There’s No One Element to Getting a Job

Take it from a gal who has edited her resume, website, and made projects for numerous job applications.

It starts with a resume. That’s not where it ends but it starts here so you have one list that, if nothing else, you can focus on. Having a resume allows you to track your progress, visually and see every element on one page. This week I helped my sister improve her resume from what I’ve learned she may be an education major, but many of the same elements applied and I guided here

Next is your website. Even if it’s a free one, have one to send people to put all your projects, to connect all your social media, a home base online so to speak. It’s a place people can google you at, a place where they can contact you, see what your personality and passions are, and how you see yourself.

Third, is a visual element and this can often be combined with proving the value you could provide as an employee. In Praxis I’ve learned about how important creating value is. Not just when applying to a business but also when actually working there. For me its looked like creating social media content; thereby showing off my design and copywriting abilities. It’s also looked like sample blog posts, as well as writing up FAQ samples if I see that to be a missing element a business has or a place that I can add value none the less.

The newest one to add is a Crash profile. The staff at my apprenticeship program has come up with a new portfolio display system so to speak called “Crash” – it’s about crashing your career. They’ve had participants, like me, add to profiles online, things like their writing samples, project samples, and tech stack showcases/videos. Let me know if you’d like to learn about this @katherineglader

Then there are elements that are more about communication. Think of networking, but not always exactly going to networking events but instead, connecting with others. Engaging with others about what you’re pursuing and learning about there connections. I learned about my internship in college not through submitting my resume, not through the school job fair, but instead through a tag on a post on Facebook. Where I later sent on my resume, but it wasn’t the first touch point.

Keep in mind that there are other elements too – depending on the type of field you’re going into and what your strengths lie.

Then there’s the ongoing training, and advising in general.

In college and right out of college this meant going to the career center. Although it wasn’t the most helpful place, in the long run, I learned some things about how to help myself and potentially others find jobs, and about somethings that don’t work as well. Blasting out resumes is not the smartest way to get a job, you might get one eventually, and it can’t work to send out a few every week, but it shouldn’t be your focus, having a good resume on stand by is important (at least at time of writing), or at least a business card that links to a page with it on your website. Taking interviews is important as well, as advisors at Praxis like to say “always take the interview” if nothing else its practice for the next one. In Praxis I’ve gotten the chance to learn from not one but three job placement advisors at this point, each with different techniques for me to learn from. They’ve all guided me through different methods, but they’ve all had one goal: get me a great apprenticeship through providing value to business one way or another.

So if you’re looking for a job, look at your field (or even if you haven’t picked one) and see where you can provide value to a business.

Oh, and remember you’re almost there.