In this post I’ll talk a little about my job hunting experience and the outcome.
Like most of us I grew up thinking that after school, you’ll find a job and work till you’re 60 or 65.
Nowadays they (and I’m talking about people in Suriname) say getting a job is not easy (like it ever was) and every body is looking for someone with experience. Or they complain a company only works with name and faces. Is this really a bad thing?
Now let’s be honest, even if a company works with names and faces, if it would benefit you would you still be pissed? No, you’d be happy for the opportunity.
And if they did, you can either choose to complain about it or as I see it: a challenge to expand your network.
Go out, meet people. Talk about your work, your specialty and attend networking events.
Now I can see how this can be scary, especially if you’re an introvert. If I’m being honest I’m a bit of an introvert myself.
But I was lucky enough to create a little network of my own.
A little job history
Finding a job after dropping out of college was not easy. I did some courses and applied to a lot of companies. Some of which I never heard from again and some of them nice enough to invite me for an interview. And from the ones that invited me, they told me I have great personality but they were searching for somebody with experience.
As any young adult I said to myself that’s just a nice way of rejecting you. Yes, it was hard getting rejected but for me not hearing or knowing why other companies did not even bother to contact me felt worse. What did I do wrong and how could I improve on it. Now this was a time before social media and looking helpful tips online was not a part of me yet.
And there it was in the papers: a startup company was looking for a people who wanted to do an on-the-job web development training. I took a chance and after 2 interviews I’ve been selected along with 17 other candidates. After 9 months of training I was offered a full contract which I happily accepted.
The change
After 5-7 good years it was time for a change and I was back on the job search. When I got my first job I didn’t even think about the possibility of searching for another one, but times change, people change , your environment changes.
It was then I realized how important networking really is. How I could’ve build better connections with my then clients and how it would help me for my next job. I started to be more open to the idea of connecting with people, which in the beginning was not easy because I’m someone who doesn’t ( or didn’t ) talk that much. It wasn’t until I went back to studying I met new people and found the opportunity to work somewhere else. I would’ve thought it would be via my current workplace, but it was at school. Through a fellow student I applied and after I few months I was at my new workplace.a
Last thoughts
If I had to be critical of myself I would say it took me too long of a time to switch jobs, but in my defense I did have other offers in a period when I wasn’t actively searching. One of which is where an acquaintance knew my skills and recommended me to the manager. Another one is where I only liked a job opening post on LinkedIn and I was offered an interview. And a third is when I was on the job hunt in which I had an offer, but I turned it down because of the position offered. The last one I made use of one my contacts from my college years.
So yeah, you could say I’ve seen a few sides of the job market and I’ve had only two jobs (so far). But from what I’ve experienced, one thing is certain: nothing worth having comes easy.
Some tips
Based on my short story and from all over the internet, I’ll sum up a few tips
- Start networking: like I’ve said before, go out there , meet people. Not only face to face but also other channels. Which brings me to my next point
- Make a LinkedIn profile. I’ve had only experience with a direct approach so far and also a few meetings. Imagine if I dedicated more time into this
- Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. You may not get your dream job right away, but also value other jobs. From even the easiest jobs like washing cars, a recruiter might see a hard working young man willing to do something.
- Keep your cv up to date. You never know when a sudden job opportunity comes along where you need to send your resume ASAP. So even when you’re not actively searching ,it’s always good to keep it up to date
- Be careful what you post on social media. This might seem like common sense but I can’t stress this enough. Once it’s on the internet , it’s out there. And yes, there are recruiters out there checking out your profile
- Keep learning new things
- Be fearless
Bonus
Check out some job advertising site in Suriname like
- www.freelance.sr
- www.werkendsuriname.com
- LinkedIn (after you made a profile of course )
- Facebook ( yes they even lost jobs now, although for me it’s still seems a little unprofessional , but that’s just me)
- Glassdoor . To my surprise there are some companies posting jobs here. And they even review companies here which I love
- Just type “jobs near me” in Google
(No, none of these sites I mentioned paid me). Now I can’t guarantee that this will land you your dream job , but it’s worth a shot.
Oh and here’s a side note : I’v been building quite a few web forms and some were job application forms. So here’s a little tip: when a company asks to describe yourself….please don’t literally describe yourself . What do I mean? Don’t say things like: I would describe myself as a short , thin person with long hair and brown eyes.
And yes , it really does happen….more times than you’d think.
If you have anything to add, let me know! Comments, E-mail, DM.
