Hard Knock Life

Hard knocks Academy Insta

Share This Post

It’s been a while since I’ve written an article and well, what can you say about this year?! You’re either not doing so well or doing ridiculously well and I commend those individuals for their life choices. However, that very statement did made me think about our choices in life. Some have a clear, direct and unequivocal path which they rarely deviate from and others look to their peers for guidance, trusting that they’ll put them on the road to greater things.

From a young age, we all assume that our honoured and respected professor(s) are in the right. They give us faith in our abilities and that education they have provided will be enough to ensure a secure, stable and bright future but what if that isn’t the case anymore, what do you do?

No one could have predicted what’s happened this year… well unless you’re Bill Gates… and if you find yourself without a job, which is a very large proportion of the world’s population you could feel a bit angry at life right now. That anger you are feeling is totally understandable but it won’t solve anything, so let’s go about how you can move forward from here. I’d like to try to inspire you and I’d like you to take this moment to think about what you could do that can move you forward in the right direction, however small that movement may be.

See I’m a firm believer that everyone should view themselves as their own “business of one”, I’m not saying or advising you to set up your own company in saying that, although it’s the time to do it if you have the backing. What I’m saying is employees have a tendency to sit in a very comfortable, secure bubble that doesn’t prepare them for times of hardship, like redundancy, our “current situation” or even down to a toxic working environment. People as a general rule don’t have the tenacity to think outside of their local surrounding, how amazing they are and what brilliance they can bring to the table. More often than not I receive CVs that portray a shell of a human who feels downtrodden and their bullish fight in their pushy conduct definitely clarifies any remaining doubt

I’ve said this countless times but regardless of the current climate 97% of job applications never receive a callback even, why is this? Well, when I have hundreds or thousands of applications to go through what’s obvious is that people don’t know how to present themselves, even designers, the individuals you’d think that would know how to put a portfolio together don’t so don’t feel bad. It’s no one’s fault. School teaches you everything BUT how to find a job.

Job seekers have an overwhelming urge to apply to every job as quickly as possible in the hope that they’ll be selected first which overrides their normal, logical mind and they send a CV that’s less than satisfactory for the position they’ve applied to. It doesn’t mean that they’re not suitable, they’re just not aware of the “end-user”… I’ve used that term just for explanation purposes, I’m currently having a brain fart and can’t think of an appropriate word…. in their moment of sheer panic they haven’t articulated anything that an employer is able to ascertain their suitability and what’s worse is that’s the end of the road for that job seeker, they will never hear a peep from that application. This leads them to apply to more jobs, they’ll squeeze that metaphorical square peg into a round hole and claim vehemently that there’s no-one more suitable for that role which leads to more disappointment, more rejection and before you know it their mental state has taken a severe beating with hatred for anyone or thing getting in their way of any job.

This is where I’d like you to stop and take stock for a moment. See for me your CV and social persona culminate to form a picture of you as an individual, as a recruiter, I get a gut feel about what that person may be like and the fit for my client/the employer. I know instantly if you’re not in a good place, what you think about yourself, your situation, which boss you didn’t like, what you think about recruiters, the hardship you’ve been through if you think you’re “good enough”, etc, etc, just from what you write in your CV, LinkedIn, Portfolio and your initial approach. This isn’t easy to say but no one wants a “Debbie downer” in the office and although I really do feel for you, it’s not going to get you a job. Speaking to my client’s over the years they’re exactly the same, human’s are smarter than you think. Your words on a page say A LOT. For example, if you’re a designer you’re going to be judged on the design, layout and content of your CV. Unfortunately, there is a conscious or subconscious bias and the sooner it’s accepted the sooner you can action steps to elevate your CV/LinkedIn/Portfolio and your chances of being selected.

So, if you’re looking to get ahead of your competition in the race for that lottery ticket that I’m going to call “a job” now is the time to scrap the “Highly motivated individual with a proven track record” and start treating your CV like your own lottery ticket and your own “business of one”! You are your own brand, with your own set of awesome skills, your own unique personality and there’s NO ONE who is the same as you, so don’t write a CV that tells me you are like everyone else. Be Bold, Be Brave and Be Different!!

I want YOU to STAND OUT. If you put in the work from the start, finding a job becomes a whole lot EASIER and I’m sure that you would feel much better than you do right now. There would be no more silence from your applications and no more sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. YOU need to realise that YOU have a choice about the outcome of your job search however only YOU can make the decision to change.

If you’d like to know more about how I can help you please book a meeting with me at https://aeacademy.ae/book-a-call

 

Have you joined our Academy yet?

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get updates and learn top job search tips

* indicates required

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from AE Academy:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website at www.aeacademy.ae

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

More To Explore