Matching yourself to the job
It's not all about whether you are right for the job, but also whether the job is right for you. Finding a career that suits your skills and values will save a lot of time and heartache when it comes to filling in application forms.
You can either start by looking at yourself – your strengths and needs – and then looking for jobs that match them, or you can look at jobs that interest you and then see whether you have the necessary skills to do them. Ask yourself:
- What are the main duties of the job?
- What skills is the employer looking for?
- Have I got most of these skills? – be honest
- Could I persuade the recruiter I have?
Point to evidence
The best way to prove anything is to point to evidence – the times in your life when you have successfully demonstrated the key skills that they are looking for. And remember that skills are transferable from any part of your life and can be used to show that you have the potential they seek. But don't torture yourself. If you have no evidence, it may be that you are looking at the wrong job.
Work experience
Of course the best sort of evidence is if you have relevant work experience in the job or the sector. This doesn’t have to mean that you need a long summer internship with a top employer. While this is obviously very attractive to employers, there are all sorts of work experience opportunities out there. A part-time job at uni will give you transferable skills (such as teamwork, communication, time management and so on) as well as showing that you have knowledge of working in the real world. If you know the area that you want to work in then apply to the types of organisations that may interest you, and ask your careers service for help. This can also help you to decide whether the career suits you or not. The old expression ‘all experience is good experience’ has never been more apt than when applied to your career.
Ditch the baggage
There will be times when things don't exactly go to plan. You may have all the right skills and experience and have a terrific personality but sometimes the jobs you crave are just hopelessly competitive. In such cases you have to ditch the baggage and apply the reality test. How realistic is it to carry on? If you can't face doing something completely different from your aspirations, can you do something similar that's easier to get into? The classic examples are working in sales as a foundation to a career in marketing or working in a bookshop to gain useful experience for book publishing.
More useful advice
This article has been viewed 8330 times.
Rating: 4 / 5 (15 votes cast for this article)
Rate this article:
Related articles