How Do I Find a Job?

Need a summer job? Something part-time? Are you graduating? This means you are preparing to add an experience that will shape your story. Whatever the motivation, be intentional about how you will leverage the opportunity to support your personal growth.

Job Search Tip

Market skills, not duties. If you are washing dishes, you are practicing: a strong work ethic, managing competing priorities, communicating, organizing, and paying attention to detail. All skills employers desire. Skills are what you bring to the table; washing dishes is how you applied those skills.

Supporting Your Job Search  

To successfully job search, you need to understand what you want and what motivates you to engage in decision-making and take action. What is your employment goal - a summer role for skill-building, experimenting with work environments, working with a demographic that interests you, or applying for your first full-time job as a new graduate? When you look at job postings, research organizations or have career conversations, consider the following:

• How do your job search actions bring focus to what you want? 
• What are the things in your life that help you move forward? 
• How do you keep yourself motivated?

Finding a Job

1. Define your goals and their purpose

Professions or job titles are how we imagine who we will become; our career identity. It's quite rare to graduate and walk into career identities like Editor, Therapist, Program Manager, Policy Analyst. There are essential entry roles and milestones we must achieve along the way to prepare us for a long-term goal. Think about both long-term goals and short-term goals that will support you along the way.

Job Search Tip

Researching the field or industry and conducting career conversations will help you to understand what the stepping-stones are to building a career and achieving your long-term goals. This investment will also bring awareness to the skills, knowledge, and experience you possess that will help you in this career and where there may be opportunities for growth.

Job Search Tip

Be adaptable. You may have particular needs in mind, such as flexible work hours, organizational culture, or benefits. You won't get everything on your list. Think about the things that are most important to you and set your goals with clear and reasonable expectations. 

2. Prepare your brand

An application consists of a customized cover letter and a targeted resume. Together these documents are your invitation to begin a new relationship. You are asking if you can spend quality time with a group of people and work together on shared goals. Consider what you would want to know about a candidate if you were in the position of the hiring manager.

The biggest mistake a candidate can make is to read an employer's job posting as a list of criteria or must-haves. The brain is hard-wired for negativity; don't disqualify yourself based on the skills and experiences you may not yet possess.

Instead, read the posting as a list of cool things you get to learn and master. With this approach, your career possibilities are limitless. We all apply for roles we have never done before. If you have practiced 70-80% of the skills they seek, even in other environments, consider applying! What do you have to lose? Creating stand-out applications takes practice, so at the very least, you are strengthening your self-marketing skills.

Now that you are looking for a job or other experiential learning opportunities, ask yourself what skills, strengths, knowledge, and attitudes you possess that you can leverage to learn and become successful in the role.

Applications that stand out showcase an aligned motivation for the role, understanding of the employers' needs, and the things you possess that will allow you to succeed and support the employer in achieving their goals. Learning to leverage your story is key to manifesting opportunities. 

The way people have been taught to writes resumes and personal brand documents is broken. Kerri Twigg illustrates a new way to teach people to look for work, switching up how they build resumes and managing their careers.

Resumes

Cover Letters

References

Interviews

Social Media