This is not a comprehensive list about your job search. Also, politics in the workplace aren’t always fair. If you understand this, and develop a sense of humor, you’ll be that much closer to finding and thriving in your new work place : ) I suppose a job search starts with finding out what moves you. What makes you want to work, and what makes you happy. Because without this knowledge and knowing your values, you’ll probably not like whatever job you have. But let’s start with where you are, where I am, in your current job.
Job Search, Perhaps We Had Better Start From the Beginning…
If you’re a White Zombie fan, that one’s for you : ) I know I said I’d start our job search with where we are, but incase you’re reading this and just beginning you’re career, I’ll lay down some foundation. In other words, what’s your style? And I’m not talking about what you see in ads, or the name that’s emblazed on your handbag. What are the little trinkets that bring you comfort? The places where you feel ease and that you have fond memories of? These are a good place to start to find out what you like. The inklings of your peace and joy.
I keep colorful things around me and things that smell good. They remind me of my family and getting ready for school in the morning (I had a lot of women in my house). They remind me of the home I want to build. Clean and orderly. Run efficiently, but also beautiful. This is also where my strengths lay, in bringing order to the disordered. Hence admin work. We’ll get into that a little bit later. But what happens when you’re already in it? Which most of us are. Let me tell you a little about my experience, and maybe you can learn from my missteps.
Getting Terminated, It Ain’t Always So Bad : )
I’ve been let go from a fair amount of jobs. Five in the past eightish years. And the current one I’m not entirely sure will work out either. Update, I got fired. But I’m not too worried about it for a couple of reasons. 1. They aren’t very nice. I was yelled at, unprovoked and lied to by four higher ups in the company. I was also told to lead by example by my boss’s boss when I asked for direction from my direct report. 2. There are plenty of jobs out there. Also, if you do get terminated, maybe it was for the best.
One of the jobs I was let go from was at a family homeless shelter. The position had been created while I was a part-time direct care worker and I was asked if I wanted the newly created position. I assume this was because they thought I was a good employee. I said yes because it paid well, I could get behind the work I was asked to do, and I was paying down $126k’s worth of debt I accumulated in a former life.
Keeping Your Dignity
One day, when I came in 15 minutes late to a meeting due to a dentist appointment, one I told my boss I had a week prior, I was yelled at unprovoked, then fired on the spot. I couldn’t believe what just happened, but what shocked me most was when I called HR to try to resolve the issue, nobody got back to me. This was when I realized that life isn’t always fair, and you need to develop a tough skin to keep your composure when someone is trying to strip you of your dignity.
Because if you mirror their actions, in a way you’re validating their treatment of you by normalizing their behavior. “Oh, you’re yelling at me? Let me show you what it feels like to be yelled at!” Spoiler alert, if they’re yelling at you, they’re probably already unhappy, and taking it out on you. And do you really want to be immersed that type of environment?
Tightening Your Belt When Times are Tight
When I got terminated, as I said, I was making heroic payments on an impressive amount of debt. Up to $2.5k a month when I was working two jobs, and with little monetary assistance. While I was unemployed, I had no emergency fund to speak of, save for $1k, while I was collecting unemployment. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to live on $1,200 a month, which was what I was getting from unemployment, but it’s damn near impossible. And I was living rent free with my family! I learned two lessons from this period which lasted for six months (the unemployment, not the lessons).
The Food Pantry & Pride
Lesson one, if you can’t afford to eat, you need to suck up your pride and do what it takes to put food on the table. I went to the local food pantry to supplement my grocery shopping, and found that it wasn’t so bad.
I’m not sure what I thought the food pantry was going to be like. Or why I had reservations about going there. Maybe it was my family’s prideful legacy of toxic independence and an undeserved air of superiority which put me in the mindset of not wanting to associate myself with “those people”. Aka, the people that have to go there because they can’t afford to take care of themselves. As though the act of accepting free food made me or them less than and unworthy of belonging. What it came down to was, I felt that way because I wasn’t able to take care of myself and I should be ashamed because of it. No bueno.
And the food wasn’t terrible. It was just like going to the grocery store. And if you can cook, and you have the raw ingredients to work with, the food you make will taste the same as if you had gotten it from a grocery, or restaurant for that matter. Minimalist Baker is my go to site for recipes. She likes bold flavors and rich food made from simple, whole ingredients. Just my kind of cooking
Ask For Help
Lesson two, ask for the help you need. I was unable to ask for help for a long time. The default culture in my family was to be hostile toward eachother (why isn’t eachother one word?). If someone asked for help, that was seen as a sign of weakness and preyed upon. Our logic was, “I’m stronger than you for not needing your help, so I’m going to shame you for asking for mine to make sure you understand that I’m better than you”. So, for fear of being rent apart and shamed by those we were supposed to be able to rely on for support, we felt as though we had to do everything on our own. We were acting out of fear and feeling fearful in our isolation, hence our fear of help.
This is not conducive to achieving your goals. If you can’t rely on those closest to you to support you, who can you trust? And you can’t do everything on your own either. We need help along the way. So finding the people you can rely on, who have your back, is paramount to reaching your goals.
Finding Your Path
When it came time for me to switch careers, I had no idea where to begin. I have been in the Food and Social Work industries for the entirety of my career. I don’t have any other work experience. Or so I thought.
I fell into both of those jobs when I was asked by friends to come work with them, and I didn’t have any guidance in finding out what I wanted to do. So it took a while, but I think I found something that will be a good fit for me.
Job Search by Utilizing Your Strengths
This is where you’ll need to do some introspection. What is it that you excel at? What skills do you poses that come naturally to you? I first had to recognize what I was already good at and what my strengths are and how to put them to use. This isn’t as easy as you may think. Especially if you’ve been torn down by those who are supposed to support you by observing your strengths, pointing them out, and helping you to cultivate them. One of my strengths is that I’m hella good at organizing things. I’m orderly to a fault. And I love seeing things come together and work in harmony.
So one of the roles I think I will excel at, and the focus of my job search is, being administrative support. Here I’ll be able to organize the day to day workings of an organization to help things run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. After all, if the program director is doing tasks that should be delegated to support staff, than they’re taking away from their valuable time and energies. Resources that could be better spent directing their staff, gathering resources and the like.
Prioritize
Again, this is an area where you’ll need to do some digging. For me, meditation works. I can quiet the chatter in my mind and focus on what’s important. Or maybe what’s calling my attention, and then find out if it’s a priority, or if it can wait. Patients is the key. Because if you act from a scarcity mindset, as though you don’t have enough time to get your job searching tasks done, resume perfect, edit and re-edit your cover letter, network and gather references.., you won’t be able to calm your mind long enough to accomplish your tasks. Or even know which ones need your attention first.
For example, I have my to-do list next to me on my night stand. I have a few things on there that are a priority. Applying for unemployment and job search are at the top of the list. But so is cooking. If I don’t eat, I can’t work. You get the point.
But I also know that I don’t want to start cooking right now since it’s 5:30am. I live with my father and stepmom, and if I start cooking now, I’ll probably wake them. I know I can apply for unemployment at 6am, so I’ll switch the items on my list to accommodate for my timeline. Be flexible is the moral of this story, and pivot from a place of calm. But easier said than done.
Especially for someone like myself, who likes to come up with a plan and follow it through, regardless of the circumstances. This is where the old adages, go slow and on thing at a time and one day at a time, come in handy. This is no easy. As I said above, I meditate which helps to slow down my thoughts and sort the helpful ones from the ones that are just poor ideas. And if you’re like me, you get a lot of questionable ones : )
Scarcity Mindset Or Abundance
As I said above, I’m not worried because I know there are lots of jobs out there. I also know what I want to do, and am pretty open to the type of job and agency I will work for. As long as I can get behind the company’s values and culture, I’m Ok with working there.
If you start your job search from a place of fear, as though there aren’t enough jobs, you are most likely going to find yourself in a job that isn’t a good fit. Because if you’re afraid, you may take whatever is offered instead of waiting for the right fit. The less time you give yourself to make a decision, the more rushed you’ll feel, and the poorer your judgement will be. So stay calm, take some deep breathes, and know that there’s a job that’s a good fit for you out there. Or probably multiple jobs. Don’t worry, you’ll find something.
Competitive Job Market?
And it’s not a competition. When they say it’s a competitive market, that breeds a mindset similar to the scarcity mindset. One driven by fear. And do you really want to feel good about yourself by tearing someone else’s hope of a fulfilling career down? That’s the equivalent of trying to build a stable foundation by demolishing your supports. By building others up, you create support for yourself and others. You feel supported and held in comfort. Not fearful and guarded. After all, your next interview may come from a lead by someone who got a job you both were interviewing for.
And don’t settle for a job after a few failed attempts looking for the right fit. There are loads of jobs out there. And you may not land your dream job right away, but if you know what your strengths are, and you find a company/place whose values are your values, start your job search there. Then you will at least be heading in the right direction. You just have to keep looking. And remember, you’re killin’ it. You’re stronger than you think : ) Peace & Thanks for Reading :)🏔️🌙