Common Sense Job Search Strategies: A Primer to Finding the Fun Jobs

By Ken Bursaw and Dennis Peterson

The Short Version-

Ask everyone you know to ask everyone they know to contact you about job openings. That's called networking. Results could have unforeseen or even dire consequences, but they might land you your dream job ...or maybe not.

The Long Version-

Many people fall into careers via friends or relatives (or just a want ad) at a time in their lives when they needed to make a living. They took the job to make enough money to pay the bills. Sometimes, they stayed too long in jobs they didn't like. They got comfortable being uncomfortable, mostly for the security. Does that sound like you?

Well, times have changed and now it's your job market, and it's a lot easier to move on to what you want. Sure, you might need additional training, and you may even have to go back to school for it. However, once the thought of Monday coming again produces sufficient pain, it's time to take the initiative. Just do it. But do what?

First, determine what you really want to do. Think about what makes you happy, what you like to do for fun. Could your hobby become your next job? Brainstorm with yourself. The talks you'll have with yourself are important. Try making a list of everything you'd like to do, even those careers that seem the most extreme. You'd really like to trek across Antarctica? You've dismissed that as impossible, right? Remember, though, somebody else is doing it, and getting paid for it.

Get help knowing yourself. Sometimes it's not easy to know for sure what you'd like. The State Employment office in your area will have self-assessment forms, which can help you identify your interests, needs, skills and personality type, all of which come into play when choosing a new career. A career counselor can help a lot too, but individual sessions can be expensive. You can economically combine testing and career counseling at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota, where I work, and at other community and technical colleges, too. There, in-depth career classes not only help you to get to know you, but also to know more about possible careers. With about 20,000 different job types listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, it's probable that your dream job is out there and you just don't know what it is! Normandale also has a state of the art Career and Academic Planning Center with valuable resources and tools that also help you to know yourself, the job market, and individual occupations. The center is open to the public.

Once you've found it, is it really your dream job? Informational interviewing is a great way to learn about careers. Your network of friends may be able help you create interview opportunities with people who have the job you think you want. This doesn't have to be an uncomfortable experience, so relax and remember, one of most peoples' favorite subjects is themselves. With a few good questions, they'll tell you everything you wanted to know. Who knows? If they like you, they might even give you an opportunity to shadow them on the job for a while. Through all of this, while you're getting to know them, they're getting to know... you! So when it comes time to actually apply for a job...

Do a co-op! Cooperative education lets you test the waters of a future career before you take the plunge. At Normandale, we place students in a work setting that lets them be around persons who are in the career they are considering. The cooperative education experience is like an internship, but it's done early in an educational plan, rather than at the end. If you choose to try one, it may help you find your dream job. It could also smack you with the reality that what you thought would be your dream job could have become the proverbial worst nightmare!

Can you make a living at it? Life still boils down to the fact that you have to be able to support yourself. To be an arctic explorer, you might need to find someone else to pay the bills... like NASA, in this case. Let's suppose you like to write, but the higher paying journalism jobs are competitive, and reporting on the Tuesday bridge club meeting for the hometown gazette isn't appealing. Find jobs where the opportunity to do what you want is embedded as a secondary part of the job. I'm Director of Student Employment at Normandale, but I'm writing this article, for example, and Normandale's paying for the time it takes me to do it.

Once you're sure, how do you make it your career? Sometimes, there's no shortcut, and you find that more education is needed, maybe even a degree. Remember though, that there are ways to speed up your progress to a degree. At Normandale, you may be able to get credit for learning that came from life experience, through a program called Competence Based Education. Some colleges, Normandale included, have one or more accelerated academic programs directed toward returning adults. At times, a potential employer may only require a certain block of classes that will provide you a skill that you need.. With luck, some employers will even pay for it.

-- Ken Bursaw, Coordinator of Cooperative Education and Student Employment and Dennis Peterson Coordinator of Competence Based Education at Normandale Community College, Bloomington, Minnesota.