When thinking about the next steps for getting work-ready, young people are often faced with a lot of questions about making those difficult career decisions and how best to develop key skills for success. If your students are starting to think about how to put their best foot forward for the future, why not talk them through some of my top tips for young people looking for work.
- Be solution focused.
Developing key enterprise skills means spotting opportunities to get involved and start thinking about how you can make a difference. For example, you could look at improving something in your community, school or workplace. In order to build an enterprising attitude and get ahead, you need to maintain a determined mind-set, find ways to keep busy, think creatively and stay positive.
- Be enthusiastic.
It sounds obvious, but bringing positive energy and passion to the workplace can make all the difference. You can demonstrate enthusiasm to your employer in many different ways, such as choosing the right outfit, showing an interest in what’s going on around you, arriving on time and proving that you are reliable.
- Ask for a second opinion.
If something isn’t working, it’s really important to ask for feedback. You need to find out why you’re not getting positive results, and sometimes getting input from a colleague or employer is a great way to solve the problem. Don’t be afraid of finding out what people have to say. Whether it’s good or bad, listening to criticism is often how we learn to progress and overcome challenges.
- Explore your options and set a goal.
The truth is most of us don’t have a fully-formed idea of our future dream job when we’re in our teens. As a starting point, why not think about the environment you’d like to work in, and the kind of people you’d like to work with. This might help paint a picture of the kind of job that’s right for you. You can also talk to family and friends about their jobs to see what appeals. As you gain more experience and start to get a better idea of what job would be right for you, you can change and adapt your goals until you have a clear career path mapped out.
