What Do You Do When You’re Not Able To Get Into Your Chosen Career?

The modern job market is difficult for graduates across the board. It seems that if you’ve trained in a specific subject, not only are there no jobs, but you end up joining a long list purely to be notified if something comes up anytime soon. Or going back to the message boards of specific websites to see if an opening has come up in the meantime is completely exhausting. And in the meantime, we’ve got to feel that way at least pushing in the right direction. And what happens when we’re not able to get into our chosen career? Do we keep on pushing in that direction, or do we rip it up and start again?

Making Your Own Work

If we are looking to break into a specific niche career, and the money is just not there right now, then we have to take a deep breath and dive into making work for ourselves, and grin and bear the fact that it is currently unpaid. If you are skilled in copywriting, this very easily translates into a blog. And even if you are doing one right now, by consistently updating the blog, and using it as a canvas to showcase new skills you have learned in the meantime, this is what will keep you indispensable from the employer’s perspective. In the creative sector, where jobs are very thin on the ground, you should think about making your own work. It’s so easy for us to sit back and wait for the right role to come along, but will this happen anytime soon? It’s far better for your resume and your sanity to make the work for yourself.

Find A Stopgap Career

It’s something that so many of us do, and while applying for a new job in a completely different skill set, or even retraining, can feel like you are betraying your dream job, it is an essential way to keep your motivation up. Because we can be absolutely single-minded about a specific career, this doesn’t do us any favors in the long run. A lot of people, especially those that have creative skills, end up going into teaching. It’s a very useful way to harness the skills that you’ve learned, while also doing a job with purpose. It’s a very rewarding career, but it can be intimidating to break into. The interview process can put you through the wringer, but there are online resources like teacher interview questions and guidance to ensure you are selling yourself appropriately. You can have a very rewarding career, even if it’s not one you envisioned in the first place. A stopgap career can become a dream career.

Keeping Yourself In The Game

Regardless of your career choice, there are many skills that you should make the most of in order to get into that environment. Even though we have a piece of paper with the relevant qualifications, we might not have the right skills in which to break in, perhaps our interview skills are less than adequate, although we think we’re doing okay. But there are so many networking events, online forums and trade shows where businesses get together, and all you need to do is turn up and show a lot of enthusiasm. Just because you don’t have as much experience doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified to do the job and have valid opinions. Keeping yourself in the game isn’t just about developing your mouthpiece, but it’s about keeping abreast of the changes, and ensuring that you are adapting yourself to match them accordingly. While so many of us pride ourselves on our online presence, there’s a big difference between expressing our opinion via social media and in person. If you have a LinkedIn profile, it’s worth digging deep to see if it links with your personality, and it communicates effortlessly. This is something that many employers look at in résumés, and if what you are promoting is hyperbole or the real deal.

Expanding Your Skillset

Your résumé should communicate who you are, but it’s also worth thinking about marketing yourself in terms of the life skills you’ve learned. Amazingly, there are many employers that aren’t just after people who have the skills for the job but are more well-rounded individuals. You might think you are a perfect fit for a job because you can do the duties, but have you thought about the bigger picture? Not just in terms of the role itself, but the business or the industry that you’re working for. Are you a good fit, personality wise? As such, expanding your skill set isn’t just about the duties you perform Monday to Friday, but it’s about those important life skills that you can learn from the least likely resources. You can make sure that you have the appropriate skills for the job, but if you can highlight during the interview process that you are keeping on top of changes in the industry and expanding your skill set accordingly, this will promote you as a self-starter, as someone that can work by yourself, and has the drive to progress. This is a very important thing to point out. Because if you are coming out of college and you expect to fall into the perfect role, it seldom happens. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but if you want to show your allegiance to a specific company or industry, you’ve got to put in the hours, inside and outside of work. This is why it’s important for you to constantly be learning. Something like soft skills can be invaluable, especially in those industries that hide behind their online presence. It’s worth thinking about.

Changing Your Perception Of Events

And if you’re not able to get into your chosen career, no matter how much you are banging the door, you may want to give some consideration as to whether it’s your time right now. This might not sound like the answer to your prayers, but when we are so focused on getting the right job, other aspects of our life can be neglected. As such, it’s important to change your perception of getting the right job. You can apply for hundreds of jobs, and you may get the ideal one, but why is it “ideal?” Is it because of the pay? Or is it because it’s suitable for your skills? Sometimes we can feel a sense of purpose doing something completely different. And there’s an almighty pressure now to get the right career right away. But this isn’t a very healthy attitude to have. Once we’ve achieved our goals, we raise the bar higher. And as such, we will forever be chasing the dream. Maybe it’s better for us to enjoy what we’re doing right now, despite the fact that it’s not our chosen career path. You can get a lot more out of life by learning various skill sets around your desired job, but this could very easily put you into another career path, one that will make you feel as, if not more, fulfilled. There’s a lot of pressure on the idea of the perfect job. But it may not exist.

We get out of college with hopes and dreams to get into the perfect role, but if you really want that ideal job, perhaps you need to make it yourself? After all, so many people set up their own business is because they grew dissatisfied with the job hunting process. It is just a thought. But if you can’t get into your chosen career, then surely making your perfect one is the best compromise?