With any skill, you start by learning the basics. With cooking, you learn how to dice an onion, make a stock, and how to sharpen your knife. Later, you take on more complicated recipes and skills, like baking, butchery and curing. These techniques will serve you in the quest of becoming a master chef.
Similarly, a job seeker in search of employment, you start with great, tailored resumés; an up-to-date list of references, a list of companies to target and answers to common interview questions. These are your basics, your bread and butter.
To navigate a job search skillfully, add these ingredients that will help you through any job search challenge or opportunity:
- Hope and trust: Maintain hope. Believe in your strengths and skills. Believe in your ability to secure employment. Trust in your intuition and judgement.
- Patience and understanding: Be patient with yourself and others. Do not expect immediate responses from job applications. Recognize that securing employment takes time.
- Determination and perseverance: Never give up. Push forward. Don’t take rejection personally.
- Openness and flexibility: Be open to change and new challenges, take risks. If your resume isn’t getting you interviews, change it.
- Acceptance and authenticity: Accept yourself and others. Being genuine will help you to find your best fit.
- Curiosity and creativity: Ask questions and seek out the answers. Create opportunities. Expose yourself to new information and allow for the unexpected. Organize informational interviews, attend networking events and workshops.
- Gratitude and appreciation: Be grateful and appreciate those around you. Take notice when someone is kind to you and give back. After an interview, send a thank you email or card to the employer.
- Support and feedback: Reach out to others. Ask for help and feedback. Attend a workshop at a WorkBC Employment Services Centre.
- Acknowledge and celebrate: Share your successes. Pat yourself on the back when you tailor your resumé, apply for a job, get called for an interview or have a great informational interview.
- A winning smile: Smiling brings out the best in you and is a great asset in an interview!
Tina Hurd is a career advisor at the Westside WorkBC.
If you’re looking for services and support in your job search, visit one of our WorkBC centres to get started. All our employment services are FREE.
