Millennials, Are you hunting the job right?
It’s not just about getting “No”. It’s about saying “NO” to the wrong job offers.
Millennials are the nomads of corporate world. Being a 24 year old, I too feel that I prefer to avoid getting tied down to one particular company for too long. Go through my profile and you’ll see I hardly worked for more than six months for a single entity. The very simple reason behind it was the need for something new.
As a content writer, I often find that after a point of time, you can feel a bit stifled, no matter how interesting your job is. It’s natural. Even a rich man finds it uncomfortable to sit with an over stuffed wallet. Being bored is human. Being bored is awesome.
Being bored is the best quality of millennials. It pushes us to look for something new. It pushes us into horizons uncharted so far.
But this is where it might help to remember a few pointers to help you out. This isn’t coming from someone who has been in the corporate for two decades. I am just like you. And here’s what I learnt.
1. If you want a new opportunity, look for it with passion.
Want a new job? Something new? Something you’ve never done before but feel like you can do well?
Combine Passion and Pragmatism. Find something new, but be prepared for unknown. You will need to be an explorer, not an expert. Don’t expect top notch results and don’t be frustrated with lack of expertise. Use your inexperience as a canvas to grow further and fill in the details.
2. Branch out but don’t spread yourself too thin.
We often hear the advice of backing our offers up. If you’re looking for a job, spread your resume. Float it to 40 places so that when 35 of them says no and two don’t even bother replying (Am being very optimistic here, am I not?), you still have three interviews.
But my advice is, pick and be selective. It doesn’t take genius level intellect to detect whether a company is capable of walking the talk or just lip service. Talk to the people associated with the company you want to work with. Read their website. Scan their projects. Find out about their culture and how they respond to people through their media accounts.
If you truly feel excited after a week, go for it and pursue them for an interview with full passion. If not, move on, find someone new.
3. Ignore the idea of following a mentor who is 40+
The world has changed a lot in last ten years. It has changed even more in last 5. Don’t solely rely on the advice of a person who’s last job hunt was 20 years ago.
Mentors are extremely helpful. Mentors help guide us with experience. But mentors are humans and humans have a limited perception of context. That is, they judge based on their own experiences. While you can learn from it, you certainly should not borrow their experiences and opinions as words carved in stone.
Figure your own way out. Make your own story. And remember, being a millennial is less about the new job and more about a new experience.
I help brands tell their stories through content marketing. Check out my profile. I am looking for new opportunities that excite me. If you think I’m the man you’re looking for, let’s talk.
