Is it possible to land your dream job? Can you achieve your ideal schedule? Is it feasible to find the elusive work-life balance you have always tried to find? Does loving what you do truly exist? Can you actually have it all?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and one hundred percent, yes! I speak with absolute certainty on these topics due in large because I’ve done so myself, repeatedly. You can grab your dream job by the horns and make it happen.

Here is exactly how I was able to conquer my goals and facilitate the positive change I wanted to achieve in my life: After a frightening health scare ten years ago, I decided I was not going to spend another year working a 40-hour work week in a job that I was not passionate about. I wanted to prioritize spending more of my time with my kids, and actually be there for their activities; I was going to be there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and all that was sandwiched in between. The main problem? I, like most, needed to work. Not working was not an option for me. However, not liking my job was also not an option for me anymore.

As I was going through this mental journey—thinking about my health scare while trying to figure out new and creative ways to work and parent in a way that felt satisfying—I landed a meeting with a CEO of a company named MuleSoft. I distinctly recollect him saying, “I have personally reviewed your resume and I think you would be perfect for the VP of Recruiting role.”

Um, okay. First of all, I had never done anything in the recruiting field before. Secondly, I didn’t want to work full-time anymore. Yet, there I was, on the phone with the CEO from one of the hottest, most promising up-and-coming companies for an amazing position that apparently he believed I’d be perfect for.

So naturally, I responded with, “Yes, what’s the next step?”

We met a few days thereafter and excitement grew about the prospect of being the right person for the role. Truth was, I had accomplished very similar tasks before, and crushed it, so I knew I had it in me to rise to the occasion and excel at this new opportunity. So, I grabbed a marker, walked up to a whiteboard, and showcased exactly how I would perform these tasks at MuleSoft to the CEO.

By the time I sat down, he was sold. I had a niche. I shared the vision. He wanted me to come to MuleSoft and do what I had successfully done at both Embarcadero Technologies and SuccessFactors years prior.

Here is how I sold him:

• I asked him what he was trying to accomplish.
• I communicated specifically what I had done at these two previous. companies and exhibited exactly how I could replicate that at MuleSoft, in a way that was personalized to the company.
• I shared the results I had seen at both of these companies during my tenure.
• I tied it all back to what he was trying to accomplish at MuleSoft.
• Most importantly, I made it abundantly clear that what I accomplished was vastly unique. I have done this for a company before and it had one of the largest IPO’s ever. I made significant and measurable impact, and I was able to do the same for MuleSoft.

After all of that was said and done, I followed it up with what I thought could potentially be a deal-breaker; I said that I wasn’t interested in the VP role. I was only looking for a two-day-a-week commitment. The kicker? I told him I could accomplish this for MuleSoft in my proposed work schedule.

There was silence.

He then lead in with, “We haven’t had a part-time role here before, but I can see why this makes sense.”

The job was offered, and I gladly accepted. Suddenly and quite amazingly, I was only working Mondays and Wednesdays, and I had an amazing salary and fabulous equity in the company.

So, how can you accomplish something like this?

• Don’t stop until you meet or speak with the CEO/ Owner. Don’t allow yourself to be pigeonholed, only speaking to an individual with less authority. Stay the course and know your ultimate worth. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t speak directly with the person in charge on the first go-around. Remain steadfast in your desire to speak with the powers that be.
• Be prepared and understand what the company needs, both in the short and long term. Uncover their unique pains and listen.
• Share your unique niche. Be very specific.
• Tie it back to their vision.

By understanding the business value they need, and the value that you inevitably offer, you can bridge it all together.

Then, you strike: You share your needs, which could be a certain schedule, salary, or equity. Be honest and transparent. If you start off in the wrong direction or situation, longevity will be a challenge.

What are you setting your sights to go after next?

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I hope you enjoyed my first blog. My next will discuss how I applied these skills towards living out the most meaningful life I could be living. In addition to work-related advice and professional stories, I have also written about my divorce, living an extremely fulfilled life, finding love again, having miracle babies at the age of 45 and 47, and creating a beautiful ‘Chapter Two’. It took some manifesting and following the process I wrote out above, and now I am living my best life, and you can, too.