Master Your Career?
Master Your Career: When Your Educational Assets Become Liabilities: Six Valuable Tips for Landing a Job that Wants You and Your MA!
by Melanie Joy Douglas, Monster.ca
1. Exhaust All Possibilities with Friends and Family
"It isn’t what you know, but who you know." Don’t be afraid to make your family, friends, and acquaintances aware that you are searching for employment in your field of study. After two years of searching for work, Daniel bumped into an old family friend who was not aware of his lack of success in finding a job, and even questioned why Daniel hadn’t told him earlier on about his search. The friend asked him for his resume, and spent the next few days calling up colleagues at large Canadian retailer where he worked. By the end of the week, Daniel had an interview, was hired on the spot, and has been working there ever since.
2. Be Relentless and Take Chances
After years of applying for reporting jobs, the day after she had purchased a home in Niagara Falls, Carey got a call about a reporting job for CTV. The job was hers; however, she had to be willing to move ten hours north, and endure minus 45 degree winters. Knowing it was then or never, she put her life in Niagara Falls on hold, and within two weeks, she ventured alone up north to begin her career. "Get started, work hard, be determined, and endlessly confident," she advises. "Give it everything you have. If you want it, you will almost certainly be tested and have to exhaust yourself in every sense of the word."
3. Never Stop Learning
Don’t be afraid to teach yourself new skills. Computer courses, for example, can be really expensive, especially when you’re unemployed, or working at a temporary job which barely covers the bills. If you want to learn web design, then buy yourself some used software and a couple "how to" guides. Use whatever free time you have to pick up these new skills, and apply them with confidence. Learning new skills will not only keep you busy while you’re waiting for the phone to ring, but when that employer does call, you will be even more of an asset. Daniel has been constantly upgrading his skills since graduating: "While I was searching for work I was always learning new computer skills. I taught myself desktop publishing and web design and many other types of skills. Then, I showcased these skills on my resume. Since I started working at my current job, I’ve had numerous opportunities to show off some of the skills I taught myself during my long period of unemployment. I’m constantly surprising my boss with the wide range of self-taught skills I possess."
Never stop learning about the field you want to join. As Dr. Randall argues, the possibility for work in your chosen field is always there. "The question is, what are you willing to do to fulfill that possibility. Sometimes it requires another course or even degree, possibly at a community college." It’s up to you to do the work even past your degree.
4. Volunteer
In Carey’s case, potential employers required a journalism degree or equivalent. She had a Master’s in English; however, she needed to attain the "equivalent" in order to even be considered for a reporting job. So, she spent two years volunteering at a local TV station, gaining confidence on camera, boosting her interviewing skills, accumulating a network of resources, and most importantly, creating and building her on-air portfolio.
Daniel, on the other hand, took a different approach to gaining the necessary experience he needed. After teaching himself desktop publishing, he created his own digital media production company, Forget-me-not Films. This entrepreneurial move landed him some freelance copywriting opportunities with Plank Creative, a company that, Daniel says, gave him a chance when no one else would. And the domino effect continued as this copywriting work played a major role in solidifying his current position.
5. Try Some Freelance Work
A great way to start building a reputation, portfolio, and relationships with influential people is to try to get work as a freelancer. Dr. Neil Randall, who works as a freelance writer in addition to his normal gig as a University Professor at UW, writes everything from fiction to tech articles. He advises people just getting into the business to "figure out where you want to publish, research that topic until you know a lot about it, contact editors asking if you can submit something for them to look at, and you do that immediately." "In other words," he suggests, "do the work up front, and impress them that you know a great deal and that you can articulate it. Do not, under any circumstances, simply make a blind call, with nothing prepared, and express the fact that you’re interested in writing for them. They have no lack of people who are interested in writing for them, and they need to see precisely how interested you are. So do the work, and show them that you mean it."
5. Network
Join associations and organizations in order to make the contacts you need. As Dr. Randall advises, "Make polite, serious, and professional contact regularly with possibly employers and other people in your growing network."
6. Explore All the Possibilities Your Degree Might Offer You
Do not allow yourself to be pigeon-holed because of your degree. Think outside the box! Dr. Randall agrees that, "for MAs, however, the greater issue is the fact that many students aren’t aware of possible career paths." Do the homework, and explore all the possibilities your degree offers you:
Other Monster Resources:
Check Out Job Options for the Liberal Arts Degree
Think Positively and Use Your Talents!
Resume & Interview Tips for Being Overqualified