Illuminating frustrating places

Find a job … how hard can that be?

For some people, it isn’t.

For people who have not had to look for work before or who haven’t had to look for a new job in a long time; for people who live with disabilities; for people new to our country; for people with live with social anxiety; for people who have had bad experiences with employment previous; and for people who have experienced combinations of each of these things; it can be incredibly difficult and frustrating to find and keep a job.

All of the people I help want to work. As a career advisor for a non-profit organization, my services are provided free of charge to job seekers. I work with people who experience all the barriers listed above and helping them is challenging because it isn’t simply about translating good intentions into action in one step.

Why it can be difficult?

There is more than just one step. We have a tendency to forget that difficult things usually cannot be done in one or two steps, and when we fail to make much progress, we easily get discouraged and sometimes give up.

We unfairly compare ourselves to other people. Finding a job for one person cannot be compared to any one else’s job search except in terms of the overall process. We all start from different places with different skills, different opportunities, and challenges.

We don’t know what we want. In general, the lack of career planning is part of the problem in our school system, and this is compounded by the random nature that most of us choose when applying for work.

We don’t know how to get to where we want to be. Most of us don’t change jobs very often, few of us seek out help if we even know it is available, almost everyone answers interview questions without focusing on the employers needs instead of our own, and still more people fail to upgrade their skills or understanding of the job search process.

We are afraid of making mistakes and what to do when we fail. Since most of us underestimate the difficulty of finding a job or struggle because there are far more steps than we anticipate, we are fearful of the process and of making mistakes.

Dealing with procrastination. As a result, like most people, we tend to avoid or put off things that are hard or challenging, or when we get frustrated.

Navigating the path

To succeed, recognize that finding a job is complex and challenging. Focus on your own progress and goals, rather than comparing your journey to others’.

We need to think about where and what we want to be. This is a very complicated question, and to make it easier, divide your goals into short-term (today to a month from now), medium-term (one or two months to a year), and longer term (one to five years). You can change your mind as you learn more about jobs and yourself but always try to keep these goals somewhat aligned.

You are going to make mistakes – learn to fail, learn to recover, learn to move forward, and realize we all make mistakes.

To succeed, focus on small victories early and often. Success comes from accomplishing many manageable steps.

Get help.

Before we start – Getting Help

Few people fix their cars themselves anymore, most people go to their doctor when they are sick, people hire lawyers when they have legal issues; so, it only makes sense when someone needs to find a job that they seek help from a career advisor. Best of all, at least in Canada, many really good career advisors are available at no-charge because the Federal and provincial governments realize the importance of this type of service.

Waypoints on your Employment Path

What is your degree of urgency? Knowing how quickly someone needs to work and how willing they are to engage in the process is a major factor in any job search.

Do you want full-time work or part-time work? Full-time can be anything more than 30 hours per week up to 44 hours per week. Some people are only comfortable with 15-20 hours per week.

Do you have access to transportation? Outside of major urban areas, transportation, or rather the lack of access to public transportation, is a significant limiting problem in a job search.

Make a list of your skills, abilities, and experience, especially your transferable ones, as they may not appear to be oblivious to you. Most people have far more skills than I first list, look at every job, volunteer activity, and your academic history for these.

See what is available. In the short term, finding work depends on what is available when you are looking. Read the job advertisements, look at the skills required, and work with your career advisor to close any gaps. They will know how to connect you with courses, micro credentials, and other ways for you to gain sufficient experience.

What are your digital skills, and do you have any certifications? Even a basic knowledge of these skills will help, and there are many ways to improve your skills easily and often without charge.

What government support is available? While the social safety net in Canada definitely has holes, there is support available. Begin by ensuring you file your taxes every year, for many programs, this is the gateway. For the unemployed, look into Employment Insurance or temporary support. For people living with disabilities, look for direct governmental supports and tax credits, which may be retroactively applied.

Life stabilization. Many local governments offer rent subsidies or provide geared to income housing. There are local food programs and food banks. Walk-in clients for medical care, emergency mental support, and addiction services are usually available; use 211 to find help in your community.

Anxiety and the need for social self-advocacy. The anxiety we all feel is real; for some people, it is overwhelming. There is help, and a career advisor can be a valuable ally in finding these services. They can also help you develop your own self-advocacy skills.

Dealing with difficult people, including family pressure. There is still stigma about being unemployed or living with barriers, and often, family and friends who have not experienced these barriers can be less than helpful. Coping with this pressure is a skill you can learn.

Confidence. I believe we get frustrated when our goals and plans seem unattainable, what works for me is to continually break my goals into smaller than achievable waypoints or elements. By adding steps and making them doable, our process becomes one that delivers value early and often, but also one that is full of victories, albeit smaller ones. The more victories we can achieve, the more our confidence grows.

Mentorships and informational interviews. A career advisor is simply one more person who can help you. Through them and also on your own, you can establish mentorships with people willing to help you, as well as learning how to approach organizations for informational interviews to help you learn ways to achieve your goals and to learn where the doors are to your success.

How much time to invest in yourself? I tell me job seekers, ideally, two hours each day, five days a week. This time includes actually job searching, applying, interview preparation, skills development, and any time for courses and other ways to make you more employable.

Cover letters, resumes, and networking. To succeed, standing out from the crowd of other job seekers is vital. Building resumes that showcase you better than others is doable, using cover letters that address how your skills match what the employer is seeking provides an edge. Networking where everyone you know knows you are looking for work only increases your chances for employment; your career advisor can help with all of these.

Where to look, how often to look. Only 20-30% of jobs are advertised, according to the experts, which typically means 100% of those searching for work will be applying to them. Do this but also work with your career advisor to access the 70-80% of jobs that are never advertised by doing “cold calls. “Apply online AND knock on doors with help from your career advisor on the “HOW” will pay rewards to you.

Apply and follow up. This is the action step. It is hard, especially for people who experience barriers of anxiety, but it is also hard for most people, especially the follow-up part. If you follow all of the other waypoints and you have a good career advisor, you will be able to overcome this step; it is difficult, but ultimately well worth it.

The right fit – interviews. Not all jobs you apply to will be good for you. Remember, interviewing is about showing an employer you are a good fit for them, but it is also about making sure they are a good fit for you. If possible, never take a job that you will hate.

What to say if you don’t get it. If you have never experienced this, you will; it is not a nice feeling; however, take advantage of the hidden opportunity. Congratulate the employer and ask, “If the person doesn’t work out, please contact me, because I would love to work for you,” and “Is there any advice you can give me so I might be more successful next time? “This is also hard; however, you will create a very positive and potentially important connection.

A final point

Lessons learned and dealing with the frustration. A job search is about learning, improving, struggling, and ultimately overcoming. Your ability to accomplish a successful job search involves resilience and a willingness to learn from every failure and incrementally improve. It is hard, but with each small victory at each of these waypoints, you get better and better.

Finding a job isn’t just doing one thing; successfully finding a job is difficult because it involves dozens of small steps at each waypoint, and decisions by the job seeker and the varying and conflicting needs of employers and the labour market. It requires persistence, resilience, and an element of luck. You should never compare your path to anyone else’s; however, you can learn from everyone.

When you or someone you know is navigating this journey, celebrate all of the small waypoint victories and know that by successfully passing all of those waypoints that you will eventually be successful too in translating your intention into action.

Good luck,

Paul.