I went to meet with my university's alumni career counselor, Linda Conklin. It proved to be a truly encouraging, invigorating experience. I came out feeling hopeful with a concrete plan. Not a plan that I'm going to land my dream job next month, but a plan that I know where I'm heading and feel more in control. Going into it, I was prepared to hear how to "fix" my education (Classics and Church History) and my experience (teaching 7th grade, living abroad, being a secretary). But, she said none of that. She said I have to work from whom I am and go from there. These are the steps I'm working on now from her book Career Coach: Getting the Right Job Right Now.
1. Ask yourself these key questions. (It's important to be as specific as possible. For example: with what do I do better than most people: If you're my sister: I can take complex numerical data and turn it into a story in order to explain it. Or for me, I'm really good at aggregating disparate information and seeing pattern and connection-- crazy people and Malcolm Gladwell are good at this too.):
What do I love to do?
What have I always done?
What do I do better than most people?
What did I do when I was a child?
What gives me great satisfaction?
What one thing do I organize my life around?
What do I talk to people about?
Where do I spend my free time?
What books and magazines do I read?
When I am at my best, what am I doing?
What would I regret if I did not do it?
What do I need to be happy?
Aren't those hard?
2. Come up with ten adjectives to describe yourself.
3. Explore your "unexpected wisdom". What do you know that you learned from an unwanted/unintended experience? Everybody's an expert in some area that is applicable to other people's needs. Chances are if you have food allergies, you are an expert on recipes without gluten or nuts or peanuts. If you have a medical abnormality (whether it just makes you odd or it's a disability): for instance, I have really loose joints, which, ironically, makes it hard to stretch. I had a friend who was 4'10"; she had some really funny (and painful) stories. But, she had adapted to adult life and having strangers pick her up to see how much she weighed. Or can it be even more banal, such as my running. I've been running since 9th grade. Just from sheer experience, I know a lot about running from different surfaces, to injuries, to diet, to hydration techniques, to safety, etc. Same can be said about reading, esp. specific genres. Or, my mom is an expert on single parenting, which comes in really handy as a Principal talking with parents. The career counselor herself got into career counseling from having moved 12 times with her husband's job. Each move entailed a new job search. Voila. And, extremely applicable to other people. Plus, it helped she had corporate training experience. And, I'm coming from a Christian perspective, so I believe there's a pattern to our experience, education and desires that is forming us into specific people that are unique and valuable to God and others.
4. Come up with a 30 second commercial about yourself. I thought this was kind of hokey until Wednesday night when it would have been really helpful. I was at an alumni event where we had to go around and introduce ourselves with our year and what we did and where we worked. I panicked and ended up fibbing. I just said what I was doing last year. I said I was a 7th grade teacher at blah de blah. So, I felt badly about lying, and I got no potential networking accomplished. So, I've been working on this one. So far I have,"I'm a teacher transitioning from 7th grade into adult education and project consulting. I'm working with the Schiele Museum as a consultant on Hunger Games and several nonprofits with tutoring and small classes." It needs tweaking: it's honest without saying I'm unemployed. I am working but in volunteer capacities. I also need to come up with one more social about training for a marathon and probably one a little more spiritual for churchy events. But, I usually freeze when people say, "Tell me a little about yourself." Because where do you start? But, I need to be a little more savvy and tell them what they need to hear about me.
1 comment:
Hey Joy, That sounds great. I really liked the emphasis on working from where your at and the 30 second commercials about yourself. Great idea. You have to tell me how it works out. I think I might actually use that. I love how you've framed yourself. I wonder if it will change how you see yourself as well.
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