It’s finally here.  My new book, How’d You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Careers and How to Get Them, has just been released!  The book starts with a quiz that tells you your job personality – be it an adventurer, creator, data-head, entrepreneur, investigator, networker, or nurturer – and then suggests several unusual and enticing careers you might want to check out.  I selected the careers via a survey in which I asked 500 people to tell me about their dream jobs, and then set out to interview individuals in those fields about what it takes to break in and be successful.

I hope you’ll have a look at the book and let me know what you think.  Join our Facebook group, write a review on Amazon, or chime into the 30/20 Vision Radio Show tomorrow at 9PM ET.  I’d love to hear from you!  In the meantime, though, here are some top tips for scoring your dream gig:

1. Learn about yourself.  Take time to do a self-assessment of your values, how you like to work, and what you’d be compelled to do even if you never got paid.  Research careers and industries that map to your skills and interests.  Hit the Internet, set up informational interviews, take relevant coursework, and arrange to go onsite at a company in your chosen field.

2. Don’t be deterred by a lack of experience.  In developing a resume and other promotional materials for the field you want to pursue, think about how your current skills and talents apply to the responsibilities you’ll hold in the new job.  For example, knowledge of project management, client relations, information technology, and sales will take you far in most types of careers.

3. Ease into a new career one foot at a time.  Perhaps this means earning a paycheck at your current job while doing a part-time internship in your new field or taking an adult education class or workshop on the weekend.  The only way to find out if you’re passionate about something is to try it – ideally with as little risk as you can manage.

4. Remember that any progress is good progress.  Even confident people stay in unsatisfying jobs because they feel safe, and because they’re afraid of making a bad decision.  But in the quest to uncover a source of meaningful work, though, your worst enemy is inertia.  Make an effort to do one thing, like e-mailing a networking contact or attending an event – that moves you a bit closer to your big picture goal.