Back in January when I set my “four simple goals”, I was really gung-ho and thought for sure I could have a job lined up for post-graduation by April.
Ha ha ha. Ha ha.
I did line up my work term in January, and then I focused on my schoolwork and thought, “There is plenty of time to job-search. Months, even!”
There was one time back in January or early February that I went in to the Northside Employment and Resource Centre just to check it out, and when chatting with the staff there was told that it was a good idea to come in regularly, just to get known there. I thought, “I’ve got Monday afternoons free of classes, so I’ll go in every Monday afternoon.”
But then, life happens. Other things come up, other things take priority. So it was just yesterday when I found myself home from school a bit early and over by the Employment Centre anyway at the post office, and decided to go in. I wasn’t really sure what I would do there — sit on my computer and job search, I guess? — but you’ve got to start sometime. I was, admittedly, a bit nervous. I’m not even sure why, but I was.
I went in and chatted with a staff member. She showed me the job boards and told me about the services of the Centre. I talked with another lady about a program called “Career Focus” that is for 30-and-under recent graduates who have never worked in their field before, and filled out an application. Then I looked around, looked at the job postings on the boards, said thank you and that I would be back next week, and went home.
It was through the Baddeck Employment Resource Centre that I got the funding to attend NSCC two years ago and I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that the staff there are top shelf, just fantastic.
One important part of “figuring out the next step,” I think, is actually “being OK with not knowing what the next step is”. That doesn’t mean, “doing nothing and hoping something falls in my lap,” but it does mean that it is good and healthy to work towards several next steps at once, while intentionally practicing trust that the future, no matter what it looks like and what job I’m doing in it, will be abundant.
Are you a great job seeker? Do you hate it? Any other random thoughts on it you’d like to share? I’m game. 🙂
Don’t be afraid to approach companies that aren’t actively hiring. If there’s a company or organization that looks appealing to you, do a bit of research and see if there’s something your skills could add. If you can get a ten minute interview (be clear that you don’t want to take much of their time), you can communicate a lot about your potential value to the organization. Even if they don’t have a spot for you right away, they’ll remember your initiative when they ARE hiring. They might also find short-term contracts for you.
Hi Kate! Thanks for the comment, I love it. While I’m definitely not afraid to approach companies that aren’t actively hiring (you know me, friendly to a fault!), I would bet there are folks who might not have thought of this idea. And, your comment reminded me of the value of this sort of approach, and that there are lots of opportunities we can make for ourselves!
Self Employment is a wonderful thing! It’s a lot of work and uncertainty, but it’s by far the most rewarding thing ever! We might not always have a steady pay check, and its has really taught us how to be thrifty and budget, but more importantly we have a quality of life right now that I would not change for the world.
Small business is what makes this island go round. We’ve recently purchased a building in downtown North Sydney, and are hoping to offer spots of other young business owners who do like minded work a place to start, and to work collectively on big projects. It gives people a very affordable place to do business and share services. I do marketing and business, Sean does photography, and I do the editing. We just brought in Moose Media who does Videography and marketing, and are hoping to see someone with graphics and/or web design. We share work, references, clients, all while remanning our own independent selfs!
I’ve read before, that you should always let people know you’re looking for work – even people you don’t think can help you. You never know when someone might hear of an opportunity and be able to suggest it to you. So keep blogging 🙂
On the other hand, I would suggest don’t involve your mother too much in your job search – from my own personal experience mothers can try to help too much 🙂
Haha, noted: won’t take Mom along on my job interviews. 😛
Thanks for the comment, Erin, it’s great and encouraging.