The first thing I feel I should say is that this article isn’t about how to get your dream job. It can help in that respect of course but the focus of this piece is how to get a job, any job. It may not be the job you saw yourself doing when you finished school and it may not be that special job you always dreamt of but it could be the job that will take you a step in that direction.
The most important thing when looking to get a job is to show that you are different in some way. That alone will get you noticed and if you then show that you have the basic requirements for the vacant position, you are more likely to be hired. You don’t have to do something crazy to show that you’re different. You don’t need to say you love sky-diving (although if you do, that’s wonderful) but if you have a passion for animals or you sew clothes or you draw well or you’ve published several articles or you volunteer at a charity or you write a blog, the person looking to hire someone is more likely to be interested in you.
For example, when I went for my very first job interview, I knew the company was looking to hire a sales person. I dislike sales but decided to go for the interview anyway and took along some articles of mine that had been published earlier. At the interview, the person interviewing me saw my articles and offered me a job as a writer instead of a salesperson. I hadn’t expected that but of course I was pleased and took the writing job.
One thing that may seem a little strange is that the best time to prepare yourself for a job is when you don’t need one. So though you might not need a job at the moment, keep working on developing yourself: take up a hobby and take it seriously, take courses that interest you or look for ways to help in your community somehow.
Finally, be patient. It can take up to a year to get a job. Being unemployed can be very disheartening but try to keep yourself busy, take steps towards working in the industry you’re interested in and remember to find a way to differentiate yourself from others.
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