I recently watched the movie Eddie the Eagle on Netflix, the story of Michael “Eddie” Edwards, a ski jumper who represented Great Britain at the 1988 winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.  He was the first ski jumping competitor to represent Great Britain in the Olympics since 1929 and the only member of his team. Eddie finished 73rd out of 73 competitors in both the 70 metre and 90 metre jumps. So, why would anybody make a movie about someone who finished last?

I remember Eddie and his appearance at the Olympics. Although he did not win he became a symbol for doing your best and having a positive attitude. He became a beacon of positivity and a joy to watch. In the end, he was possibly the most revered participant at the Olympics that year.

According to the movie, Eddie wore leg brace as a child and also endured and overcame many barriers on his way to the Olympics. Almost everyone told Eddie to give up on his dream of going to the Olympics.

When people told him he couldn’t do it, he kept going. When people told him he couldn’t go, he just kept saying that he was going. When the British Olympic committee raised the distance necessary to qualify for the Olympics, in hopes of eliminating him, Eddie tried harder. In spite of all odds, and in the face of all obstacles, Eddie persevered.

Obviously, Eddie will not go down in history as a great ski jumper, but he will be remembered for his tenacity, his willingness to keep trying and his undeniable positive attitude. When Eddie did what others considered a terrible jump, Eddie chose to focus on the fact that he had set a new British record.

In my mind, we can all learn something from Eddie the Eagle. Too many people put forward the least amount of effort possible and then bemoan the fact that they have failed. Sometimes people only try once and then determine that the world is against them. Instead of listening to their inner voice and their own self-knowledge, they listen to the voices of those who tell them that they can’t.

I have seen this many times, mostly in people’s approach to their life and their career. They put forth a half hearted effort. They can’t be bothered to update their skills to stay competitive. They can’t be bothered to make a resume specifically for the job they want. They can’t be bothered to go out and talk to people and find out how to move themselves and their career forward. Then when they fail, they see themselves as victims of the system or the Labour Market.

Recently, Eddie returned to Calgary to mark the 25^th anniversary of his Olympic glory. Waiting for him were some children who had seen the movie and knew Eddie’s reputation. They saw him as an inspiration and a role model.  To them, Eddie was a hero.

What would happen if we all put forth our best effort and just kept trying to do our best? What would happen if we had a positive attitude and projected a positive attitude out into the world? What would happen if we kept going towards a goal, towards a job, towards a life? You may only find out if you follow the wisdom of Eddie. Just jump!

Ok, so this is sort of over the top, but I’m willing to bet there are many people who have had EXACTLY that thought. Raise your hand if you’ve thought about this.

Of course, there was a time when you could act on this sentiment.  It used to be easy to leave your job and find and new one; sometimes the same day. However, in the decades since those glory days, things have changed. Jobs are difficult to land and people think long and hard about leaving their job, especially if they have no job to go to. More often than not, people put up with jobs that for one reason or another are soul-sucking and/or abusive.

As a Career Counsellor, it is my job to stay abreast of trends in the Labour Market. In the past few years I have seen many people who were very discouraged by their work situation, but were not willing to leave their job for fear of not finding another. However, in spite of the precarious nature of the current job market, I am now seeing a trend – people who have had enough! Enough of disrespect and enough abuse! Some people are so fed up with their job that they are willing to take a huge risk and simply quit their job. I don’t recommend this strategy.

Although it’s very scary, changing jobs is still something to consider. Life is too short to spend a significant amount of your time and energy at a job that sucks you dry and leaves you feeling abused. However, I think it’s a good idea to have a strategy for changing jobs instead of just throwing in the towel. It’s important to do research to find out what job possibilities are out there for you. Don’t just look for job postings that seem suitable. Read the job positing thoroughly, word for word, and make sure that it is a really good fit for you and your skills. Try to imagine yourself doing the job. Research the company to see if it looks like a place that you would enjoy working.

If you conclude that you want to apply for the job, make sure you do nothing less than a spectacular application, including a resume and cover letter, targeted specifically at that particular job and the needs of the company.  Use your resume and cover letter to prove to the company that you are capable of doing the job and making a contribution. Remember, you may be competing with more than 100 other people, so you need to make sure that your application will be noticed and will land you an interview.

Is changing jobs worth it? You won’t know until you do it, but I encourage everyone to explore the possibilities that await you.

There’s no one reason for the high number of unemployed young people in North America today. Certainly the global economic downturn has had a lot to do with the lack of jobs for everyone, not only young people. The implications of the current Labour Market are both broad and long ranging. With fewer jobs available at any given time, it falls to the job seeker to go to unprecedented lengths to land a job.

One reason for the lack of jobs in young people is their passive approach to job search. I often see ads on Kijiji posted by young people looking for work. These postings are usually unfocused, poorly written and somewhat desperate. Many don’t write in full sentences and/or have a multitude of short forms or spelling mistakes. I often wonder how many of those young people who post “job wanted” listings on Kijiji actually get jobs as a result of their posting. I can hardly imagine an employer sitting down at their computer to look through the long list of half-hearted pleas by young people offering their services, to find a star job candidate. NO! The onus is on the job seeker to respond to the needs of the employer, not the other way around.

So, one reason for the lack of jobs for young people is that they have not bothered to address the needs of employers by creating a resume and cover letter that clearly demonstrates how they can contribute to the success of the business or to the organization.

Another reason that young people miss out on opportunities in the job market is the reputation established by many young people who have been successful in obtaining a job. Many business owners, managers and supervisors have reported a serious lack of work ethic amongst younger workers. They seem to want the job, but they don’t want it enough to show up for work on time or all of the time. Or they take days off for personal reasons at a rate much higher than the rest of the population. They don’t seem to understand that the duties that they are required to do on the job are crucial to the success of the business. In other words, they don’t take work very seriously. Many employers would rather hire an older person for a job because generally speaking older people make more reliable employees and they take their responsibilities more seriously. This leads me to another reason for the lack of jobs for young people.

In many cases young people lose out on jobs to older people, some of whom are forced to take jobs traditionally held by younger people, due to a shortage of jobs in their field and a serious need to pay bills and keep a roof over their head. People who are forced into this position usually take landing a job very seriously and will go to any length to keep their lives together. This serious approach is not usually held by younger people, who typically don’t have the same level of responsibility. Ironically, it’s often the parent taking on the entry-level job to help support their young adults who stay at home because they are unable to land a job.

So, although there is a lack of jobs in the current labour market, there are some jobs that are open to young people. If they want these jobs they need to not only do a spectacular presentation in the form of an excellent resume and cover letter, but they must overcome the common perception that they will be unreliable.

The best way to do that is to establish a good track record in all areas of their life. Even if they take on grass cutting jobs or babysitting jobs, they need to prove that they are reliable and conscientious. They can also do volunteer work to establish a track record and a positive work history. A successful track record at school can also be seen as an indicator of dedication and hard work.

In short, young people need to start preparing themselves for the job market well in advance of looking for work. And when the time comes to apply for a job they need to take the application process seriously and make sure that their resume and cover letter address the needs of the employer and spell out what good employees they will be. Then they need to follow through with an outstanding performance on the job so that they can work towards the next job.

Dream Jobs and Nightmares

For many years career counsellors have promoted the theory of finding your “dream job”, and we career counsellors and coaches were keen to help people find them. The theory was that there was a “perfect” job out there somewhere, and with our help people could get the job of their dreams. We were excited by the prospect of helping people get the job that would fulfill them and make them happy to leap out of bed each morning and work happily at that job all day. And that is still a great idea and a good goal. However, the labour market has been changing.

Back in the early 1900’s jobs were scarce and people were happy to get a job; any job. When Henry Ford offered the possibility of earning up to $5.00 a day for labouring in his Ford Motor Company, thousands showed up to get those well-paid jobs. No matter that they were gruelling, unrelenting jobs. They were a job and they were well paid. Never mind that you weren’t cut out for the work. If you could get this job, you were happy to take it.

Over time, jobs became plentiful and people were able to pick and choose between jobs. In the 1960’s and 70’s a person could set out to find work in the morning and be working in a new job by afternoon. If they didn’t like that job, they could leave and get another one the next day.

With the bounty of jobs ripe for the picking, the notion of an ideal or “dream job” evolved. People began to understand that they could actually find a job which would make them happy. We career practitioners were delighted to have the opportunity to guide people to those jobs. We had the tools and the expertise to get through the morass of possibilities.

In recent years, however, the notion of a “dream job” has faded as the economy slows and social changes impact the Labour Market. Jobs are fewer and farther between and harder to get. According to the laws of supply and demand employers can set specific requirements for available jobs and only consider applicants who meet their criteria. Conversely, job seekers are sometimes forced by financial constraints to take jobs that are not a good fit for them. We do what we have to do to survive.

Does this mean that people should give up on finding work that will suit them and fulfill them? I don’t think so. It is still important to aim for satisfying work; however, it is more important than ever that people take their job search seriously. Research and self-knowledge are two important components of finding work that is a good fit.

Once realized, it must be followed up with nothing less than a spectacular resume and cover letter. This is not the time to send in your tired, old resume. You only have one shot at making an impression with the hiring personnel. It is also important to realize that the hiring process is far different from that of even a decade ago. It’s important to research how hiring is done and how to manage the perils of the internet and on-line applications.

So, don’t stop looking for your “dream job”, but don’t let the process turn into a nightmare.