"Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" A Job Hunting Guide For the Employment Deprived

Ok, I have done many things in my past, including cashiering, movie rental and telemarketing.  But I eventually had to learn that I was never going to get what I wanted out of those jobs, because they were jobs and not careers.  So I decided what I wanted out of my work and went back to school while working full-time as a career adviser for a local high school in this great town in which I live in of Las Cruces, NM.  I had a fully equipped computer lab with all the career assessments, forms, information, games, and whatever else you could think of.  I was like the Wicked Witch of the high school with dark cave full of computers, where I would force children to look into their own crystal balls to see what the future could hold for them, "But miss! I have to take a test!  WHY!!!!".  But, even though I love children, I cannot stand a whiny teenager and I had 1,300 or so whiny teenagers to prepare for life outside of high school and without mom and dad.  More than my fair share if you ask me. So I moved on to my career of choice, which has nothing to do with whiny teenagers.

But in the last few months, I have come into contact with people who are out looking for a job and are struggling to get the attention of employers and considering looking for jobs in lower pay scales or outside the career they were hoping for.  When I asked why they were doing this, the reply was one of many, such as...

The employer never calls me back
There are no job openings in my career field
The job is only temporary
I don't have 2 years of experience, so I can't apply
I don't have ANY work experience, so I can't apply
There are NO JOBS
I don't know what else to do
So on and so forth and on and on and on and on and on and on.  REALLY?!!!  And I thought teenagers were whiny!

Ok, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding out there about the job hunting process and that maybe contributing to our nations high unemployment rate, unfortunately.  But how do we as a people overcome this?

Baby Finds His Belly Button, Self Discovery Is Good For The Soul

Ok, I am not a scriptorian, but in Matthew, chapter 18, verse 3, it says that we should become as a little child.  But how does this apply to job hunting, you may ask?  Well, babies and children spend most of their time discovering things, and most importantly they are discovering things about themselves.  Like the baby who has just discovered his belly button. He will touch it, squeeze it, and move it around all the while thinking, "What is this, how does it work and how does it feel?".  Now babies are curious and will go towards anything that catches their eye, reach out, grab it and then put it in their mouths, to see what it tastes like.  Now we cannot put ourselves in our mouths but, we all need to have that want and need to find out about ourselves and this takes becoming like a little child and realizing that we don't know everything about ourselves, our environment and what opportunities are out there for us.  We have to be humble, meek, and willing to learn. And then we need to reach out and grab our lives and find out what it is all about.

The first step is to discover what you want to do with your life.  Being okay with the attitude of not know what you want to do with your life is NOT OKAY.  Not knowing what you want to do with your life does not fly in life, it is not realistic.  You need to be realistic.  We have all dreamed of being a celebrity of some sort, but bring it down to earth.  Even George Clooney struggled in the beginning to get a part, and so will you.  And just because you don't attain some form status that you hoped for in your own mind,  there will always be someone who is looking up to you.  So bring dreams down to earth, it is all in your attitude, put the glitz and glamor in the back of your mind and get to work.

You Should Be There When You Are Only Here   

1. The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.	20

                                                                            -Robert Frost

Not to long ago someone told me that I should be chasing around a husband and a bunch of little kids, which of course I am not.  This statement really hurt me.  It is not that I never wanted to do those things but I have not had the opportunity to marry and have children like most of my friends, so I have had to take the road less traveled.   And I had to learn to become okay with it.  It is really easy to feel like that you should be at a certain point in life, such as you should be married, have the 2.5 children and the big house when in reality you are single and live in a cheap apartment.  Everyone is at different points in their lives and we are all struggling in different aspects of our lives.  No can or should be telling you where you should be in life, but unfortunately, there are people out there who do just this.  Take it with a grain of salt and keep going. 

A Note To Parents
Don't discourage you children.  You want your children to reach their full potential.  And sometimes that means that you have to let go of them.  When I was teaching, a young man came into my classroom to take his assessments.  This young man was very creative, loved painting, and excelled in art.  He wanted to go to art school.  His assessments and grades showed that he was perfect for a scholarship to a great art school.  He also wanted to make his father proud.  His father was also a painter, but of walls and not of canvas.  He came to the US, became a citizen, and started his painting business.  He was very successful in his business and did not wish to see his business go when he could no longer run it.  He wanted his son to take it over, and he was determined to make it so, because his business was his dream.  When his son came to him about going to art school with a full scholarship, the answer was no.  His father told him that it was his job to take over the family business and art school was out of the question.  The last time I saw this young man was at a restaurant with his father and other of his father's employees.  The young man looked at me, then turned his eyes to the ground and then at his father.  His father gave him a stern look and you could see the emotional vice around this young man that was keeping him from reaching his potential.
Your dreams as parents should not be the dreams of your children.  Children are brought into this world so that they can be raised and then let go to achieve their own dreams and not yours.

Ok, Where To Start
Ok, a lot of people think that when they are looking for a job, they should start with their resume, but you should start with a career assessment.  Why?  Well, this is where a lot of the self exploration comes in.  And just because you been in a career for a while, does not mean that you know everything about yourself.  It is just as important for someone who has been in a career for a while as it is for someone who is just starting out.  A career assessment will help with evaluating strengths and weaknesses and reevaluating a career path.

These assessments can also help someone who just starting out to decide what path that they want to take.  One thing that I learned from teaching careers is that if a concept does not apply to a high school student at the moment, they feel that it serves no propose, so why waste time learning it.  A good example of this is a student's opinion of Algebra.  Many students see no purpose in learning Algebra.  But Algebra is used in many careers such as engineering.  The career assessment help students see what their strengths and weakness are, which apply to them at this time in their lives and also see how their choices during their high school career can affect their future.

Ok, so here is a link for an online career assessment or google for a career assessment.  http://www.careercolleges.com/career-assessment-test.jsp

Take the assessments and evaluate the path that you are on or the path that you want to be on.

College, Training or Work
Ok, college might not be for everyone, but statistics have shown that those who have some form of higher education or training have fared better in this recession then employees with basic educations or less.  Essentially, if you are on the bottom of the totem pole, you are the first to go.  But on the other hand, I have noticed a return to roots where smaller companies are faring better then big corporations.  Continuing education can create more opportunities, but don't get your heart set on the corner skyscraper office with a view.  Main street businesses have done better and need our support more then bigger businesses.  You also may consider being your own boss, where everything relies on you, but you cannot lay yourself off.

Plan, Plan, And Plan.
The next step is to plan.  Draw up a plan for the next three years.  Decide where you want to be.  Use your assessment to help you.  How much education do you need?  How much training do you need.  What do you want to accomplish in a year?  How much do you want to make annually?   If you are planning on college or training, will you need financial aid and how much aid will you need?  Are you willing to work and go to school? Write is all out and keep working on your plan as you are achieving your goals.


Example

	Time	Result	Cost	Pros	Cons
College Associates	3 years	Graduate	$1000 a semester	Graduated, more opportunities	Possible low pay still or no job, may still not be working in career field
College Bachelors’	3 years	College Junior	$1500 a semester	More experience, more opportunities, more likely to work in career field	Can only work part-time during school, school debt
College Master	3 years	Graduate School	$1500 a semester	More experience, more opportunities, more likely to work in career field	Can only work part-time during school, school debt
Work	3 years	Possible at lower pay	Owe nothing	More experience, making money now.	Less experience, more time to get experience, may not be in a career field, less pay

Ok, sorry for the one year delay,  Google and Blogger hooked up and completely locked me out of my account so I could do nothing but look at it.

But, moving on..  Now that you have have evaluated where you want to be and what you want to do,  it is time to put your plan in place.  Start with the choice that you have made.

College
The first question that you need to ask yourself is, what college do you want to go to.

Here is what you need to think about when looking at colleges and universities

1. Does this college or university have a degree plan that fits my need?

Colleges and universities have website now a days where potential student can look at the degrees offered, required courses and application processes.  They will also have contact information for their advising centers where you can talk to a real, live, person, for information

    2.  Do I want to relocate?

Most college advisers would would say to attend your local college, but the local college may not have a degree in your field of choice.  So you may need to consider packing up the old Uhaul (or truck of you car, whichever) and move.  But, hey, you will have the chance to meet new people and have new experiences in a new place.

    3.  Money, money, money!  How am I going to pay school?

• My, advice is to apply for a Federal Pell Grant, even if you don't think you are eligible.  If you filed and paid your taxes, you have a right to the money that you paid into the system.  And the US Government wants you to be to be educated and employed.  
• Apply for a student loan federal aid.- Education is one of few reasons for debt.  But go sparingly, your loan should only cover you educational expenses.
• Work, work, work. - Look for a job that will work with your class schedule.  The more that you can pay for your education, the better.  Plus, you will need to also need be able to pay other expenses.

Note:  Relying on family and friends for school funds is, well, unreliable. 

To Be Continued...So Stay Tuned!

References

1. Frost, Robert. "1. The Road Not Taken. Frost, Robert. 1920. Mountain Interval." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. .