Recently, a new client shared with me her growing anxiety about her son’s prospects for employment. He is a new college graduate living at home and unable to find suitable employment. Sound familiar?
Both the mother and her son are dismayed when many employers today boldly advertise they will not interview the unemployed. Joblessness among high school and college graduates appears to be the brave new world of the 21st century when one in two college graduates are jobless or underemployed.
This woman’s son is a prospective new entrant to the job market and, according to his mother, he does think about his future employability to a prospective employer. Any employer will want to know how he used his time since graduation.
Here is what I said to her. If you are a recent high school or college graduate without employment prospects, I would focus on building skills employers find attractive. We can always increase our skills at any age. Here is how to begin.
Conduct some research on the professional field of interest to you. Do some virtual networking through social media with authors and other experts that can help deepen your knowledge in specific areas of professional interest.
Next, seek advice from several of the leaders identified. You don’t have to become a technology guru. You can, however, become more familiar with the technology, the software many companies use. This is standard stuff if you are a product of today’s educational system.
Now, back to the real question: skills’ development. In any workplace environment, good communication and people skills transfer well. If an interesting job eludes you, take the initiative and check out your local volunteer and charity organizations. The United Way and the Red Cross are excellent choices. Moreover, there is always a local political campaign looking for volunteers. Whatever your choice, volunteer to man the telephones, coordinate other volunteers in the field, develop media materials, canvass the local community on important issues, or assist a campaign director to organize town hall meetings.
If you are diligent, you learn quickly, and exhibit strong management know-how, these are abilities considered innate and not teachable the way skills are valuable in any job. If you are comfortable in leadership roles and fit as a member of a team, you will eventually showcase your abilities in the workplace. Ideally, you should tie your activities to your resume or field of interest. If not, take full advantage of the opportunities available to you in your community.
A word of advice: Do not allow your ego to ruin your prospects for a job. Any job counselor will tell you that today, any job is better than no job. So, think less about job titles and more about skills’ development during an interview.
Another option, a preferred choice for millions of Americans today, is to start your own business. When you are young and start a business, you learn to sell your ideas and you learn how to set goals. Moreover, you learn to build and execute on an idea. You also meet and socialize with other people in your field.
Other advantages of launching your own business are: you are your own boss; you leverage your time, not an employer. Risks are minimized and you build an independent income. The skills you acquire – developing a business plan, effective communication, time management, team building, and leadership – will strengthen your candidacy with most employers.
Before I wrap this us, here is a tip – something that helped to propel me through life and my career. The fire of life is desire. Mine was intense! My early mentors told me it is never too early to take charge of your life because if you don’t, someone else will. Your reality, however it appears to you, will form around your commitment to succeed. Only you can determine that.
A simple plan of action is all you need. Make your choice: volunteer work, retail, or start a small business. Of course, you need not limit yourself to these choices. They are for illustrative purposes only. Next, perform the due diligence surrounding your choice. Seek advice and then get started. At a minimum, you build experiences worth talking about.
