It’s summer. You have a break from classes for a while, and you want to relax and have some fun. Yet, in the back of your mind you are aware that graduation is coming up this next year, and you feel the weight of having to find a job after graduation. But it’s summer you say, (I hear the protest in your voice), and you want to relax and have fun! How do you prep for your job search AND still have fun?
Have you ever thought of asking the people around you how they got their jobs?
What a brilliant idea!! Just think…everyone in your life who has a job, has been through the job search process numerous times.
It simply requires a little curiosity. You might say something like, “I’ll be looking for my career job next year. I was wondering, how did you get your jobs in the past? I’d love to hear those stories and learn about what you did.” Give them a minute to gather their thoughts, and voila! The stories will pour out (hopefully). They might walk through how they got their various jobs and give you all the quirky stories that happened along the way.
I did that one evening with my dad. It was amazing to hear about all the jobs he had, which I never really knew about. I also noticed that most of his jobs came through connections to people he knew or reached out to. My dad is not an extrovert by any means. He worked in the banking world and is a quiet kind of guy. I was surprised and inspired by his stories, and I’ve used some of the wisdom I learned from him.
It’s amazing, fascinating, and fun! And they will probably enjoy telling the stories. People love to talk about themselves and their experiences, so it shouldn’t be too hard to encourage them to tell a story or two. Maybe you ask, “which was the most difficult job to get and how did you do it?” Or “which was the easiest job to get and why?” to get a little variety.
Listen to how they navigated the twists and turns of getting their jobs. Notice themes. Remember to ask more than one person, if you can, to gather more information. Gather a list of ideas you can put into action when the school year begins.