My resume isnt what landed me my dream job Heres what I did

My resume isnt what landed me my dream job Heres what I didMy resume isnt what landed me my dream job Heres what I didI used to keep my career and personal life very separate. It was basically like the division of church and state. I remained professional at all times in the office and let few into my personal life beyond the basic music, movies and sports chitchat. I thought there was a right way to find career success - stay on the straight and narrow path so you can climb the ladder and never look back. But when I waslaid off from workin February 2017 and then again in November 2017, I decided to throw everything I knew out the window. I needed anotlageher job, and I needed a new strategy if I was going to land one that was going to stick.Spinning The Negative Into A PositiveIve always had a passion for career development. As a self-titled career enthusiast, my dream job has always been to write about networking, interviewing, job searching,negotiatingand more. So when I was la id off from work the second time in 2017, I wasnt sure how I could spin my experience and land a job as a career editor.All I could think was, Why would someone want to hire me as a career editor when Ive been laid off twice in one year? But I was missing something. Being laid off twice in one year made me an evenbettercandidate for a career editor role. It also helped me learn more about my personal finances since I needed to live on an even stricter budget than before.I could give real-life advice for how to budget your financeswhen youre laid off from work, or how to land a job when youve been unemployed for a few months. I was networking all the time and writing cover letters day in and day out. It also platzdeckchen me apart from the other candidates who may have only read about layoffs or were rusty with their networking, interviewing or negotiating skills. I was able to spin this negative into a positive and use it to my advantage when applying for jobs. My personal experienc ehelpedme land interviews and job offers.Letting People In And Landing A JobWhile all of this was happening, I was working on my personal finances. I had bought a house at just 25 years old with my boyfriend. We saved a lot during our first few years out of college and decided to make the investment rather than rent an apartment.Not many people in my professional life knew about this achievement at the time, nor did I think theyd necessarily care. People dont buy homes in their 20s like they used to, especially with the amount of student loan debt millennials are paying back. So I pretty much kept this accomplishment to myself and only shared it with friends and family members.However, this huge milestone became the jumpstart I needed to get really good with my money, which eventually led to job offers in financial media. I realized I was pretty good with my cash after being able to save up enoughmoney for a housein such a short amount of time. Plus, I had learned the value of inves ting fast, which I realized not many twenty-somethings can say, either.After buying a house, I startedinvesting moneyin other ways. I had an IRA in tandem with my 401(k) and a handful of stocks, plus I opened separateinvestment accounts with Ellevest. I createdmultiple budget spreadsheetsand financial plans, too. I wasowningmy finances.So when I interviewed for jobs in the real estate space, personal finance industry and financial content marketing, I was able to tell the story about how I bought my first home at 25 and took real control over my financial future. All of this personal experience with money helped me be a qualified candidate for each of these roles. I was offered a job at each of these companies.The Perfect MixWhen my dream job eventually came around, I knew I had to use my personal experience and my career experience as the perfect mix in order to show how qualified I really was for the role. I included each of these stories in my cover letter and further discussed e ach oneduring the interview.Between being laid off from work and managing my finances like a boss, plus my career experience in the media industry, I was able to land the role of senior career and finance editor at Swirled. Years ago, I wouldve never thought that my personal experience would help me land a job. I wouldve kept my personal finance accomplishments to myself, or downplayed my year of double layoffs. But instead, these two experiences made me a strong candidate, and for that, Im grateful.Dont be shy about what youve accomplished in your personal life. Your career experience can only get you so far. Aim to be your whole self at work and in interviews so you can land the job youve always wanted. And embrace the crazy path youre on because itll never be straight and narrow. Itll only continue twisting and turning, but if you learn how to navigate it, youll still find success in the end.Thispostwas originally published onSwirled.comin the Thrive section, which covers valuabl e career and personal finance content for Millennials.