Getting Your Career On Track

Having job isn’t the same as having a career. A career is a role that keeps on growing and evolving. One where you are able to progress and evolve, and where you can see yourself being for years to come. Not many people know exactly what they want their career to be, or how to get there early on. For most people it’s something that they stumble upon or have to start again to get into. And that’s fine. There’s a horrid misconception for kids that they need to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives by the time it comes to graduation, but it’s not true. Plus, in today’s world having one career for your whole life isn’t the norm anymore. It’s far more usual for people to have two maybe three career paths before they retire – meaning that what you choose straight after education, or what you find yourself in while you’re young, doesn’t have to be the role you live with forever. So there are many opportunities out there for you to get your career on track.

Resume

Making sure that your resume is the best it can be is crucial to ensuring you get the role you want. Even if every other application is terrible, that should just mean that yours stands out even more. Keep your resume clear and simple without cluttering it with fancy fonts or huge explanations – use bullet points to list key competencies and skills, and even to lost the main responsibilities you had during previous jobs. 

Applying

When applying for a role make sure that you accompany your application or resume with a cover letter. It shouldn’t be more than an A4 page and should be laid out as a letter and not as an informal email. Which means you need to place your address and the companies address at the top of the page, begin your letter with ‘Dear’ and then preferably the name of the person dealing with recruiting or either ‘Sir/Madam’ or ‘Whom this may concern’. It’s a simple task, and a personable one to call the company and enquire for a name for your cover letter – it shows initiative and will stand out from all the Sir/Madams in the pile. Make sure you address every point in the job advertisement, look at this Ogletree one for an example, you need the right law experience and they want you to show examples of key competencies gained through past experience. Always sign off a formal letter with ‘Kind regards’ and not ‘Yours sincerely’ which is for acquaintances or colleagues you’re not close friends with.

Interview

Make sure that you are going into the interview with confidence and not with arrogance. Being confident that you know what you’re doing is very different to acting like it’s a given you will get the job. Dress for the role – check the sort of place you’re applying to, some places will be smarter than others, but always dress smart for an interview.

You also need to be asking the right questions during the interview like finding out whether growth and progression is on the cards. Have rehearsed questions and answers, but be prepared for wild card queries from your interviewee and just be honest. 

Body language is super important in an interview – have a strong handshake, sit up straight and don’t cross your arms or fidget to much. Talking with your hands shows passion for what you’re talking about, but too much can seem erratic. Try not to babble to fill silences, and ask questions about the role and the company – ask the interviewee why they like their job and what aspect they like best about working for the company.