We asked one of our former clients to share some advice about career exploration and job search for our current and prospective clients. Read what they shared with us below.
Be Prepared – The Scout Motto is applicable in all walks of life. When you make initial contact with someone, be prepared as though you were going to be having extended conversations with that person. Some might want to move the process along quicker than others, and you need to be ready to react to their next steps.
Get over your ego – One of the most difficult things I found was working up the courage to speak to others about their careers or to ask for work. You will be surprised (but probably shouldn’t) at the success rate you will experience when networking, doing informational interviews, or simply asking about openings at a company you are interested in. It took a good deal of nerve for me at first to speak with a stranger about their profession, but after that, it became an endeavor I was completely comfortable with.
Have your end goal in mind – Don’t think “get a job†as your goal. Be specific, and know what type of job you are looking for, as well as what type of environment you work best in.
Be creative in your approach – Finding a job might seem linear, but as long as you remain professional in your approach, there is no wrong way to go about making inquiries about work.
Get in the habit of thinking you are constantly looking for work – This might sound exhausting, but we are all free agents in life; most employment these days is “at will,†and because of that, you should be approaching your relationships as if you might want to reach out to a work associate for a job someday.