Be in the know. How to job search with purpose!

By Bianca Praino.

July 2020

I get a lot of students asking where they can look for opportunities, whether it’s a placement, part time job, graduate job or internship. My experience has taught me that I am not doing these individuals any justice if I simply provide them with a list of websites  because a lot (if not most of the time) they don't know what  they are really looking for.  Scouting through job vacancy websites with no idea of what your desired opportunity entails is guaranteed to become overwhelming and disheartening. Three things I suggest to help you navigate your search:

1.  Know your non negotiables

- Make a list of 10 things you want to gain from your next role.

- From this list, choose 3 or 4  things you will not negotiate on.  This could be salary, organisational values or location. Your non negotiables are unique to you and are paramount for creating a personalised and meaningful search.

2.  Know what you have to offer

Now make a list of 10 things you have to offer to an employer/organisation. 

Reading over this list will help raise your awareness of the skills, experience and knowledge you have to contribute and build your confidence in your current abilities.

If you struggle with this, then mapping out where you have gained your current experience from, whether its part time work, volunteering, summer internships, membership of club/societies etc and then linking in the skills, knowledge and reflections from  these  areas is a great way to warm up and get you in the right mind frame for  formulating your list.

3.  Know your professional values

It is very easy to get caught up in specific titles when it comes to job searching (I guess that's why it is called 'job' search). However, never underestimate the importance of the organisation who is advertising the vacancy. Read what they write about themselves, and what they state are their values and vision is. Not only on the vacancy, but also on their website, social media and other platforms like linkedin. Consider whether they are an organisation you would want to work for based on the messages and image they are putting out there. Listen to your gut feeling whilst you are doing your research and if those red flags pop up, do not ignore them. You could land your dream job title, but if it is with an organisation where your values and principles are  not aligned, your deam job could quickly  turn into a nightmare.  To prevent getting yourself into this situation, keep your mind, eyes and ears open to what employers are saying about themselves,  because they will expect you to commit to their vision and values and be part of the organisational culture. 

So, you are probably thinking, how do I find out what my professional values are without being a ‘professional’ yet. Well becoming a professional is a process, and not an overnight event. ( see Dale Atkins) You may not realise it, but you have already displayed your professional manner and style in various contexts, whether it’s as a university student when interacting with tutors, and  professional staff, or with your manager and colleagues in your part time job, or as a volunteer. Your professional values aren’t different to your core values, ethics and morals. Think about what you value in life, what motivates you, what makes you feel passionate and driven and what social issues are important to you. We all have a voice in some form or another- what do you want to use yours for?

I can guarantee that the above will make for a lot more of an enjoyable and pleasant job search, which is exactly what it  should be.  This is an opportunity for you to take charge of your own career planning. Of course, having a lot of choice can be overwhelming but if you know what you want and what you are looking for, it makes searching a hell of a lot easier. And no, I am not going to list job vacancy websites for you because this would make it too easy for you and distract you from the most important search- the search within yourself- to help inform a job search from intrinsic not extrinsic values.

But I do wish you the very best of luck and hope that you can  embrace and enjoy the process!

Thanks for reading.

Ciao for now!

Bianca