We don’t stop learning even after getting our diploma. As we move along with our lives, we learn something. The questions now: Are we actually applying what we just learned? And are we only trying to learn something for the sake of getting that dream job?
In my previous post, we tackled about how we don’t stop learning things even after stepping out of school, whether by accident or if we choose to do so, and how available tutorials could help us prepare for the job we want. But what if you only decided to learn new things just for the sake of getting that job, and not because you’re curious?
It’s like you only want to watch a video teaching SEO or coding half-heartedly, and when you finally got the job you want, you’re at loss on what to do next. Worse, if you couldn’t land on the job you want right away even after getting a proof certifying that you’ve learned something, you’ll end up just throwing your plan away and, in the end, just seeing yourself lying on your bed just dreaming.
Take me, for example. I was enticed to enroll in a more-than-virtual assistance course hoping this will help me find my worth by trying things that were out of my comfort zone. I was willing to give it a shot. And I know also that it will not be easy to land on my choice job, whether I had proper training or none because most companies and businesses will not waste time over a candidate without experience. Did I get demotivated? YES. A lot. And it made me think not just once, but several times, that I’ve been attending trainings and watching tutorials for nothing just because these companies will not look into people without actual experience, regardless if they are trained or not.
It made me think, what these trainings and tutorials are for if they won’t hire me just because I never used them in an actual job and it was far from my old and current job? In the end, you’ll get stuck to your old job and will remain on that job even after resigning and landing on a good company with good pay and benefits — but still stuck on the same routine, same role. There is no growth.
One mindset that drags an applicant is the lack of willingness to learn things that are essential to the job they’re trying to apply, or the lack of willingness to learn something new at all despite some companies’ efforts to train them, simply because it’s not their forte or out of their comfort zone. And if they managed to achieve a new skill and became confident enough to brag it in their resume, some companies will dismiss it simply because the applicant has no ‘actual’ experience, leaving him hopeless and demotivated to try again.
But it made me think, how did these companies start? Where did they get the ‘experience’ they had for them to stay afloat? Surely it would be impossible for them to start up with their business with already ten years worth of experience with something else not in line with their current business; they might have started somewhere else. And it’s impossible for them not to start from scratch. It made me think, well, they started small, they started without experience, too, they learned from somewhere else, so why don’t they treat their candidates as someone who wanted to start with them, grow with them, and learn from them? And later on these candidates will carry the torch to teach and guide these aspirants to become the next biggest assets to their company.
Just a disclaimer that I’m not generalizing all companies. They have different approaches for fresh graduates and newbies. Some are accepting and even dedicating these newbies to train them for the tasks given to them, while others are more after financial profit than career growth. Some companies would even accept applicants with impressive training record which only shows they are willing to be trained and learn something new that will benefit both the company and its employees, and newbies who value integrity, work ethics and dedication despite lack of training or no experience at all. So if there are companies who are willing to accept newbies like me and you, what’s our excuse, then, not to take trainings and tutorials seriously?
Whether they are in line with our dream job or not, or because we love doing those things, it’s not and excuse to skip trainings and tutorials just because you’re demotivated and you’re starting to have doubts about yourself. It’s a matter of impressing your future bosses and co-workers that you can do it, you’re 100% willing to learn and to be trained, willing to open more opportunities that can show your potential even if you never did that job before. If they’re not open to train anyone out of valuing their own time, still show them that you can and you have the drive. If they will not give you a chance to shine, jump to the other company that you think will value you. Show them that they need you, not the other way around.
Trainings and tutorials can be availed anywhere, from the library to YouTube, even to known job-searching sites, helping you prepare to take the role you think you have a knack of it. They are essential, whether some companies will look into it or not, but they’re giving you great advantage of taking the job you wanted. There are a variety of topics to learn, each can branch into somewhere that can give you your biggest break. Learning from them is more than getting a certificate just because you’re required to do so, but at least it will give them an impression that you can do something other than what you usually do — and that will give you the edge above anyone else.
There is no excuse to stop learning even after being rejected. Rejection is a part of the process — and an opportunity, to be better. You’ll definitely learn a new thing even after rejecting your application. It’s just a matter of keeping a positive mind and attitude to start over and do better on your next job hunt. If you’ll decide to lose hope and abandon everything you’ve worked hard for, you might end up like me, or worse, you might end up seeing yourself lying down and doing nothing but to dream that you should have done something not just for yourself.
The Lazy Banana 