If you’re 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’s 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’s meaningful to you.
Be honest about what matters to you and be realistic about your skills, she recommends. If you find a job you’re interested in, before applying, ask yourself, “Do I want the job, can I do the job, and am I a good fit?”
Creating your own opportunities
“Don’t ever limit yourself to what’s posted,” 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’s machinery while visiting one day, when a team member asked if she was looking for work.
“I said no, but I wouldn’t mind helping,” says Harvey. “I helped in the summer while working in Seymour and, in the end, they just offered me a position…. It was a dream for me because it was a machine I’d never worked on.” It also taps into both her passions: working with mechanics and helping people.
She’s part way through her four-year millwright apprenticeship and is often the only woman in her class, but she doesn’t let that hold her back. “It’s not easy but you have to keep going to get what you want.”
Making yourself known
If your dream company isn’t hiring, don’t be afraid to approach them, suggests Dunaway. “Say, ‘This 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.’ They may not have something right away, but it may work out in the long term.”
Alternatively arrange an informational interview with someone within the company who’s already doing a job in which you’re interested. The difference here, she cautions, is that it’s not a hiring pitch – it’s about learning whether or not you really want to be in that line of work. “A job may look like one thing on paper but when you talk to somebody doing that job, they’ll give you the ins and outs of what’s it’s really like,” she says. “If you have a great conversation and a good connection, who knows where it might lead?”
Practising patience
The ideal position may take years to find, but don’t give up, says Dunaway. “If it’s your dream career it’s worth pursuing.” 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. “Nothing replaces face–to-face communication, so use social media to facilitate that and open the conversation,” she says.
- Always work on your resume and always check it for spelling and grammar. And don’t be afraid to show creativity, if appropriate, she says.
