Land That Job - Moving Forward After Covid-19

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Land That Job - Moving Forward After Covid-19 - book excerpt

Attitudes and Beliefs: a very important element in the whole process!

Throughout my years of helping people move from one job to another, or getting their first job, I have been surprised and saddened at the number of people who tell themselves that they wouldn’t be able to get the job they really want (even if they’re qualified to do it). They have usually listened to the voice inside their head that tells them that they are too old, too young, not experienced enough, not qualified enough, not good enough, not smart enough, not dynamic enough, or ‘not’ something or ‘too’ something else. They have listened to what the media says about young people or mature people or the labour market. They have taken on board what their mother/father/uncle/ teacher/supervisor/peers said about them and their abilities.

They have become locked into a way of thinking about themselves (their gender, their age, their experience) or about what they have heard on the nightly news about the job market or what they have read on the internet somewhere.

And, right now in this almost post-Covid19 world, the outer and inner voices are sprouting doom and gloom all over the place. We know that it is going to be competitive out there. There’s no hiding from that. We should also remind ourselves that economies do recover, entrepreneurial types will start businesses and employ people, and some businesses will even grow during disasters, and afterwards.

A competitive jobs market means that it is likely that you’ll have to apply for more jobs before you’re successful, and that can be dispiriting and exhausting. However, people still get new jobs, even in this sort of environment. This book will show you how you can make the most of what you have to offer and become more effective in the job application process.

Firstly, though, I think that it’s important to look at the impact of what we listen to, whether it’s from our friends, relatives or the nightly news OR whether it’s what we’re telling ourselves. If it’s negative, it’s not going to do us any favours at all. I know that it’s not going to be easy to ignore the negativity but it’s a necessity if you want to get a job.

In the post-Covid19 period, it will be tempting to think that you need to stick with the sort of job you’ve always had. However, you don’t have to do that unless you want to do that.

People often apply for jobs on the basis of what they think they ‘should’ apply for or what they think is reasonable/acceptable given their qualifications, age, experience or gender.

They have developed a fixed mindset. It’s usually fear-based and negative.

Effective job search requires a flexible mindset. If you can throw in creativity, fun and courage you will have a mindset that will lead you to many employment possibilities.

If you are willing to keep your mind open during the job search process – and take on board the suggestions that I make – in a spirit of fun and adventure rather than one of pessimism and/or deadly seriousness, you will be surprised at how quickly it will all fall into place for you.

If you are operating from a place of limitation, of fixed ideas, of uber seriousness, of fear (of something, anything), your job search will be much harder than it needs to be.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right”.

Henry Ford

A little more about limiting beliefs

If your patterns of belief and behaviour have, at the base, that:

• Life is hard and difficult

• You’re not worthy

• You can’t have what you really want

• No-one listens to you

• You’re an outsider

• Or some other thought that you made up about yourself or life. It may have been adopted from your parents or other significant people, when you were a child.

You are likely to find the job search process difficult or hard; will tend to take any rejections personally; or will make it mean something negative about you or the world we live in.

You will do this even when the evidence that is there in front of you that you have:

• Been successful in the past (in getting a job and keeping it)

• A great skill set

• Been a valued employee for various companies

• At least basic literacy and numeracy

• At least a couple of people who like or love you

You will ignore or discount your own growth, qualifications and experience and convince yourself that some external factor is to blame or, worse still, that it’s your own fault that this is happening to you.

I challenge you to identify your own limiting beliefs, and work on reducing their power over you, so that you can transform your experience with job search.

Whatever the voice inside your head is saying, it’s at the base of your limiting beliefs about yourself and your world. Over time, the limiting beliefs even develop in their sophistication and become more layered, so much so that it seems more complicated than it is.

You have a decision to make.

Do you intend to keep these limiting beliefs and keep giving away your power to them, or is it time to acknowledge their existence and then send them packing?

I’m not going to pretend that it will all be fixed and that you’ll get rid of your limiting beliefs instantly. It will take work, a willingness to take a ‘good, hard look at yourself’ and a willingness to make the necessary changes to the way you think and act, over and over. Your limiting beliefs built up over time and, while it won’t take the same amount of time to dismantle them, they have been part of ‘you’ for some time and will take time to lessen their grip on you.

I acknowledge that, sometimes, it is a challenge to take responsibility for our thoughts and beliefs. It is easier to blame something outside of ourselves for our woes. The media is great at presenting the world as a difficult place, one where people have lots of hardships and where unexpected terrible events can happen to regular people. Within that context, it is easy to fall into the view that we have little control over our lives and that the world, including the world of work, is difficult and perhaps is even conspiring against us.

I want you to be able to cast aside any negative thoughts in relation to job search (and perhaps stop watching the nightly news) and focus now on the two skill sets I spoke about earlier. A reminder: the first skill set is the written part of your application, and the second is on the skills you use in your interview.

Over time, we amass limiting beliefs about how life supposedly is – beliefs that are not valid. Then we allow these limiting beliefs to stop us from fully living our happiest lives.

Karen Salmansohn, Best-selling Author

There’s no one place to look for jobs

Some job seekers go straight to seek.com or careerone.com to look for jobs without realising that there are a whole lot of other job search options out there where the marketplace isn’t quite so crowded with applicants.

When you remember that job search is a numbers game, the thing to do is to increase the numbers of positions for which you apply. One way of doing that is to have many irons in the fire. Just applying through these online recruitment services can severely limit your chances of success.

I will say this several times in the book – NEVER EVER EVER apply for just one job, wait to see how you go, find out you didn’t get it, and then start looking again. That’s a very inefficient and completely demoralising way to approach job seeking.

Apply for lots of jobs from lots of sources and you will always know there are other possibilities for you. Aim at creating momentum in your job search. At any one time have at least eight job applications in progress. If you’re sitting in an interview, knowing that you have another interview to attend, three applications you’ve just submitted, and three more to write, how do you think you’ll feel? There will be an aura about you that tells the prospective employer that you have confidence, energy, initiative and positivity. You won’t appear to be desperate or anxious – not good emotions in a job interview.

Sure, go to seek.com or indeed.com (or whatever are the most common job-seeking sites in your part of the world) but also try these other places as well.

Direct to the company or organization

Work out what companies you’d like to work for and then go directly to the business itself.

Look under the Employment, Careers or Jobs tab on their website. They may also have some articles or documents about what you need to know if you’re applying for a job there. Don’t assume that you know what they’re saying because you’ve applied for jobs before. Check out their information because there could be some helpful advice that they’ve included to help job seekers.

Another reason for looking at that information is that they may include some step or snippet to test job applicants. For example, they might suggest that you read their values statement before applying so that you can determine whether your values match theirs. Then, in the subsequent interview, they might ask a question on your shared values. If you haven’t ‘done your homework’, you will find yourself floundering when you have to answer the question.

Look at their website thoroughly. Read their Mission Statement or Vision. See what projects they’re involved in or what products they sell. Have they won any awards or commendations? Do they support any charities or even have their own charity? What can you learn about the company’s origins and its staff?

Remember that the job application process is a two-way process. You need to check them out as much as they’re checking you out. Their website should be a positive indication of who they are and what they stand for.

If the position you’re applying for involves the responsibility for the company website, make sure you examine it in much greater detail. In fact, analyse it thoroughly because you are likely to be asked questions about its functionality and design in the interview. You won’t come across in a positive light if you haven’t taken much notice of the website’s effectiveness in the preparation phase.

University and TAFE/community college employment services

Every university and TAFE/community college will have an employment service to help their students access part-time positions while they’re studying AND will advertise full-time positions as the students are finishing their courses. Frankly, you’d be crazy not to access these services if you are a student. Some of these services, but not all, are offered to past students as well.

Some employers will prefer students from specific universities. This will be because the institution has produced high quality graduates from a particular academic area or that the university has had breakthrough results with the academic research they have carried out. Some will simply have a ‘good name’ for something, such as the engineers they produce.

As a student, always make sure that you know what research your faculty is involved in so that you can speak about it confidently in an interview, even once you’ve completed your course.

Most universities and TAFEs/community colleges actively seek strong industry links with employers so that they are able to offer both industry-based experience during courses as well as post-course employment options for their students. (There has been increasing pressure on higher education institutions to ensure students are ‘work ready’ when they finish courses so having strong links to industries and quality employers satisfies the needs of all parties).

Industry specific recruitment agencies

The hospitality industry is a typical example of an industry specific employment area. Hospitality is a field that often requires staff who have specific experience and so employers will list jobs with a hospitality recruitment agency to ‘weed out’ anyone who doesn’t have the background they want.

A few examples in Australia are:

www.frontlinerecruitmentgroup.com/hospitality

www.hospitalityrecruitment.com.au

flexistaff.com.au

The same principle applies with other industry specific agencies so use your favourite search engine to check out what’s available within your field.

Specialist employment services

These are similar to industry specific agencies. However, they may offer employment across industries. Jobs in the not-for-profit sector and the apprenticeship sector are often across industries, professional fields or regions, but share a common thread.

For example, employers in the not-for-profit sector often seek out potential employees who understand the particular benefits and challenges of working in that sector; have a history of working with disadvantaged people; and whose values are aligned with theirs.

A few examples in Australia are:

www.nfpjobs.com.au

au.indeed.com

www.australianapprecticeships.gov.au

Federal and State Government employment

Federal and state governments are often required to advertise their positions on official websites and/or in a newspaper.

Applications for government jobs usually involve having to address key selection criteria as well as having to submit targeted resumes and a formal application letter. Please make sure that you read the section in this book on responding to key selection criteria.

Because government job applications can be quite time consuming, I usually suggest that interested parties call the person whose name is listed on the position description as the contact. You have an opportunity to ask about the job PLUS find out if someone has been in or acting in the position for some time.

Some government jobs must be advertised every three or five years. If you know that someone has been in the role or acting in it for at least 12 months, it would be worth asking if that person is likely to be re-applying for the position. While you might not be given that information, it would be worth you considering whether you want to go to the trouble of applying for a job that could well be ear-marked (unofficially) for someone else.

I once saw a job for a senior role in a regulatory body (semi-government) listed in the hospitality section of a newspaper. It was not a hospitality job. The advertisement was only a couple of lines but had met the government requirement of being placed in the newspaper! I suppose it saved a lot of people from wasting their time in applying for the position, but it did seem a bit cynical to me.

Local government

While these jobs are often advertised in other places online and in the press, the individual local government/ council websites are the best place to look, especially if you want to work close to your home. Save the website in your favourites and check it on a weekly basis to see if any new jobs have been listed there.

If you are particularly keen on working in local government, you could establish positive professional relationships with local government personnel by attending business breakfasts they run or by being on local committees within your area of expertise. These strategies could mean that you hear about roles that will be advertised. Being ‘known’ will certainly improve your chances of being selected for an interview if you choose to apply for a job with that organisation.

Local newspapers

Even though there aren’t a lot of truly local newspapers anymore and even fewer jobs in them, the employers advertising there are often hoping that they will pick up a local person for their role. When people don’t have to travel a long way to get to their job, they often stay in the position longer. For some jobs, local knowledge is useful.

So, grab your local newspaper when it’s delivered and see if there are any possibilities there for you.

Volunteering, IndustryPlacements, and Internships

Many people do not realise that unpaid work in Australia is illegal. While it is legal for a prospective employer to ask you to work a trial shift, it is generally only be for a limited time and only in order for an employer to check that you have the required skills.

Volunteer work and internships are legal but are governed by strict rules.

Go to fairwork.gov.au for further details. If you suspect that you are being exploited, the information on that site will clarify the situation for you.

Volunteering

Working as a volunteer through an organisation’s volunteer program is a useful – and legal - way of gaining or adding to your skill set. It’s also an opportunity for those people, who have years of experience and many skills, to further contribute to society. Many not-for-profit organisations have volunteer programs and some of them offer meaningful work that can develop and/or utilise your skills.

Volunteering is usually seen favourably by employers who like the fact that you have not just been sitting around waiting for a job to fall in your lap but have been contributing to others. It also demonstrates that you have initiative and a good work ethic.

I suggest that you list your volunteer experience(s) in with your paid employment because it is part of your work history. It has a validity of its own.

Creating your own volunteer experience

Two of the young people I interviewed while I was writing Awesome Careers for Gen Ys: easy strategies to create an amazing career and life suggested taking a more deliberate and planned approach to creating a valuable volunteering experience. They suggested researching a couple of not-for-profit organisations to see what they might need done but might not be able to afford. They said that it made sense to put forward a proposal of one-two pages outlining your idea and how you could use your skills to make it happen.

An example of this might be a proposal that you put forward to your local tennis club to set up and write a monthly blog for them that you would send out to members. If they aren’t on Facebook, you could suggest creating a page for the club and putting up photos of matches and tournaments to create interest in their activities. The underlying aim might be to increase membership of the club.

Industry Placements

These are part of college and university courses and are an excellent way to build up your skills, create links with people within the industry you want to become part of, and even possibly to be offered a job. Never approach an industry placement as just one of the requirements of a course. Opportunities often emerge from them. It may not happen in the short term, but a future opportunity could arise through a contact you make.

If it is possible to do more than one industry placement, do it! It will give you the chance to increase your skill set plus the opportunity to make more contacts in your industry. That’s a win-win.

Internships

Unpaid internships (or work experience) are OK if it’s a student/vocational placement; or

there’s no employment relationship. For more specific information on internships and what constitutes an employment relationship, please go to fairwork.gov.au.

Gaining an internship can be useful in gaining experience, knowledge of the sector you’ve chosen as your career, and for making connections. They can sometimes lead to obtaining a job.

In Australia, companies that take on interns will be very mindful of the Fair Work Act, and most will adhere to the rules and principles of the Act. If, however, you take up an internship and subsequently believe that you’re being exploited, contact fairwork.gov.au to get advice about your next step.

The successful man (or woman) will profit from his/her mistakes and try again in a different way.

Dale Carnegie, American Author, lecturer