by Monika Sziron, Ph.D.
In the premier episode of season two of the HigherEdJobs Podcast, Martin Atkins shares his advice for job seekers and life seekers. Martin stresses that the worst time to look for a job is when you are under any kind of duress.
Andy and Martin discuss how job searches can shift in scope and emotional duress depending on the circumstances. Finding a job because you are interested in expanding your skillset versus finding a job because you HAVE to are two very different job searches.
How can we avoid the ‘HAVE to find a job’ job search? Seek life experiences.
Diversify, Diversify, and Diversify
The best way to ensure that you will always have a job is to diversify your career and life experiences.
Martin says “…create a breadth to the things that you’re doing. If you are all about something that’s computers and digital, then do something that’s dirty and analog, right. Create those things. So you can bounce around between subjects.”
If you find yourself too zoned in on one career path or interest, try following other passions, even researching other fields, and see where that takes you.
Over the years Martin has had many jobs and, over time, some of those jobs have become obsolete (like cassette tape manufacturing). But since he has always had a number of passions and revenue/income generating ventures (six as of right now), he has never been without a job.
“If you’re concentrating on one thing, when it goes off the rails, it’s gonna go off the rails bad,” says Martin.
Your Skillset
What is your skillset? Would you be able to describe it efficiently to a new colleague?
“…you also need to be fluent in yourself, your skillset, and your comfort level with chaos” advises Martin.
Do you have the life and career experiences that you dream to have? If you don’t, how can you make that happen? Expand your network. Gain hands-on knowledge via working or volunteering.
If you only have experience ‘on paper’ or ‘in the classroom’ find ways to test that experience in the real world. It will pay off in your interview.
Andy stresses that, beyond your resume, you need career stories to tell in your interview. Some examples of those real-world career stories can highlight how you overcame a stressful, chaotic workplace situation, how you managed a pressing deadline, or even how well you were able to meet people at a conference/event and where those connections led.
It’s really important “…in an interview, being able to tell that story and tell your career story effectively, but also having those career stories to tell,” says Andy.
