Don't be afraid of what you don't know.
While searching for a job or sorting through employment opportunities, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by long, complex job descriptions that list responsibilities and tasks that are completely new to you. Maybe you understand the theory of the job, but the duties seem completely foreign. Maybe you've only just been introduced to the software and systems you'll be expected to work with on a daily basis. Maybe you've only ever had classroom training in the subject.
That's okay.
According to an article from eLearning Industry, about 70% of learning takes place as a result of on-the-job activities. We are wired to learn through experience. Working directly on a task and having new, tangible objectives is a natural (necessary, even) part of the job experience. Structured learning through formal instruction can only take you so far, and is really just a stepping stone for experiential learning.
Learning on the job allows you to make mistakes, which is one of the most impactful ways to learn. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, but instead use them as opportunities to identify areas of improvement and measure your strengths.
The Harvard Business review published an article called The Simple Joy of Learning on the Job, and the authors Marc Zao-Sanders and Catalina Schveninger discuss the enormous value of self-initiated experiential learning. They share, "Joy has been snuffed out of learning. Schools, workplaces, and their associated compliance drills make a series of mandatory demands from near the start of our lives to near the end... The spark of learning joy is real and useful. So how can we bring more of it into our professional lives? While the joy is a worthwhile end in its own right, joyful learning can also be used to ignite individual careers and collective productivity."
Ultimately, the lesson is to always keep a learning-oriented mindset. Don't be discouraged by something you don't know, instead seek out the resources to learn more and be prepared to make a few mistakes along the way. As long as you continue to learn, you're on the right track.
- JS
Hi James,
ReplyDeleteAnother super helpful blog from you! I really enjoy your focus on challenges that are relatable to college students. I can definitely identify with the fear of making mistakes/not being qualified for a job. It's actually one of the reasons why I almost didn't apply for the internship I currently have. I thought, "there's no way they will hire me, I have close to no real-life experience." Little did I know that taking that risk would get me the internship of my dreams. Like you mentioned, I have learned everything I need to know about my job, through my training. Although I have gained necessary soft/hard skills through my classes, I learned the essential stuff through on-the-job activities. I strongly agree with all the great points you made & I am looking forward to reading what you write next.
-Anai Salgado
I really relate to this blog post! I'm an English major with minors in marketing and Spanish, and yet, I have an internship with Caterpillar as a Digital Product Marketing Intern - who also has a job lined up as a Marketing Coordinator on the same team. While my degree is a little unique to be associated with the marketing and advertising industry, I strove to make it work and ensure that I can combine these two worlds into one - and it worked! So, while one's job history and qualifications are initially important in finding a job that best fits you, but what also matters is how you apply those skills to the job, and what else is unique about you that can be taken advantage of. Thanks for posting about this! I think more people should try to consider this when job searching. - Mya Trager
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your articles you pick!
ReplyDeletethis one really relates to my personal life! often time while working two jobs in college and one back at home as a manger at Dunkin you have to learn to take risk. Often times with jobs you are just not trained correctly and thrown into the job with them. At Dunkin I was thrown into the job and was put on window without knowing how to handle money or anything. Quickly I took the risk and worked hard then earn title of shift and then being with he company all of Dunkin I became a manger at a different location. However, I think if I had not stayed and was reflecting what if I had not stayed or pushed myself? This article was def my fave!
This blog post is really insightful. I think the fear of not knowing whether or not you're capable or qualified is something a lot of us face, especially when looking for jobs after graduation or internships. It can really weigh on you seeing the responsibilities, requirements, and skills listed under a job you're applying to and you start to ask yourself if I'm ready to be in a professional setting. I do think the fact that a lot of our courses give us real experience, like professional selling and social media marketing, can help ease us into the idea of what's expected in a job and it also gives us more to a resume. Thank you for this blog. I'm looking forward to the next one.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest takeaways from this post is not being afraid to fail during the learning process. Considering many of us in this class are second semester seniors, we have either just been through or are still in the job application process. Seeing some job descriptions can be intimidating, but this really affirms that so much of the job comes from learning by doing!
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