If you鈥檙e feeling a little lackluster about your livelihood and dream of doing something different, Naomi Dunaway, employment resource specialist from Training Innovations at the WorkBC Employment Centre in Squamish, offers some guidance on finding a career that鈥檚 right for you.
Finding your perfect match
A job is a good fit when it matches your skills, abilities, interests and passions, Dunaway says. And your dream job will likely do so in a way that鈥檚 meaningful to you.
Be honest about what matters to you and be realistic about your skills, she recommends. If you find a job you鈥檙e interested in, before applying, ask yourself, 鈥淒o I want the job, can I do the job, and am I a good fit?鈥�
Creating your own opportunities
鈥淒on鈥檛 ever limit yourself to what鈥檚 posted,鈥� she advises, explaining that employers try and fill a position internally, then through their contacts, and finally by advertising externally.
Having the right attitude and being there at the right time can also help, both of which helped Marie-Eve Harvey land her dream job as a lift mechanic for the Sea to Sky Gondola.
Having skied since she was two years old, Harvey later became skilled in ski-lift mechanics and was admiring the gondola鈥檚 machinery while visiting one day, when a team member asked if she was looking for work.
鈥淚 said no, but I wouldn鈥檛 mind helping,鈥� says Harvey. 鈥淚 helped in the summer while working in Seymour and, in the end, they just offered me a position鈥�. It was a dream for me because it was a machine I鈥檇 never worked on.鈥� It also taps into both her passions: working with mechanics and helping people.
She鈥檚 part way through her four-year millwright apprenticeship and is often the only woman in her class, but she doesn鈥檛 let that hold her back. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy but you have to keep going to get what you want.鈥�
Making yourself known
If your dream company isn鈥檛 hiring, don鈥檛 be afraid to approach them, suggests Dunaway. 鈥淪ay, 鈥楾his is who I am, these are my skills and this is my passion. Can you find a fit for me? I would love to work for you.鈥� They may not have something right away, but it may work out in the long term.鈥�
Alternatively arrange an informational interview with someone within the company who鈥檚 already doing a job in which you鈥檙e interested. The difference here, she cautions, is that it鈥檚 not a hiring pitch 鈥� it鈥檚 about learning whether or not you really want to be in that line of work. 鈥淎 job may look like one thing on paper but when you talk to somebody doing that job, they鈥檒l give you the ins and outs of what鈥檚 it鈥檚 really like,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you have a great conversation and a good connection, who knows where it might lead?鈥�
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Practising patience
The ideal position may take years to find, but don鈥檛 give up, says Dunaway. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 your dream career it鈥檚 worth pursuing.鈥� Just keep networking, circling back and looking for any opportunity to gain skills and knowledge.
More tips from Dunaway
- Volunteering is great for making connections and gaining experience.
- Expand your network by combining social media and personal networking. 鈥淣othing replaces face鈥搕o-face communication, so use social media to facilitate that and open the conversation,鈥� she says.
- Always work on your resume and always check it for spelling and grammar. And don鈥檛 be afraid to show creativity, if appropriate, she says.
