HealthyGamerGG - I Can’t Find a Job Without Experience

Episode Date: September 9, 2022

Dr. K dives into job experience, jack-of-all-trades versus specialization, knowing multiple fields, and more! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/healthygamergg/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, like, since you understand different dimensions of design, instead of actually doing the design, if you're managing people who are doing the design and you have kind of a bigger, a wider experience, that can actually be really good. Hello. Hello. Hi. Hi. How are you?

Good. How are you? Hi. Thanks. What do you go by? Hidge. You can call me Hidge. Hidge?

Hiji. Nice to meet you, Hiji. Nice to meet you. And we're going to be talking. How's your career or job going? Well, at the moment, I'm pretty happy with it because I just found a very unexpected job. Awesome. Good for you.

Actually. Yeah, thank you. Not actually in my field, but it's something I'm interested in learning. So this comes from a place where I was like looking around for six months for a job. I was applying in my field specifically, and I had actually no success because of how industry requirements works. And this new company is a new format, so it makes me feel a little bit more hopeful, I guess. Okay. So it sounds like things are going pretty well. And is there something in particular you wanted to talk about or share today? Yeah, it's more like, can I give a little bit

of background. Please. Yeah, I just graduated. I graduated in environmental design, and I did a technician in graphic design. Okay. So, and I did internships for both of them. So usually when we graduate, we're like, okay, now I'm going to try to find a job in this field specifically.

Yep. And I was trying to look at jobs and I was really, frustrated for like six months because just like at least here in my country is like oh we would love to get to a job if you have two years of experience which is not doable for people who just graduated yeah but outside this we actually can't find jobs that are offering that don't have these things specifically so I was kind of very sad and was actually giving up on finding jobs I actually liked. And I was on LinkedIn and it kind of was like, oh, this is the same interest as they do.

And it's a company that does mini for RPG games, tabletop RPG games. But when I read like all the things they asked me to do, I actually didn't match at all what they asked for. I was like, but I like this so much. This is so cool. And I was remembering a video where you were like talking about

why sometimes we don't do things, why we're scared. And I was like, okay, if I don't apply to this job, I don't get this job. If I apply and they say, no, I don't get the job either. So I applied to it. And what was really cool is that they accepted

me. And what's really cool about, it's like a startup. So they think a little bit differently. They were like, okay, we see that you're like from a lot of different fields. And we know you don't know how to do this specifically, but you're willing to let you learn and teach you. So that was really the hopeful side of it. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah, that's pretty awesome, right? I'm so happy for you, Hiji. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, so you said you're working at designing miniatures, is that right? Like little figurines for RPGs?

I'm not designing them per se. It's like they have a team who are actual people who graduated for this, who designed them. And there are people who painted and they're other people. I am like the middle ones who are, actually do 3D printing unit supports for the piece to be printed

so it doesn't fall while being printed. So I just put the supports so that doesn't require that much of a graduation thing. Okay. And so it sounds like you're pretty happy with your job? Yes, yes. And so let me just see if I understand this. So it sounds like people were, you're applying for entry-level positions

that required two years of experience? Yes, that also. And very specifically, graphic design and environmental design, which is what I'm graduated in. Can you tell me a little bit about environmental design? It's like interior design, but we can also do external places. I see. Okay.

Yeah, I mean, that's awesome. So I want to just thank you for sharing your story because I think it's like, you know, it's so interesting, right? because there are entry-level positions that have two years of experience requirements, which is, like, impossible for college students or recent graduates to meet. And then on the flip side, there are jobs out there which you may not feel qualified for, that if you actually just apply and give it a chance, you may be surprised at what you get. And so I'm really glad that you took that chance because it sounds like it worked out for you.

Yeah, one thing there is also, I think, worth saying is that many times, for these jobs specifically, it's not like I'm getting super payment or anything. It's something really simple, like anyone can do this. I learned the software in like a day and a half. They gave me this day to learn it. And it's like it's not a really special and hard job to get, and I'm not being super paid for it. But it feels like the company is kind of embracing me as like someone who wants to learn. And usually, at least here with people that I know, people are going to striving for companies so big that you actually mentioned like in your string earlier.

It's like the different mentality of work where you have to already be good. So you get really nice payment. And it's like this approach. I gave was more like a slow walk, I guess. Yeah. So I think that's worth pointing out as well, which is that, you know, it sounds like they value you and you feel valued. And even though the compensation isn't the best, that there's hopefully opportunities to grow within the company. Am I hearing that?

Yes. Yeah. And I think, you know, just remember that if things don't work out there, you, you'll have some experience under your belt. and you can always move if you need to. There's the point that I actually wanted to ask you. The only thing that bothers me a little bit is my curriculum. Because when you go and read my curriculum, it is like all over the place in a sense that normally like,

oh, I want to do graphic design. So you send a curriculum, it's like I did graphic design in this enterprise. I did this. When you look at my curriculum, it's like, Oh, I did interior design. And then I did graphic design. And then I'm painting miniatures. And then it's like all over the place.

It doesn't feel like I'm digging deep into anything. It makes me a little bit worried. People might my thinking like a shallow professional, I guess. Sure. So I think that that's a reasonable concern. And I'm kind of feeling, Hiji, that maybe I can teach a little bit. as opposed to like ask you questions about your feelings right now.

Is that with that? That's okay for me. I like it. So, you know, I'm not getting the sense that your fear is like due to some deep psychological thing. I think it's just like it's a reasonable concern. So here's what I understand your concern to be. When someone looks at your curriculum, which is like the history of what you've done, right? Is that what you mean by that word?

Is like when you're, okay. They're not going to see specialization. in one area. They're going to see a little bit of this, a little bit of this, a little bit of this. And so I think that that is actually very attractive to certain employers and certain jobs. And you just have to pitch it the right way.

So let's try to understand a little bit about the difference between being very specialized versus being general. So if I specialize in a particular thing, so let's say like, let's use psychiatry as an example. So let's say I specialized in trauma. And I worked in trauma for two years and then another place for five years and advanced trauma here. And I have 10 years of trauma experience.

So then that's great because if there's a job open that requires a trauma specialist, I'm very, very well suited for that job. But there are other kinds of mental health jobs for which that actually isn't necessarily an advantage. So for example, there are some companies that will hire essentially like mental health professionals to work for people within the company. So it's like, you know, if there's a company of 500 people, they may hire a psychologist to take care of their employees. And that's the kind of job where you don't want someone who just is really good at one thing. You want someone who can deal with trauma, deal with depression, deal with anxiety, deal with substance use or addictions.

Does that make sense? Yes, it does. So I think in that way, because you've tried a couple of different things. I don't know that, you know, if someone is looking for a very specialized thing, you may not be the most competitive candidate. But I think there are a couple of really interesting opportunities you have. The first is that you can tell people that, hey, I understand a lot of different aspects of design. So I've experienced in multiple different kinds of design. So interestingly enough, you may be able, there may be some kind of other design like interior design, for example, that you can say, I understand environmental design. I understand like even the nuts and bolts of like developing support structures for miniatures and things like that,

almost like more from an engineering aspect. So I, you know, I understand a lot of the other pieces. You know, it's not just one thing. The other thing that, the other way that you can kind of pitch it is that you can also tell people that you're like a quick learner. So you've learned multiple different things and you've learned how to succeed in all three of these different fields. So if there is something a little bit that's, you know, if there's a new skill or you're working at a startup or there's a new kind of design philosophy or perspective or something like that, then you can sort of say, like, I'm really good at picking up new things. My background was in this. I worked in something that was slightly different. I got promoted after one year because I did

such a good job. I'm very good at learning on the job. I'm very good at providing what a company needs, even if my background, I don't necessarily have experience in it. So I'm very fluid in supporting like whatever the company needs and I can learn new things and execute on them in a strong way. So that's the kind of thing that like sometimes companies will love. The last advantage that you may actually have is sometimes managers have the background that you have. So like since you understand different dimensions of design, instead of actually doing the design, if you're managing people who are doing the design and you have kind of a bigger, a wider experience, that can actually be really good.

So if you look at even people like project managers at tech companies and stuff like that, they may work with people who are coders. They may not be the best coders themselves, but they understand different coding projects. Does that make sense? Yes, it does. The thing is, I'm a little bit more to the creativity side, so I actually enjoy doing the things. I don't actually like managing people. Yeah, so that's just something to keep in mind, right?

So just because the best way you can sell yourself may not necessarily be what you enjoy the most. And that's okay. So what that may mean is that you may be able to get higher paying jobs with more of your strengths. But if you don't really enjoy that, then you can lean towards the creative. I still think that generally speaking, you're kind of in a good spot. because you've got a couple different kinds of things. And I think a lot of you finding the right job is going to be how persistent you are and looking for it. Right?

So I wouldn't, you know, because I think a lot of finding the right job is like just the opportunity. Like, so you've got to kind of network and get to know people and kind of keep out on the lookout. I wouldn't, you know, spend five years at this company and then like then go looking for something else. I presume, you know, if you're not happy with some aspect, then if you're completely happy with it, then that's totally fine. That's interesting because I grow up used to seeing people working in the same company for their entire lives. So whenever I do work in a company, that's what I kind of strive for. And maybe that's why it was bothering me a little bit, the thing that I was, I needed to be good at one.

thing exactly, because I was afraid I wasn't able to grow in that industry, actually. Yeah. So that you mention it, I think about it. Yeah, so that's understandable because I think, let's say, 30 years ago, 20 years ago, people did stay more longitudinally at one company. But I get the sense that that's changing. I'm not an expert on this kind of research, but I think there's some research that shows that people who move jobs every, like, two to five years actually, like, maximize their

income. There are some industries in which people move around a lot. There are some industries in which you stay. I think it just depends on the industry, the company, things like that. So I think, you know, you may find a long-term company. The issue is that the long-term company may not be your first company. Oh, I see. Right? Yeah. So you may have to move around a little bit, and then you'll find a place and you're like, I actually really like these people. I feel like my compensation is pretty good. I feel like my growth at this company is pretty good. And I've worked with a lot of people who are very successful, get compensated very well, who have stayed at a place for a long period of time, and will build their entire career at one institution.

And that can be very successful, too. I think it's just you've got to find the right one. Yeah, that's the hard fun. Yeah. But I think, I mean, I'm optimistic if you're, you know, if you're not going to get in your own way in terms of you did a good job of applying for a job that you quote unquote didn't think you could get and I would continue doing that so continue exploring continue believing in yourself or just taking a chance and I think you'll probably do well oh I hope so well cool she disconnected or dropped okay see it looked like huh disconnected Okay. Okay. Well, yeah. So I think it's cool to hear that, you know, people are trying the stuff that we recommend and it's working out for them. Right. So like, we'll say a lot of stuff on stream. Like, hey, you should do this and you should do this. And we don't really have great data about the people who do it or don't do it and how it ends up with them. But it's always nice to hear that, and I'd encourage you all to take Hiji's story to heart that, you know, on the one hand, there are jobs that you, quote, unquote, should get or are good on paper for,

and those jobs won't hire you because it's an entry-level position with two years of experience. And on the flip side, there may be jobs that you don't think that you can get, which may actually hire you because of the state of the company or whatever. And so in either case, like, you know, I would just encourage you all to not work against yourself, right? If you think that you're not going to get a job, you know, don't bother not applying. Like, take a chance from time to time. We're not saying if you're a college graduate and, you know, let's say Facebook is looking for a new CEO.

Like, I don't think you're going to get that job. But, you know, or meta, sorry. But at the same time, like, recognize that there are a lot of employers out there who are willing to take a chance on employees that are willing to learn and are willing to grow, et cetera, et cetera. And, you know, give it a shot. Thank you.