5 Tips for Going from No One to Someone

You may have heard that 4 years of college are one of the greatest time in your life. I would agree. You are young, twenty-something, energetic, fearless, and free to do what ever you want. The most important thing is, the race is just beginning and you have got time to try out, fail and begin again. Well, let’s say you are pursuing a BBA degree and still swinging around seeking a direction or a desired title, a job that you love doing and are well paid. My question then will be: ‘Are you well-prepared for it?’.

At this point, as an undergrad, I have grasped some tactics that will lift you up from no one to someone. Of course, you will not become an executive or a manager after reading them. However, I promise, a few of these are applicable, doable and make such contribution to your profile. Kick off building your profile NOW!

#1: LIY — Learn It Yourself

Let me guess. You must be expecting that an internship will teach you, give a huge boost to your career and train you to be a future worker. I am not saying that this belief is wrong, but it is not all. Some questions you should ever concern are whether you are qualified for even an intern position, what to put on your CV and cover letter when you have not gained (much) experience. Tough questions, right? Here is the light: Learn it yourself.

Unless your cover letter is greatly appealing and convincing that recruiter can’t help and gives you a chance, your investment to pursue that kind of position fuels your motivation, enhances your possibility and become your growth engine in the long run. It is a bit easier to tell the recruiter what you have done so far if you have a handful of experiences. Otherwise, invest your time and energy in learning and acquiring the required skills.

In like manner, though an training gives you a picture of how things work in practices, equipping yourself with knowledge through self-learning is never abundant. Thanks to the advancement of the Internet and technology, learning is not just right at the school. Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera, for instance, are truly amazing platforms. A $12 course taking you to on hand knowledge is worth it, isn’t it?

The next question is then when and how you should start. Learning is not a destination. It is relentless. Even a marketing specialist whose time and work monetizes is still learning every single day, and researching new tools and how new technology could reinforce their work. What I mean here is, you are still learning anyway, no matter which stage you are at or which position you hold. Hence, I can’t tell you exactly when.

A few months before the job hunt gets started?

Give yourself some time to train your mind and immerse into the process. A few months that are fulfilled with dedication and momentum are a fruitful investment in prior to sending out your application. By the same token, the period is sufficient that you can make clear of what to pump into. How? Tips number 2 and 3 will give you an answer.

#2: Job Ads Give a Hint

Alongside analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, one thing you can do is reading job ads although your hunt is not starting yet. This is what I have been doing to get more focused and oriented in professional development. Perhaps it is vague at beginning. Think of who you are, what you are good at, what you enjoy doing as initial clues.

Once you have found a couple job ads, read them over and consider if you are the one for it or if it is the one for you. You are studying marketing, right, then what kind of job do you want to do? Are you becoming a social media marketer, a salesperson, or a marketing data analyst? When things have got a little bit clearer and you are more determined, I am sure you know which job ads or title you should enter to the search box.

The next step is, assuming that you have sorted out which position you are to pursue, scanning those job ads. Reading job ads tell you the gap between who you are and who they are looking for, give a hint on action you should take to close the gap and become a potential candidate. Have a look at the scope of requirements. The core skill set required for the position navigates you to the right course(s) that you are spending the next few months on.

#3: Take a Look Back at The First Experience

The first is always special, isn’t it? Long story short, no matter it is the first internship or the first school project, it is precious in one way or another. Not the mention the experience itself, your accomplishment and people’s reviews are considerable. If not, then what is the point for Recommendations section on LinkedIn?

A shortfall of this approach is that it does not tell you much (or as much as you expect) about your direction. As reviews are usually respectively similar and stuffed with kind words. Though, what makes us different? I bet you will spot something more-you when you dig into reviews from your peers and supervisors.

A couple of signs such as ‘good written communication skills’, ‘data-driven, ‘tech-savvy’, ‘a good eye for details’ people repeatedly mention should not always but usually reflect who you are and what you are good at. Again, compare them to your self-made analysis. This trick sheds light on either finding and scanning job ads or orienting your self-learning progress. Then, it’s time to jump into building a better you.

#4: Network

I can’t stress enough of how networking plays a role in your professional growth. Networking is not simply about connecting new people and implicitly seeking a job opportunity through them. There is a lot more than that. A new connection means a bunch of stories behind. Sometimes, inspiration come from you carefully listening to a new story. It may be an idea, an approach to self-development, or a tip about designing a user-friendlier website. Who knows?

A new connection means a bunch of stories behind.

Beyond those tactics in my article on networking effectively, on top of that, stay in touch with people you meet, for the long run. Email, phone number or LinkedIn exchange unlocks more opportunities you have never ever known. Before such outcomes are established, I recommend you touch their hearts. Don’t get me wrong here! Imagine some stranger at an event comes to you and all the things slipping our of their mouth lead to the point ‘Hey, I am looking for a job. You’ve got any?’ Of course there is no right or wrong about it, but it does not mean you get the most out of a connection.

Listen to what one wants to share with you. In his book ‘The Art of People’, Dave Kerpen advises us to be interested rather than interesting in the conversation. The greatest thing about it is, should people feel comfortable with you first, relationships are spontaneously established.

Alright, you’ve got it all about networking. Allow me to tell you the last thing: where to join. I would suggest apps like Meetup, Eventbrite, etc. Download them now, scroll and find your field of interest.

Oops, I almost forgot. Volunteer is another great bridge to community. Let’s go to tip number 5.

#5: Volunteer Even Once in a Lifetime

Beside networking events, seminars or workshops, volunteer is a different approach to networking. Whom you will be meeting indeed depends on what kind of events you are a volunteer. By all means, your team is already a bunch of new connections. Then, the event organizer, or an attendee hitting you in between, and many others await you. That basically wraps up volunteer experience as a networking occasion.

Some (positive) thing is still better than nothing.

Have you ever wondered how much a volunteer experience helps you out? It depends. What is your goal then? What is the metric you are using to measure if the experience meets you expectation? Nevertheless, one thing I can guarantee is, it is worth it, even once in a lifetime.

Another key point is, it puts something on your profile when you’ve had almost nothing. Let me rephrase it: some (positive) thing is still better than nothing.

I myself have been asked about my volunteer experience at a few interviews. It is not that they would like what exactly you were doing there but how you feel about it in generally and what you have observed. Don’t you want to look smart and sound interesting at an interview while you rarely hear back from recruiters?

So, that’s all 5 tips I have been doing every day in the hope that I creates bit by bit a better version of me and get set for the post-graduation journey. They are not an excellent guide, but totally doable. Now shut this down and get your ass off!

Don’t forget to tell me what I missed, your story or even tips you have learnt. The best would be some changes after you try out a new approach.

Have a productive day and see you in my next article! ;)

Trinh Tran
💻 More projects on: http://trinhtran1026.wordpress.com/
🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinhtran1026/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trinhtran1026/