Kate Sutherland

When I grow up I want to be…..
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” How many times were we asked that when we were little? When you were seven the answer changed every week depending on who was your best friend and which superhero you wanted to be that week (catwoman if you’re interested!) Imagination lets us do anything, as we got older we were having it all - the perfect job and the perfect relationship! By 16 reality had set in and for most of us the challenge of how to get a job and a relationship (never mind the perfect ones!) was staring us right in the face. It seems along the way very few of us had picked up the strategies to allow us to achieve the goals that we had set and we didn’t realise that we were in charge of making these things happen!
It was only fairly recently that I had a light bulb moment and realised that the strategies for job search and dating weren’t so different!
Know yourself –Answering “Who am I?” honestly gives you genuine information on your skills, qualities, interests, future plans and values. Before you can present yourself well to potential employers or partners you need to know yourself!
Know what you want and set your goals– It’s hard to say which can be worse dating someone who is a bad fit or taking a job that is a bad fit (but from experience neither will make you happy!) Deciding what you want, setting goals, writing them down and seeing them often will remind you what you are aiming for and will stop you taking up an offer which you will end up regretting.
Don’t be afraid of rejection – just like you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the perfect partner, you have to contact a lot of companies to find the job for you! But don’t be discouraged by the rejection, we find it difficult to deal with because we let “no” become too personal, instead channel your energy into figuring out what it is about you that companies will say “yes” to!
If you’ve got it, flaunt it – And no this section has nothing to do with what you are thinking and everything to do with talent, confidence, humour and personal presentation. First impressions are usually the lasting ones, which doesn’t give you long to create the right one! To be successful you need that “look the world in the eye” type of confidence, a sense of humour that comes with not taking yourself to seriously, a belief in your own talent and ability and, of course, to dress the part!
Get a life – In the same way you need to have time apart when you are in a relationship the same can be said for getting and keeping a job! Employers like to know what you do in your spare time to ensure that you will be a good fit within the company and to see what type of person you are. Similarly when you are in a job you have to have a good work life balance to keep you effective at work, it’s hard to notice that you haven’t got a life when you haven’t got one so here’s a hint – if walking to the photocopier counts as your only source of exercise you need to get out more!!
So, it seems if you keep these things in mind and remember that confidence, attitude, personal presentation and mind set are all hugely important in achieving our personal and professional goals you can use the same strategy and half the pain! Will it be easy –not always, will it be worth it –definitely!!
 

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Kate Sutherland's Quote

"“The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude!”"