Building Your Career While Waiting for Results

Introduction

You already made it! After several hours of revising and rehearsing for your exams, you finally submitted your final test. You are now waiting for the results so that you can know the way forward in your dream career.

But must you wait for the results before you can start building your dream career? Well, since you’ll still have bills to pay and other needs, I recommend that you start building your dream career even before the results are out.

So should you take any job you can get or only look for your dream job? The answer to this question can be a little tricky. Any role that you get while searching for your desired job will help you in one of the three ways, income, credibility, or experience.

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To land your desired appointment, you will certainly need the right background and skills. However, in the meantime, you should look for those roles that will help you to build the relevant experience. This might include considering positions at firms that have excellent reputations, even when the task in question is not your specific goal.

 In this article, we’ll look at some of the things that you should do to help you build your career as you wait for your final results.

Create a Great First Impression at the New Job

Regardless of whether you love the paycheck or the job, it is never too soon to start building a personal brand at the workplace. You’re already aware that it’s essential to have an excellent first impression at the new job.

Besides, you should create the list of the things you wish to accomplish within your 1st week, month, and three months while on the job. This will help you to succeed in the future.

Make Optimum Use of Your Current Situation

Reset your expectations at the new position to avoid unnecessary disappointments. The fact that the task you’re currently undertaking isn’t your dream job does not mean that you’re wasting your time.

It is usually necessary to either take a step backwards or sideways in your career to gain the experience and skills needed to move forward. Consider the new job as the stepping stone that will help you to achieve your long-term goals.

This is mainly true if you’re a recent college graduate at your 1st entry-level job. When you are attempting to get a new industry, you are searching for a chance to get into the industry, even if it’s an unpaid internship or even an entry-level job that isn’t within your area of study. Your 1st job after school will need grunt work.

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However, if you’re questioning your career path because of an entry-level job, look at the position of the person two levels above, you are performing for the firm. If the role of that person interests you, know you are following the right track.

Find Outlets of Your Interests

Look for various ways to utilize the skills that you like the most or wish to undertake in a dream career, particularly if they’re not within the description of your current job.

For example, if you’re passionate about writing, share that information with the manager. The company may have opportunities that you can contribute to with your writing skills, such as company blogs. Also, look for other opportunities that you can perform your craft outside your new job. This may help to boost your resume in a future target job.

Network with the Job

Various studies have demonstrated that you’re more likely to get a job if an employee referral accompanies your application. One common way of getting those coveted recommendations is through networking.

Therefore, be an active networker at your first job. Establish an invaluable professional network connection by participating in alumni events of your alma mater, look for face-to-face opportunities to network via trade shows, conferences, and professional associations, or join relevant groups online. 

You do not need to leave the office to network. Know colleagues within your department and exploit the firm-wide events to interact with people outside your department. Networking with current colleagues is particularly helpful if you plan to keep working in the same industry or wish to pursue another role at the same firm.

Develop the Skills That You Need

You might realize that the new job is not allowing you to develop specific skills that are essential in your professional advancement. In that case, lookout for opportunities that will fill the gaps in your expertise.

For instance, you can opt to sign up for online courses or choose one of the highly recommended books on career development to assist you in developing a particular skill.

Also, you can learn about various opportunities for professional development through relevant webinars, seminars, conferences, and professional associations that you join.

Continue Looking for Your Dream Job

Although some people can argue you need to avoid being referred to as a job hopper by the employers, many career experts admit that you should continue looking for a new job opportunity if you’re not at your dream job.

You can accomplish this through various ways such as updating your resume frequently, prioritizing networking as well as applying in positions that you’re either qualified or interested in.

Always Stay Motivated

Although staying motivated in a job that you are currently doing and don’t love can be challenging, you should not allow the current situation to pull you down. Instead, try to engage in things that will keep you happy at the job and keep you motivated at all times.

Conclusion

If you recently finished your final exams and anxious to start building your career as you wait for results, I suggest that you search for a new opportunity and try to follow some of the steps that I have highlighted in this article. These steps will help you to make a lot of important decisions as you start the journey to build your desired career.