Whether you’ve just left school, graduated university or been let go, the hunt for the perfect job isn’t always easy. Newbies to the job hunt often face a big dilemma: wait for the right job or get into a role as quickly as possible?
Taking a filler position
Although it’s not your ideal job – and how many people actually get into that straight away? – taking work outside your desired industry or in a position lower than your training can have many benefits. The obvious one is that you’re getting paid. It might not be much, but it’s better than nothing. And with recent changes to receiving benefits, you may have a long wait before you can start claiming.
As well as that, if you’ve never had a full-time job before then you can learn many of the basic responsibilities, transferable skills and even get benefits from gofer tasks. It doesn’t matter if you’re flipping burgers, interacting with the public in a sales role or learning phone manners in a call centre, there are plenty of ways to boost your CV.
Taking a lower-ranking job than the one you want but in the same industry can help get your foot in the door and you can gain insight, contacts and experience while you wait for the right position to open up. Another benefit is that by taking up a new role, you meet new people who could become useful contacts. Your coworker’s brother, uncle or best friend might work in the field you want to get into, so by utilising your network it might not be long before you get to where you want to be.
Playing the long game
Although money might be tight, it can be advantageous to bide your time. With your free time you can craft the perfect resume and cover letter, do research into the best companies in your area, learn about the industry and focus on how best to achieve your ambition.
This may require you to take a short course to put yourself ahead of competitors, or it may give you time to build experience. This shows that you’re dedicated and a self-starter – ordinarily just CV buzzwords, but now you have something to back them up.
Many people who enter the job market in an unusual place often get trapped there. They’ll feel obligated to stay a certain amount of time, get a small promotion and suddenly realise they’ve stopped looking for that perfect job. By the time they get themselves back on the market, they find they’ve wasted months or years in this position and they’re behind all their cohorts in the job hunt.
There’s no right or wrong answer here – different people find success with different approaches. Do what feels right for you and remember that if your dream job comes along, you may not get a second chance.
article shared from CareerOne.com.au