Some of the biggest barriers to you getting your next job or first job
I’M too old. The economy is not right. Employers won’t give me the chance. I don’t have the right contacts. Employers only go for candidates with this type of background, experience or qualification. Ever heard yourself saying some or all of the above? I’m sure we all have said some of these or a variation of them. Like all challenges (and getting that next job definitely is a challenge) it is easy to blame external factors. Yet in reality it is more often than not down to you and how you respond to the challenges.
It is my considered view that the current environment in Zimbabwe is transformative. It is defining. It is not for observers. Neither is it for the wailers who direct their energies towards complaining and complaining then sleeping only to wake up and start complaining. It is the new normal that requires agility and an expeditious mindset.
Not knowing what it takes to succeed at the next level
You might have a vague idea but do you really know what’s critical to success at the next level? If not take the time to find out. It is helpful to engage career guidance counsellors at Trust Academy. Tune in to Star FM for Career Guidance every Wednesday from 10.30-11.00am and Skyz Metro FM on Thursday 11.00-11.30am. Not knowing your strengths How easily could you talk about your top strengths? In my experience as a teacher, lecturer, trainer, career guidance and counsellor I observed that most people struggle to confidently talk about their five top strengths initially. Naturally this inability grows into a fear. The fear is easy to recognise. Unfortunately it clouds one’s strengths.
The greatest hold-back factor in life is fear. Most people are controlled by fear of the unknown. This fear destroys people’s minds. It has contributed to some people working exceptionally well for a long time with the requisite papers. You could be afraid of venturing into your most preferred career because you have told yourself that you don’t qualify. With such a mindset you did not even make the slightest effort to find out from career guidance advisors how else you could do what your heart and mind wants you to do. Because you are fearsome you end up networking with people of a similar mindset. In the end you become so marginalised that you resign to life and wait inactively for destiny to do its bid. What a choice!
You could be afraid of venturing into the accounting career because you don’t have any O-level passes or because you did Arts or Humanities at school. In your mind it seems you don’t qualify but in reality you do very well. If you have such fear — just accept it’s just a feeling. It has no basis. Essentially it is a foolish thought. So drop it. The best way is to seek career guidance. Trust Academy offers FREE CAREER GUIDANCE. Pay us a visit and you will never be the same again! Someone said the Trust Academy career guidance programme was therapeutic to him! Imagine. He got healed of the fear disease that had crippled him for a very long time.
A farmer constantly looks at the sky. S/he interrogates the behaviour of the sky. In doing so the farmer allows his/her thoughts to move back and forth in time. S/he tries to make meaning of the climate in order to make informed decisions. The occupying focus is to plan for the next season.
Equally every parent must discerningly look at his/ her children’s tomorrow. As a parent decides on the kind of tomorrow you want your children to have. The process of decision-making has never been a given. Neither has it ever been a straight-line, plug and paste approach. Mainly so as each period of human history has its own challenges as well as opportunities. Remember every dark cloud has a silver lining. You must therefore seize opportunities. Invest in the future The future is premised on new futuristic thinking. Your thoughts must be anchored on desire to get out of the poverty cycle. Investing in the future can focusedly be done through investing in education and training. Do not invest in desperation as that would make you a defeatist — a person with a desperate mindset. It is important to have a clear life journey. Give yourself options of where and how to go and get there. Seek explanations on the attractions or otherwise of the different destinations and routes. Be open to alternatives. Your chief aim should be to improve your standard of living. Dream large. If you don’t have a dream you are a dead person walking still! It is helpful to see further than the length of your nose! Wanting it to be easy If it was easy to land that next job everyone would be doing it. The fact is anything worthwhile achieving requires commitment, effort and persistence. The desire to improve oneself is rare in most people. It is easier to rush home after work and get stuck in traffic jam or abused by the foul language of ‘‘ hwindis’’ than investing just two hours per day on certain days to attend a course that would equip you with up-to-date skills. People always find escape in I did this before or I am too old for that (even if one is in his or her 30s or even 40s) Not pursuing the right opportunities It’s strange how people think they can just apply for anything and get results if they have the right professional qualification. Well, you can but banking on such hope isn’t a good enough strategy. Remember hope is not a strategy! Think ahead — Think BIG As you think about your future take note that all that glitters is not gold! Also bear in mind that the grass is always green around the sewage. Acquire news knowledge and skills. Aim to become highly employable. Only people who are equipped with a wide variety of skills are preferred by employers. This is an open secret. We see them getting numerous invitations locally and internationally. We see them living satisfying lives. We don’t see them in bank queues!
Herbert Taruwona Mbindi is a passionate career guidance and counselling advisor. His key motivation is to help people make a difference in their lives. Feedback to: email mbindi@ trustacademy.co.zw,Whatsapp 0773616665 or call 0712212179.