Highlights from Chapter 4 in our forthcoming book.

Do you find yourself caught in the “no experience/no hire” bind? Does it seem that everyone around you has a resume full of credentials and extracurriculars long before graduation? One of the quickest ways to catch up is by getting professional experience via an internship. See our last blog that specializes in work during the COVID era, and read more below. 

 

Establish Your Career Goals

It’s natural to want to just jump right in and begin filling out job applications. But before you do, it’s best to take a step back and get a look at the bigger picture. Your career journey should start with a look at the direction in which you’re headed.

Thinking through the career path you’d like to pursue is one of the most important steps to take. How are you supposed to get anywhere if you don’t know where you want to go?

Reflect on what you’d like to do and why you feel that’s the right path for you.
Start by thinking about your long-term goals as those don’t need to be overly specific. Where do you want to be ten years from now?

Then work backward from there down to five years, one year, and six months from now. Be sure to think through your personal goals in addition to your career and finances. Take your family, education, and anything else you value into consideration.

 

Research the Perfect Position

 

1. Research the position. What are its key responsibilities? What required skills, knowledge and qualities are listed in the posting?
2. Research the organization. What is its culture? Its history? Its strategic goals? Make sure you understand what this organization does and how they describe themselves. You can usually find this information on the organization’s website.
3. Identify your most relevant skills and competencies. Then create individual “stories” from your work experience (such as best and worst moments) that illustrate your competencies in the required areas.

 

Stay tuned for how to set up your resume and LinkedIn profile, how to reach out via email or cover letter, and best practices for communication with your dream employer.

 

Cover image used with permission from and gratitude for jeshoots-com–2vD8lIhdnw-unsplash.jpg of Unsplash. 

 

This post comes to you as a portion of the book:

MY JOB Gen Z: Finding Your Place in a Fast-Changing World

(c) 2021 by Suzanne Skees and Sanam Yusuf

An open-source, narrative nonfiction book full of true stories of jobs along with best practices for how to make your dream-job come true.

 

Note from the authors:

Join us each Tuesday and Friday as we release highlights from our new book, that will be FREE to our community members.

Share with your friends and followers; it’s FREE, open-source, and available to everyone.

No one makes a penny on this book project, which is intended to inspire and empower Gen Zers to launch their careers and land their dream jobs. Suzanne and Sanam have volunteered their time, and we’ve chosen this platform to transmit our book so that YOU don’t have to pay for publication costs.

However, if you feel inspired to help someone in poverty to have access to dignified work, jump here to donate directly to the nonprofit job-creation program of your choice–all vetted and supported by Skees Family Foundation.

Thanks for being with us! We’re excited to share our book with you.

–Suzanne & Sanam