We Told Them They Could Do Anything……

Remember when our kids were growing up, we told them they could do anything – if they put their minds to it.  I believe that continues to hold true however in the world of getting a job there appears to be a lot of rejection which is out of our control.  Do our kids think we lied to them?

                The world used to be so easy.  You were interested in a job, so you submitted your resume.  Right? Somewhere along the line someone decided we should have a computer scan the resume and utilizing key words, we should discard applicants because their “computer score” was not high enough.  Think we might be missing some great people who maybe didn’t get the memo on the resume words?

                With the interview landscape changing, it’s time to have another important conversation with our kids.  It IS possible to do anything you put your mind to, however, they must be prepared to do the work.  Nothing will come easy and all roads to getting to where you want to get to are acceptable. 

                The Class2Career web-based tool encourages those looking for careers to first identify what your strengths are – what is great about you, why would an employer want you.  This can be done by looking at experiences you have had with positive and negative outcomes to determine what strengths or attributes you exhibited to accomplish the task.  Next investigate a series of career paths to better understand them and what their work entails.  Where do your strengths and passions align?  This is often where you will put your energy.   Network with those in the careers you are interested in – utilize those people you know and those you don’t know.  Learn and connect as much as you can.  We now understand most jobs are filled from within meaning, employees are being asked to recommend people for openings.  You need to have a connection in the company who will think of you when they see a job posted.  Finally, and most important, remember the strengths and attributes list you made?  Now go back and create a story or two on each which demonstrates how you used the strength to achieve a goal.  Attributes begin to be developed at an early age so you may need the help of an adult….and I understand EVERY parent is eager to help!

                We didn’t lie to our kids.  They CAN do whatever they put their mind to.  But they also need to understand all the rules of the game.  Class2Career helps them realize their dreams.