Here’s how I became a Career Counsellor: I went to see one for advice. I wasn’t making inroads in my career of choice. I was sitting opposite the Career Counsellor when I had the realisation: I really want your job. I sought her advice then and there: how do I do what you do?

She was interested by my interest in her. A week later, she rang me. She’d been contacted by a university promoting distance learning studies in Career Development. Would I be interested in learning more? I said yes.

Two years later and I contacted an Employment Service for advice. I asked the Manager if she would meet with me and she said yes. She gave me an hour of her time, even arranged for me to work shadow one of her team for a morning. I didn’t ask for a job, instead I asked: how do I prepare for working somewhere like this?

A few days later, she contacted me that she had heard of a vacancy in a sister service. I applied and interviewed and I got it: my dream job.

We are all Self Employed

In many ways, employment is temporary. It is your career that you are in control of. You are the decision maker. And the way to take control is to know that you are working for yourself now. Let people know what you need and give them a chance to respond to it. Expand your knowledge base by asking for advice.

Develop your interests to form a new network with a wider reach than the one you have now. What is the worst that can happen?

Job Seeking Skills are actually Self-Marketing Skills

Self-Marketing means you focus on your employability, not on being employed. You want to create and sustain your own opportunities in work, learning and life.

In these COVID times, reaching out can be gentle. You can sign up for something and quietly attend. You can make connections in a way that is comfortable for you.

Keep a structure to your day: Get up at the same time. Make space in the day for making connections and give one hour to it every day.
Spark your interests: Make a cup of tea and watch a TED talk. Listen to a podcast. Sign up for a free webinar from the library. Enjoy taking the time to know yourself. Pay attention to what interests you.
Control your filter: fill your social media feed with new content by following employers, magazines or professionals who write about your industry. Follow one and then from their feed pick two more to follow. Unfollow or hide content you no longer enjoy.
Know what you’re looking for: write down three knowledge gaps. Tell yourself: I’m going to do one thing this week that moves me closer to filling one gap. I’m going to persevere and practice.
Fill your knowledge gaps: take a new course (I link to free ones below), learn new skills, sign up for a conference, attend a webinar on anything you find interesting. Use your new sources to generate ideas. What are other people listening to?
Make connections: set up a Linked In page and invite people to connect with you on Linked In – say hi on a Zoom chat at a webinar and see what happens! Look for new opportunities to learn and practice filling those gaps, one step at a time.

Don’t keep your jobseeking a secret

Don’t be scared of networking. What’s now called networking is how Irish people have operated for millennia. We love a good recommendation from someone we trust before we do anything. People often turn to a family friend or a neighbour to get a leg up.

So if you have ever posted in a Facebook or WhatsApp group looking for a recommendation or if you have ever replied to one, then you have networked. It is no more mysterious than that.

Let someone in your network know you are actively seeking a job. Think about all the people you have worked with or who know you well. Choose someone who is positioned well to introduce you to others and who is likely to be happy and interested to hear from you.

Be clear about what you want. If it is someone you know, you can let them know you are actively seeking new work and that you are looking for some advice about where there are vacancies or how you would prepare to work somewhere like their work.

Connect with those who are connected with others

Then list potential prospects: list organisations that do what you want to do, and who you could contact there. Are you more comfortable starting with someone you know or a stranger? Make it a planned and targeted networking campaign.

If it is someone you don’t know, don’t ask for a job. Ask them for advice. Ask them for a half hour of their time. And try to leave that meeting with one more recommendation of someone you could talk to.

I contacted lots of people at the time I contacted the Employment Service but I only needed one to be the right opportunity.

Make a connection. First with yourself, then with others.

Ecollege: Free online courses for everyone

The Right Course: The new one-stop shop for retraining and upskilling

Fingal Libraries: Free access to online services and resources

New to Linked In? 17 Steps to a better profile