Jessica

Ode to the Job Hunter

You’ve been digging through the postings
Looking for the perfect one
Or at least some that are relevant
To the schoolwork that you’ve done

You’ve spent hours on your resume
Perfecting every line
Making sure that you sound worthy
But you’re not feeling so fine

Because that phone call never came
The job offer never sent
And the deadline for acceptance
Already came and went

It’s bad enough that you have essays
And assignments that are due
And you’re drowning in your readings
You’d like to do some sleeping too

So with every day that passes
With no offer here nor there
You’re getting to the point
Of ripping out all of your hair

But if you give up now
You won’t get where you want to be
And the stressing and the work
Will have been for nothing, see?

So keep trying and keep looking
Don’t give up and don’t despair
The Career Centre can help
(And you can keep all of your hair)

The Seinfeld Strategy

An old classmate of mine posted an article recently that talked about something called “The Seinfeld Strategy.” (You can read it here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231023)

It’s pretty simple: pick a task that is “meaningful enough to make a difference, but simple enough that you can get it done” and focus on doing that every day. Don’t focus on results or performance, but instead on “not breaking the chain.” For Jerry Seinfeld, that meant writing jokes each day.

I think it’s an interesting take on things. We are typically driven by and pushed towards end results. Fitness goals, grades, money…you name it. Instead, this approach makes you focus on the process. That’s where all the change and learning is happening, after all, but we tend to look past it anxiously striving for the end.

I think this is great for creative endeavours, and I’m also hoping that I can apply this strategy in my summer job search. Maybe one day I’ll tweak my resumė, another day work on my personal branding on Linked In, the next day work on making a new connection or maintaining contact with an old one. Breaking it down into bite-sized chunks will create meaning, and results.

It might not be the most aggressive approach, but it does form a habit and means that constant, consistent improvements are being made. If you feel like you’re stuck and aren’t sure where to begin your job hunt, maybe this tactic will work for you!

“Make a Life, Not Just a Living”

The other day I watched a TedTalks video of a lecture given by a thirteen-year-old student named Logan LaPlante.

Now, Logan isn’t your typical student. He doesn’t attend a traditional school with traditional classrooms or textbooks. Instead, Logan refers to his education as “Hackschooling”, which incorporates a number of different areas he’s involved in like creativity, technology and online resources, experiential classes and camps, and first and foremost: being happy and healthy. Every day he’s involved with new experiences and is constantly exploring not just the pages of a textbook, but the entire world around him, through experiments, research, internships, and…well…living!

In this TedTalk video, Logan brings up an interesting comment he heard when conducting an interview with an individual named Dr Roger Walsh, who has written about the “Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes” that Logan focuses on for his own happiness and health. Walsh noted that much of education today is oriented towards making a living, instead of making a life.

That line in particular really got me thinking about how crucial it is to do what makes you happy. Finding something you look forward to getting up for each day might not be an easy journey, but it sounds well worth it because of the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment it brings. And it seems as though now more than ever, both things are difficult to find.

Fortunately, there are so many different things that you can explore during your time here at Laurier! Being a Golden Hawk means you have access to so many different opportunities and resources that can help you discover who you are and what you’re passionate about, and how to turn that into what you do with your life. And yes, you guessed it – the Career Centre is one of many great resources at Laurier to help you with that process.

Maybe Hackschooling isn’t exactly an option, but Logan’s ideas about learning and finding happiness can still be applied in many different ways. The simplest way is to just get out there and try new experiences!

You can check out Logan LaPlante’s TedTalk here:

Finding Motivation During the Crunch

For those first five or six weeks before midterms hit, I’m organized, full of energy and enthusiasm, and on top of all my work. And then that magical time of essays and exams comes along and all I find myself wanting to do is burrow into my bed, ignore the world and watch an entire television series on Netflix.

It sounds like the recovery from an embarrassingly bad breakup, and maybe that’s what it is. The breakup between me and a little thing called motivation. And when you’ve lost motivation to write those essays or drag your weary self to campus in hopes of getting some studying done (that will probably turn into a Community marathon), you probably also find it difficult to believe you could find any last shred of motivation to…uh oh…summer job hunt.

For a student like me who isn’t in Co-op and has a part-time job, this is something that is floating somewhere around the bottom of my priority list – when it shouldn’t be.
So for anyone feeling the crunch, here are just a few tips I picked up that I think will come in pretty handy:

1.Establish what your goals & strategy for job hunting are. Creating a plan and breaking it down into small, manageable steps will make the process run smoother and feel less overwhelming. The easier the task seems to tackle, the more likely you are to do it!

2.Get your resumė in shape. Revisit your resumė to make sure it’s in good shape before you hand it out to employers. Make an appointment with a Career Consultant, visit during drop-in hours, or check out one of the Resumė Critiquing booths for an outside opinion!

3.Make a schedule you can stick to. Having a schedule will help prevent you from falling behind and will help you keep on top of important dates.

4.Keep networking. Social media, networking events, and informational interviewing will all help you to make connections that could just land you the job you’re looking for, so don’t give up!

Don’t forget that as a Laurier student you have access to Navigator (https://navigator.wlu.ca/login/student.htm), where you can find plenty of job postings that are received on an on-going basis throughout the year, with most of them showing up between December and April.

“Everybody Can Be Boring. But You’re Gooder Than That!”

Wise words from none other than Kid President himself:

I came across Kid President a long time ago through SoulPancake (via Rainn Wilson) and it’s a series I like to come back to now and then; I think sometimes we all need a little pep talk. Sometimes, we need a reminder that there are enough people in the world doing the same old things and it’s up to us individually to keep going after what’s fresh, different, and inspiring to us.

I’m sure you’d agree that we need more awesome in the world, and as KP points out, it’s up to each of us to bring it. Watching this video always makes me hope that I’ll end up doing something in my life that’s exciting and full of creativity and energy. It’s a reminder that the easy route isn’t always the best option, and rarely is the most rewarding. And it’s also a reminder that whatever I choose to do with my life, I need to be happy with it and it needs to line up with what I value.

I think that’s commonly a struggle when it comes to trying to figure out your life, especially career wise. Do you go for a job that brings in good money? Do you make sacrifices but pursue your passion? Can you do both? What kind of work lines up with your values? What are your values anyway?

If you’re not ready to dive into career planning right now, a great place to start is just thinking about your values. What is important to you? From working hours, to pay, to environment, to structure – assessing your values is a key step in finding a job that not only you want to work for, but one that will work for you!

Opportunity’s Knocking, So Open the Door

For a long time, I’ve been the kind of person who likes to play it safe. The idea of big changes used to intimidate me because I always worried that outside of the familiar is where things go terribly wrong.

It turns out it’s also the place where things can go incredibly right. After a long time of the same old things happening, and realizing I wasn’t happy anymore, I decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone. Now, I’m at Laurier full time, I’m participating in new roles and jobs on campus, and I’m meeting a lot of new people. And you know what?

I’m loving everything.

The thing is rigidity and being closed to change can be pretty damaging. The importance of being open and flexible to change really applies to any aspect of your life.

Since you’re on the Career Centre PA blog, I’m sure you see where I’m going with this: flexibility in your career planning is crucial too.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t plan anything or that you shouldn’t put in the work involved in career planning and exploration – far from it. Having ideas, information, and connections will all be so valuable in helping you discover what it is you want to do and how to get there.

The important thing to remember, though, is that what you want and what you value can and likely will change, and so keeping an open mind to the possibilities that will come to you will allow you to make decisions that could open doors to career opportunities you never even dreamed possible.

Having an idea of what you want to do is great, but don’t be afraid to explore or even to be unsure. Volunteer somewhere or take on a project you normally wouldn’t. Talk to someone in a field you’re interested in but are unsure of pursuing. Attend information sessions in areas of interest. See what’s out there for you and then let yourself just go with it, because often, that’s how the best things in life happen.

It’s Never Too Early to Start

Every year or so I visit my mom’s side of the family in the states. With most of my relatives pursuing or having already pursued higher education, the topic of school comes up and gets discussed often. “What are you studying? What can you do in that field? Which careers are you thinking of pursuing?” You probably get those questions all the time too.

After finishing first year and getting acquainted with the Career Centre, it felt good that I could finally answer those last two questions beyond a shrug and a shake of the head. Exploring the opportunities opened up by your studies is important not just so you can answer Aunt Betty a little more in depth when she asks what you’re doing, but so you can think and plan ahead about your future and what you want it to hold.

Students often leave career planning to their final year, sometimes due to feeling that career planning is just too daunting a task. However, simply learning information about the career planning process can really lessen the stress and turn career planning into a journey instead of a chore.

Not sure where to start? We’re here to help! At the Career Centre, you’ll find various workshops, services, and resources that won’t take up a lot of your time but will answer your questions. This fall, think about starting (or completing) the 5 core workshops that make up the Career Development Certificate: http://navigator.wlu.ca/content/documents/Link/career%20new%20website/Career%20Development%20Certificate%20June%202013.pdf

Halfway through your program or in your graduating year? It’s not too late! The information from these workshops will still benefit you and will be useful for the rest of your life. And if you’re in first year, remember: it’s never too early to start!