I don’t typically create posts that are personal to my own life but I really felt that this is relevant and relatable with what a lot of you are being faced with right now. I left college after a year because I decided that I didn’t “like” it and that if I was paying for it myself I should really love it, and I decided that I just wanted to work. I didn’t know what I wanted to do for work, but I thought it would be better than school. I can also remember the time, not so fondly, when I reached the point of desperation in needing work and was willing to do any and everything that was out there. One mistake I made during these early years was allowing myself to be influenced by what other people told me I would be good at instead of going after what I really wanted. So I started applying… to EVERYTHING. I didn’t stop to take the time to read the job descriptions, or the skill/experience requirements. I put my resume in for every job I came across that I thought “Sure, I could do that”. I literally applied for the same role on every open requisition that was available at each company or just applying to every role they had open. I kept telling the companies and myself that “I’ll do anything!”, I just wanted to work. What I didn’t realize is how that actually came across to potential employers, HR teams, recruiters, hiring managers, etc. It came across as a lack of focus and awareness of what I was actually qualified for and what I wanted to do both in the short and long term. During this time I didn’t even stop to think about how this could be perceived in a negative way. I thought that they would take my eagerness to work at the company as excitement, but I now know that I was wrong. As a result, I applied to a ton of jobs I wasn’t A. Qualified for or B. Interested in. And unfortunately, this landed me in a few positions that I very quickly knew were not the right fit and ended up back on the hunt for a job. I decided it was time to make a change, it was time to do some soul searching (very quick soul searching because I needed a job!) to figure out what the heck it was that I wanted to do, and whether or not I was being realistic in my expectations to be qualified for that job. It was really tough, and it probably took a little bit longer than I would have liked. But in the end it did lead me to a career that I love, and for me that was and still is worth it.

Ok, so I know you’re thinking “I don’t have time for that”. I get it, believe me I do. I just want to gently suggest that you take a few extra minutes to read through the job descriptions and be very honest with yourself on whether or not you possess all of the skills and requirements that they require before applying. Just think, those extra few minutes could potentially spare you having to restart a job search because you realize you don’t like the job you just started. And from an employer or recruiter standpoint, it’s a professional “turn-off” to see applicants apply for roles that they’re not qualified for, and in most cases it’s because they haven’t fully read through the description/requirements. This can also result in decreasing your opportunity to work at the company in the future or on a different team. You are going to have significantly better chances of having your application or resume standout for something you’ve had experience doing rather than something you think you could do. This can potentially lead to providing you with a better chance for making it to the interview stage, and possibly to being hired. I know this isn’t a “one size fits all” type of situation, but it’s a gentle suggestion for more scenarios of a different way to look at things. We tend to get frustrated when we receive rejections emails or nothing at all. But we need to ask ourselves “Am I really qualified for that job?” and being honest with ourselves about that instead of putting the blame on the company or their hiring team.

In a perfect world we would all the time we need to find a job we love and be able to pay our bills during that time. Unfortunately this isn’t typically the case and money is a struggle so we need to always be working. But be thoughtful, this is your livelihood that we’re talking about and is a big part of your and your family’s lives.

As always, best of luck in your searches and on your interviews. Keep pushing and you will find what it is that you’re looking for! #interview #qualifications #awareness #beinghonestwithyourself #jobsearch