Accelerate your career growth as a job seeker in three steps

Aim for roles that scare you

Apply for roles that will allow a good amount of stretch. There’s a good saying ‘If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough’. In order to accelerate your career, you need to get comfortable with the fact that you’re going to skip steps. As such, every role you take should include a healthy amount of learning and uncomfortableness. Take roles that include more responsibility. A good way to do this is by using the 80:50 rule. If your job is more technical, ensure you match 80% of the technical skills, and 50% of the social skills. For instance, if you are applying for a role as a chemist, you need to match most of the technical requirements. But if you’ve only ever worked in a small lab with 1 or 2 people, try and apply to roles in large multinational companies, where you deal with departments, politics, and tighter deadlines.

If your role is more social-oriented, such as a retail worker, try and apply for roles that much 80% of your current social skills, and 50% of your technical skills, such as working in a pharmacy or electronics. Work with places that will make you do extra tasks, such as stocktake or sales.

Another great way to do this is by applying for small or new companies — 3/4-year-olds are great. You will be relied on to take way more ownership of your work because the processes and people just aren’t in place.

The whole point of applying for roles that scare you is that it forces you to learn new skills, which will open you up to even more exciting opportunities in the future. It’s also a sure-fire way to increase your salary faster, and be considered for leadership and executive roles in the future.

Get a mentor

Find someone in your network (or outside it if you buy them a coffee) that can act as a personal job coach — a mentor. Decide where you want to be in 5 years (because it’s not too far away and not too soon either) that is in that current position. As to meet with them over coffee a few times and pick their brain about what it takes to do what they did, to get to where they are. Mentors can motivate you and keep you on the right path. It’s a good idea to meet with your mentor consistently and get their advice on the path you’re taking. This wisdom is a much better source of information than anything else, as this person has lived the steps and knows how to do it. You may even be able to tap into their network and find other people that can help. Potential mentors can be anyone you used to work with, friends, family, or someone you’ve connected with on LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to approach people because they will most likely find it flattering! And everyone loves talking about themselves — especially if you buy them coffee!

Invest in personal development

Whether it is youtube videos every day, ted talk lectures, actual in-person meetups, or formal study, get BETTER at what you do. If your unemployed, there’s no way you can fill your WHOLE week with job hunting — unfortunately there just aren't that many jobs. Instead, keep yourself up to date with new research in your field and just take the time to learn. This will not only ensure you don't forget how to do your craft but also it’ll make you feel more confident in interviews. When employers look at your gap in employment, you can show that you weren't just waiting for things to happen — you got out there are improved yourself, almost making it out like your time away from work was intentional.