The world of work can be hard but it doesn’t have to be so, necessarily. One of the easiest ways to shift this perception of work is to start looking for positions that perfectly match your experience. Trust us when we say that there is a job out there for you. Whether you are a student fresh out the school gate or just shy of the ten-year’s-worth-of-experience requirement, don’t lose faith.
With islands like Trinidad, where there is always work to be found, where should you begin? The best starting point is your resume (to see our article on resume writing tips, click here). You’ll want to take stock of what you have listed in the details of your most recent accomplishments. When you review the “education” section; what were the core aspects of your degree programme? What was your grade point average? Or, when you review your job experience, what was the level of your previous title? Were you a junior or senior member of staff? This advice may seem reductive but the practice re-enforces a key objective in any job hunt – relevant experience. Once you have ascertained what you’re actually qualified to do, you would be one step closer to aligning your search for interviews successfully.
Next, you’ll want to look at the language of the job description advertised. Do they use words like “manage”, “lead”, “direct”? If you read buzzwords like these and you have only just completed an internship, this job may not be for you just yet. For sure you know this may be a mid to senior level position that requires you to have experience managing teams and driving department success. In consideration of someone with not as much experience, a job posting may call for someone who is “proactive” when completing tasks or “coordinates” efforts to assist managers because those recruiters want to hire someone positive and eager to learn while on the job. The descriptors of any role are always key to helping candidates understand what is important to the employer and should be taken seriously.
These little things, when applied in earnest, can save you time and help you find the right job for you. As the saying goes, every dog has its day, yours may just be a fews years in the making. And, in the world of work a humbler thought couldn’t be more apt.
