Tag: job search

A quest for answers

Mia3 Comments
quest in scrabble letters
Make in Canva

My life has always been a quest for answers when it comes to what I want to do for a living. That’s probably one of the reasons why I haven’t find anything else that most people have. When others are getting married and having kids, I’m thinking about what I want to do with my life. Even people much younger than me have a goal. But I’m not jealous. I’m selfish in a way that I live for myself and I don’t have to financially support anyone else. I like the freedom I have and I hope it won’t change. Past experiences have taught me not to get attached to other people. It might sound sad to some people but I don’t see it that way. Besides, I hate trying to impress people. I’m too old for that. If people can’t accept for the person I am, then it’s really their problem. I change for no one.

Having different educations won’t get you a job. A great looking resume is worthless if there is no content. In this case, job experiences. You would think employers would appreciate that you at least did something but no only a real job with real pay is acceptable. I’ve had this thought in my head some days ago, ‘I’m not good enough for working life and too lazy for entrepreneurship’. The last one is probably true because I would have started it already. Some say you should apply for a job outside your own field but why study something for years and apply for something else anyway. I see no point in that. I will rather be without a job than be in a job I don’t like. I’ve been in those internship places and it wasn’t a nice feeling at all. I can’t even do all jobs and you probably have to have experience for them too. It’s so easy to tell another person to find a job or study to an occupation you’re not interested in. Life is too short to be doing things you hate doing. Job search is a business these days and you can’t just walk right in. Besides, some companies are cheapskates (or they don’t have enough money to hire) and they have no idea what the rejected feels like.

I studied a lot so it feels like I’m collecting diplomas. I studied because that was the only way I could feel I was doing something. I also like learning new things. I was confused about what interested me the most because I changed my mind a lot. Nothing felt like me. Once I wanted to be a screenplay writer and the next a journalist. None of them felt right. Even now when I’ve focused on design, it still feels like I’m not for that either. I should really feel more confident because if you don’t believe in yourself, who will? When I studied photography in this same school as I am now, Helsinki Design School, I wanted more than that. So I studied web design. Then I thought, I wanted something more so it became graphic design. I wanted to combine those three because they’re so close together. Even though I haven’t found a job, I don’t think I studied in vain. I studied because I wanted to. I experienced something I wouldn’t have otherwise. In photography, I’ve never been in a photo studio. Except when I was a child and we had a photo taken by a pro. But as a photographer, it was a new experience. You should always find something positive even if the education you have/had hasn’t been what you expected.

A last note about the post I wrote the day before yesterday. I sent the application to the internship position yesterday. This is what I wrote in the, why I’m good for the position.

I’m studying graphic design at the moment and an internship would be a great opportunity for me to learn new things. I have the skills that the position requires and I’m always keen to get better at it. I want to join an international team with the same passion for design as myself. I get along very well with people from different walks of life. I’m trustworthy and I finish tasks I’m given on time.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter if I get it or not. They probably gonna choose someone younger anyway. Since there is no pay, it isn’t really a big deal. But we’ll see. I don’t really even know if it was a job application or a registration. It might take a while before I get a reply from them or if there won’t be any in the first place. If it isn’t meant to be, then it isn’t.

Vital decisions for the future

Mia6 Comments

job in the bible

Being unemployed sucks even if you get benefits and you get by somehow. But not having a job is no fun. Some people do everything right but yet they won’t get hired. Then for those who have succeeded to get a job, they think if they have then anyone can. Sorry to burst their bubble but everyone isn’t as lucky. It’s easy to tell others how to do things but finding a job is not like snapping your fingers. It’s great that people find jobs but that won’t help those who don’t.

I have to make vital decisions for the future. It’s not like my life depend on it though. It’s not that desperate. But it can’t go on like this forever. It’s already 3rd week of this year and I haven’t done anything. I have that studying thing which is next week again but that’s it. I should have something else too. I had a job suggestion in my email but I had no idea what the job was. I read it a few times and I still didn’t get it. It wasn’t the job I was looking for either. At least I’m not totally visible. Moving on. I found an internship place but it’s without pay. At least it’s closer to the subject I study now. In the application (which is online and in English) there’s this question I don’t know what to answer to.

Why would you be the best choice for the position(s)?

I tried to find answers to what you could answer to that question online but I didn’t find what I was looking for. I even asked on Twitter but as usual social media failed me again. I guess I’m left to my own advice again. Unless anyone who reads this has any suggestions? Something that could work. Just in general and not necessary to this application. Please, do comment if you want. I’m probably gonna find a solution to this problem before that. But still, I’m only asking.

The reason why I hate job search is questions like these. I never know what to reply so I don’t even bother applying. It’s so stressful. I’ve seen some funny memes on Pinterest about what to say in a job interview. But you can’t say those things in real life. One was, “Why should we hire you?” Answer, “Because you’re hiring?!” You really need to put yourself in the employer’s shoes. It can’t be easy for them either. They get a lot of applications and they have to choose who to ask for an interview. They must be really lucky if they find the right person for the job at first try. That’s why it’s so difficult for the job seeker to answer questions. You have to stand out but how do you know if you did stand out? Maybe someone gives the same kind of answer you do. There are so many tips online what to write in a job application. But then there are others who might have seen the same ones and uses that. Using tips you find online still doesn’t get you a job. It’s a jungle out there in the job search world.

Introverts nightmare, How to sell yourself? That sounds like prostitution. But that’s an “It” thing these days. “Elevator pitch” is a better word for it. But us Finns don’t talk in elevators. We stay quiet until we get out of it. Joke aside. No one ever stays long enough to hear me. As soon as they see me, they’re already judging me. Maybe not that easy though. I’m exaggerating a bit there. I can’t describe myself in 30 seconds. It takes less than that since I don’t know what to say. If I do it’s usually negative things but you can’t say that out loud. I’m not very good with words in general. It’s different when it comes to writing fiction. I wish I could use that in my daily life. It would be much easier if I could describe myself like Loki does in Avengers- Infinity war.

I, Loki, prince of Asgard… Odinson… the rightful king of the Jotunheim… god of mischief… do hereby pledge to you… my undying fidelity.

See, much easier. Mine would stop at my name and then a long pause. If it was being said out loud that it. If I had to reply by writing then I would have time to think.

I think I found out what to write to that internship application while writing this post. I write what when I have. But still, I would like to know what you would answer to this question. For any occupation. “Why would you be the best choice for the position(s)?”

Why I rather be self-employed than work for someone else

MiaLeave a comment
man working with a Mac computer
Made in Canva

Looking for a job is like searching for a needle in a haystack. First, it takes years before finding something interesting you want to be and then no one wants to hire you because you don’t have work experience in the field you studied. You don’t get experience because no one wants to hire you. Not even for an internship. You need to be a student to get one of those. It’s even better if you’re young. Bloody age discrimination. All these job ads are a joke too. There’s always a skill you don’t have. Then you need to have a bachelor’s degree in some jobs. In design, for example, that must be some education. It isn’t rocket science. The biggest problem is the lack of work experience. If you work for someone else you have to be the way they want. If you’re good enough for the culture of the company and so on. You also need to be social and outgoing. That means talking nonsense with your co-workers. That’s not a place for an introvert. Working for someone else seems so stressful. Things like that don’t inspire me at all.

I’ve been looking for web design jobs over a year and there’s nothing I could apply to. Most of the jobs are in the Helsinki area. It’s really depressive to look at job ads and boom you need to have at least 3 years of experience. How fun. Maybe I educated myself to the wrong occupation after all. But I have always been into creative things. I could have been like a lot of people. Working in a ‘normal’ job. In a job where you have a better chance to find a job. I’ve chosen this path and it’s too late to turn back. You should stick to your principles and not be like everyone else. A lot of people settle for the job they have because they have to support their family somehow. I only have to support myself so I can do what I want without having to ask permission from someone else. Since I can’t find a job in my field, entrepreneurship is becoming the only solution. I’ve already had clients so I have worked for free. There is a lot of talks you should volunteer first before earning money for your business but I’m past that. If I were a beginner then I could work for free but now when I have some work under my belt it would be wrong.

I’ve thought about entrepreneurship for some time now. I went to the entrepreneurship course earlier this year and my dad is self-employed so I know how it is. So what is stopping me from making the first step, you might ask. Well, like I wrote in this post, it’s difficult for me to start things. Starting a business has its cons and it can’t be taken lightly. There is a lot of rules and politics around it. Especially if you’re unemployed. You’re at the mercy of the unemployment agency. If you show the slightest glimpse of entrepreneurship, they take the benefits away from you. They decide if you’re a full-time or part-time entrepreneur. At least that’s how it works in Finland. It doesn’t matter if you get paid for your work or not. You need to be really careful or you end up with nothing. You have no money to live on and then you’re in a big trouble financially. You can apply for a startup grant before starting a business but it’s no guarantee you get it. The beginning of 2018, you could try entrepreneurship for 4 months without having to worry about losing your benefits. But it seems it doesn’t really work the way it was planned. Some people got more problems than solutions when they tried it. Reading about their experiences doesn’t attract me to try it.

What concerns me even more than the financial side is finding clients and trying to sell my skills. Am I really good enough for people to buy my services? Is there a market for my services? There’s so much to think about so everything seems so overwhelming. I’m not good at marketing myself. I could hire someone to do it but then you need money. The word, networking, is the worse an introvert can go through. I feel like like I’m an outsider when I’m in situations like that. On social media, it feels like no one notices my posts so I’m paranoid I don’t get people to find my business.
Another concern is the contracts you need for your clients. When I was in school it was already written. Of course, there are tips online about what to write in a contract and so on. But still, it concerns me. I’m worried I make mistakes. Everyone does those sometimes so I shouldn’t feel bad about it if I do. We all learn from our mistakes and so what if it doesn’t go the way you want it to. Maybe these are only excuses because I’m scared of a big change like that.

When you read about opinions or experiences about entrepreneurship it’s negative or really positive. Finns have a bad habit of encouraging others in a negative way. Some have the attitude that you shouldn’t try anything because you’re gonna fail anyway. If someone does something with their life and actually succeed, then other Finns are jealous. People make entrepreneurship like it’s really difficult. Maybe they just say so because they don’t want competition. There is so much paperwork when you have a business. Someone has failed at their business so they don’t recommend it to anyone. There is always an excuse. But those people who fail haven’t done things the right way. I never understood why things are made so difficult when there are things that aren’t that bad. There are so many good things being self-employed. I might not have all that it takes but I shouldn’t stop dreaming about it because someone says it shouldn’t be done. Would it be better to be unemployed and not ever try to do something with my life? I’m not one of those who rather sits on the couch and collects benefits the rest of their lives. The thought of having my own working schedule and not having to go to work like everyone else is tempting. That’s much better than search for a job I might never find.