Last fall, a speaker at our “Cultivating Your Career” series told us: “Follow your dream, do what you love, and make it a priority.”

I had been thinking of making a change for some time, but after listening to her speak, I felt empowered. I emailed the speaker, told her my vision for a role on her team, and she was fully on board and helped me land my dream job!

Here are my top five tips for finding or creating your next amazing career opportunity -- without leaving your current company.

1. Be Involved

If you’re interested in a team, a group, or a program, get involved! Join one of the team’s volunteer events, job shadow, attend a meeting, sign up for a special project – or even just ask people out for coffee. Once you become comfortable and confident in the area you want to pursue, and build relationships with those involved, it will seem natural for you to make a transition.

2. Be Vocal

Tell the people around you about your professional interests and passions, and let your manager know what your ideal career path looks like. The next time an opportunity comes up that falls in your area of interest, your colleagues will immediately think of you

3. Be Proactive

No one else has enough time or energy to create your dream job for you. That’s why it’s important to make it easy for leaders and stakeholders to get on board with your plan. Create a job description, figure out how the reporting structure will work, and talk to the people who need to sign off on your plan.

4. Be Patient

Your dream job won’t land in your lap tomorrow. It has to be the right time for the business and the team, and it takes awhile to put the key pieces in place. Persevere and know that when the time is right and people understand the business need for your role, it can happen.

5. Be Persistent

While you should be patient, when you see your chance, take it. I was told no a few times on my journey to creating this role. I went after several opportunities that didn’t work out, and it would have been easy to give up … but I didn’t. Corny as it sounds, if you stick with it, you’ll be able to find a job you love.

Think your dream job might be at Salesforce? Check out our careers page: www.salesforce.com/company/careers/.