Life Strategies | 04

Find out what's out there

Continuing Liz's journey in the Life Strategy series...
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Liz decided she liked the thought of working in hospitality or aged care and jobs were plentiful In the local area. I asked her what she would actually like to do in these two totally different industries. She mentioned front-of-house in a restaurant or to be a recreation officer/social co-ordinator in an aged care facility. 

I suggested she do some research about what those jobs entailed and gain a fuller perspective of the industry by talking to owners/managers of restaurants, cafes and bars and also to aged care facility HR. She needed to find out what jobs not only existed but were available in those two industries, what training was needed for whatever Liz thought she would be suited to, what the wages and conditions were...in fact a total reality check. She found out for example that in our area, restaurants and cafes were looking for good reliable conscientious allrounders who could wait on tables, take bookings, payments, serve wine and even make coffee. Very rarely could they afford to have just one person out front. Normally they would be required to also take orders for food and wine and whatever else needed to be done. Aged care needed nurses, nurses, nurses...often people to do the ‘heavy lifting’. I thought it would be best to hear it from people in the industry.

It was important for her to have an open mind and if she wanted to work locally she might have to make a few compromises.

Visiting prospective employers is also a good way of both researching and networking, showing you have initiative and drive and is the one approach that is the least exploited. I also suggested that if she still wanted to work in either one of these industries she should stay in touch with the people she had contacted and let them know if she was going to undertake relevant training.

Research is powerful as it helps jobseekers operate from a firm footing, however, if it means spending hours and hours online as an excuse to not actually apply for a position or go for interviews then you need talk to somebody about your reluctance. Lack of confidence, fear of failure? You need to be able to talk to somebody to hear you out and keep you motivated and to know when to give you that gentle but firm push.

After each meeting with Liz we always agreed on an activity sheet with appropriate timelines. As she would say....’it keeps me honest’! The last item on Liz’s activity sheet was to research resume writing online. I explained that it is often wise upon meeting or interviewing what could be a prospective employer to leave an updated resume behind for future reference.

A further thought is that offering to volunteer in an organisation can lead to paid work.
However you need to have firm boundaries to avoid exploitation and be upfront about your intentions of wanting a paid job in a certain time frame.

Next week...how to write a winning resume.

What are your biggest issues when looking for work or writing a resume?  Feel free to start up a conversation on my Facebook page or email me to find out more about my coaching.