Five Ways Job Hunting is like Shoe Shopping

Confession: I’m not a Gen Y girl.  I’m knocking on the door of 40.  I remember the day MTV went live in our house and walking to my television to change the channel.  Gen X all the way.

Not to worry. I’m not a Gen X hater of the so-called entitled younger generation. In fact, I know some fabulous Gen Y women and I have a lot of admiration for you ladies. I may even be a wee bit jealous.

You have the opportunity to learn from those who came before you in a way like we never did. All over the Internet you’ll find countless stories of women who have blazed the trails before you. You’ll find ways to make your own trail, find support, network the hell out of LinkedIn and all while wearing fabulous shoes.

We had “What Color is Your Parachute,” pantyhose, and mules. Ew.

See? Not attractive.

When given the opportunity to write career advice for this blog, my immediate thought was, “What do I know? I’m not a CEO of some amazing company. I’m just me, freelancing on the side while raising two boys.”  But, I thought back to my early working girl days and realized, there’s a story.

Mistakes were made.

My major in college was Public Relations, but I knew I wasn’t cut out for the PR life of pitching stories to the media. I don’t even like to talk on the phone to my friends. The idea of calling journalists to pitch a story gave me a stomachache!

I ended up taking internships that were not the traditional PR gig: an information officer at a government agency, the typical “fetch coffee” internship at a magazine, and a marketing role at a small local business. When one turned out to be a real job offer after graduation, I jumped at it.

There I was, working at a small, family-run business doing “marketing” with no training, support, or direction. I was making it up as I went along at 22 years old with a manager who was not much older than me. She did cold-call sales and I created marketing projects.

One afternoon, the owner of the company brought me in his office to review a project I put together. By the end of the “meeting” he was telling me how I was too timid and needed to speak up, plus a list of other criticisms of my personality. Oh, my writing was strong, but basically, I wasn’t my outgoing, cold-calling boss. It wasn’t constructive criticism during my annual review with learning opportunities or helpful advice. It was a straight-up, out-of-the-blue, put-down session. I was so upset I couldn’t speak.

Yeah, so that happened.

It was nearly 20 years ago and it still makes me mad. I waver between being mad at him for being an a**hole and being mad at myself for not telling him so (it was good that I didn’t). Most of all, I am mad at myself for letting that experience sit with me for years and letting it hold me back.

But, something happens when 40 looms. You start looking back and gearing up for the next big thing. I realize this and all the other mistakes I made along the way taught me a lot about me, about work, and about people.

I now believe that that boss wasn’t trying to crush my spirit, but it obviously wasn’t a good fit. I realized…

Five Ways Job Hunting is Like Shoe Shopping

1) Don’t buy stilettos if you’re a ballerina flats girl.

 Stop and think about you. Your personality, your passions, your interests. Take personality tests, ask friends, do some deep soul-searching.

Are you an introvert? Don’t take a sales job. Are you the life of the party? Don’t even think about anything with the title “analyst” in it.  Do some informational interviews to find out what types of activities go into different jobs that might interest you.

Of course you might learn new skills along the way, but the core of your job responsibilities should be something that fits you well.

If it’s not your style, you’ll never be comfortable.

2) Make sure the shoes go with the outfit.

When interviewing, ask what is the ideal personality for the job, the company, and the team. You won’t be happy and your employer won’t be happy if it’s not a good personality fit. My boss wanted a “go-getter” instead of introverted-thinker like me. I later applied for an ad sales job and convinced myself I could do it. Thank God I didn’t get the job!

Some companies are doing more to find the best personality fit, but in all the years of my interviews very few expressed how personality fit in along with skills and experience. But, you can ask.

3) Don’t go with a peekaboo toe, if you’ve got funky toes. But, rock those pumps if you’ve got great calves.

In other words, know your strengths. Truly. Not just the answer you give on the interview.

Think about classes you loved and excelled at in school. I loved writing, research, and bringing it all together into a story. That was not party planning and cold calls, but that’s what I did for several years until I realized it was not for me.

4) Shop around. Don’t buy the first pair that fits.

Maybe you feel like there is no other job out there and you need the income. Can you give it one or two more weeks to decide? Can you find another temporary situation? Take your time if you can.

Ask follow-up questions after your interviews. Not just because it shows you’re interested, which is what the recruiters will say, but because you really need to think about the choice you’re about to make.

5) Don’t regret a bad purchase.

Maybe you don’t have another option and you fall into a role that’s not a good fit. Take it as an opportunity to learn and stretch your skills. Put your head down and get some dirt under your nails. Ask a lot of questions and take every professional development opportunity they offer.

You might even find an opportunity within the company that is a better fit. But, do the best you can in the role that you have to build your reputation as a hard worker. You will make it easy for you to move if and when the opportunity arises. Then plan your next move.

The rest of my story?  I’ve come a long way. After a few more jumps, I went to graduate school and settled into a job that is more my style. I’m a marketing research consultant. I quietly observe, listen, and talk with people then I get to ruminate and write about it. Lately, I’ve been working on getting back to more creative writing as well. It’s a perfect fit. And, my shoes are better too.

Casey Bernard lives and works as a marketing research consultant in Austin, Texas where she juggles work, motherhood, and knitting and other creative endeavors.  She’s a wedge sandal kind of girl.