It’s all about attitude
This isn’t just about the work you do. It’s also about your attitude. This is critical work. It can make the difference between you finding a better job and being stuck making the same mistakes in job search over and over again. Don’t skip it because you don’t like to write.
Write down the work you do.
- Work: write down the work you get recognized for.
- School: write down what you do the best. Subjects of study, projects, writing, hands-on projects, collaborating, math, organizing, music, coaching, encouraging.
- Work: write down the work people don’t realize you do. Organizing files, calling people back, planning meetings, setting up email groups, setting up study groups, figuring out how to solve certain types of problems (what types?), creating a friendly environment, contributing regularly in meetings, building up your team through emails/texts/communications with co-workers.
- School: write down the activities people don’t know that you participate in. Clubs, volunteering, Scouts, teams, spiritual pursuits, whatever it is you do besides schoolwork.
Look at what you’ve written and identify your intangible skills.
- Identify your , competencies, and in each instance. According to , “Computer skills is a competency, ability to work independently is a characteristic, adaptability to change is an intangible.”
- Are you resilient?
- Do you ask questions appropriately?
- Are you a positive person?
- Do you listen well and give meaningful feedback?
Go back to the section about your work and school.
- Identify 2 instances where you made a difference that you want people to know about. You pick. The Tune-Up is about owning the things you’re proudest of and learning how to talk about them.
- Write a narrative describing what happened in each instance. Tell the story – the situation, your contribution, how it worked out.
- Figure out why you succeeded in those situations.
- Now modify the narrative to include why you succeeded. Own your success. Practice talking about it so you can talk to others about it in a way they will connect to.
Change how you see yourself
Yes, this is hard. But it’s worth it. It will change how you see yourself and, more importantly, how you talk about yourself.
I can hear you saying “I HATE TO WRITE! DON’T MAKE ME WRITE!” Ok. So don’t write it out. Talk it out.Talk it into the voice recorder on your smartphone. Find a free voice to text transcription app and turn your talking into text. Do not skip this.
You can do this.
