“But I just want a
job, any job. I don’t care what sort of
job it is as long as it is a job.” This
is a very common approach to job hunting.
Job seekers often feel despair and they are desperate to get any sort of
job they can.
However, this approach
can actually make it more difficult for them to find work.
There are three main
reasons for this:
- Employers rate
motivation as one of the most important qualities in a job seeker and it’s hard
to be highly motivated about “a job, just any job”;
- The most effective job
search strategy has been shown to be networking, finding jobs in the hidden job
market. Unless you have a starting
point, one or two target occupations, then it is almost impossible to get
started; and
- Perhaps the most
important reason of all: having specific
career goals will give you the determination, the motivation to push ahead
through all the difficulties until you succeed.
Career counselling is
listed as one of the most effective strategies for helping disadvantaged job
seekers get meaningful work in an OECD study of labour market strategies.
Career planning can
help point you in the right direction, the direction that is most likely to
bring you job satisfaction and success both in the job and also in the job
hunt.
If you have chosen
your target occupation with care, you will be enthusiastic about it. Enthusiasm means motivation. Employers will see your enthusiasm and they
will want you on their team. As the
author of an American book on salesmanship puts it, “Enthusiasm makes an
attractive and convincing salesman out of an assortment of dead flesh and
bones.”
Our career planning
process helps you look at your interests, your values, your personal goals and
other factors that contribute to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is crucial to career success
because it’s very hard to do a job well if you are not enjoying it.
Click below for
further information on the ways in which we can help you with your career
planning.
