobs. Otherwise you’ll just in up working in a mildly related area to your ideal career and you’ll find it difficult to get back on track.