Hello Everyone,
I am back, and felt the need to write this blog post after much needed time to reflect on the past month regarding various avenues within my life including my career. I also took a second to read back over my previous posts for AbilityLinks, because whenever I write something my intent is to not only strive to help someone else with the information or experience I am writing about, but to also learn and apply that information within my life as well.
Furthermore, I want to take the time to thank everyone at AbilityLinks for providing people such as myself with the opportunity to have a platform for people with disabilities who are avidly seeking employment. Even with sites that cater to assisting people with disabilities find employment however, I can’t help but wonder if the reason as to why I or someone else hasn’t found employment yet is because we are standing in our own way.
Let me explain. Whether you are a college graduate, are between careers, or have decided to switch into another field all together, we all at some point have stood in our own way of obtaining a career we have wanted and not even realized it. Here are just three ways in which you may have prevented yourself from achieving that career position you wanted.
1. You’ve Lowered Your Career Standards
A lot of times people will feel as if they do not qualify for a specific position that they want to apply for because of nervousness and fear that they do not meet the qualifications. The best advice I’ve received is to still apply for that position anyway. It will definitely feel devastating if you do not get the position, but the one thing that’s important is you’ve gained the confidence to go forth and apply for other positions within your field or within a new opportunity. If you don’t take that chance you’ll never know.
2. Not one to ask for Help
I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t like asking for help that much whether it’s within my career or within personal endeavors. And this is where I’ve fallen short and some of you may have as well. I’ve come to realize that we all may need assistance within some capacity and that’s OK. You’re standing in your own way and preventing your career from progressing because you’re too afraid to ask for assistance, thus could cause you to miss out on an opportunity. Learning to put your pride aside or whatever fears you may have regarding your career if you know you need help could really benefit your career and lead you to the information you need.
3. Is There a Such Thing as Too Much Confidence?
Just like you may feel as if you don’t qualify for a specific position, you can also be what is considered a bit over confident. Meaning you feel that you are capable and qualified to apply for any position that you seek. While having confidence is definitely a wonderful asset, you also need to have realistic expectations, which means applying for positions that coincide with your skill set. I know this from personal experience. I recently applied for an Administrative position with a company, got to the phone interview, and dare I say it, I bombed. The administrative skills that I possess wasn’t what they were looking for and my responses to the questions asked obviously weren’t what they needed. I am proud of myself for being open-minded and trying something new, but I also needed to be realistic about certain things, and I wasn’t.
One important factor that I want you to take away from this post is to never stop going after your career goals even if you may feel under qualified, not willing to ask for help, or have too much confidence. There’s ways to improve in all of these areas so that you may work towards being your best self, so that the next time you apply for a position, you are ready, willing, and able.
