The president of a multi-billion dollar company shares how to avoid landing a job that feels 'soulless'

Trulia

Trulia president and leading executive Paul Levine.

It's not enough to simply find a job in your desired industry that will utilize your skills and talents.

The key to career success, according to Trulia president Paul Levine, is working somewhere that has a product you already use and love.

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"Good things happen when you have real passion for the product you work on every day, and it's a real advantage to understand it as a consumer or buyer," Levine tells Business Insider.

The executive currently runs day-to-day operations at Trulia, which has a multi-billion dollar value based on its acquisition last year by Zillow for $3.5 billion. He's also worked at E*TRADE and Yahoo!, and he says it's been good fortune for him to work for such well-known brands with products he loves and uses all the time.

"When one loves the product, work feels more fun and fulfilling, and you can bring personal insights and inspiration to the job," Levine says.

On the other end of the spectrum, Levine says he's seen people work at a company where they don't have interest in the product, and it doesn't work. "At that point it's just a job - it can feel soulless and less fulfilling - and as a result it can be hard to excel," he says.