I had my information interview and it went really well. We talked mostly about how she decided on her choice for a master's degree and I've started contacting different programs for more information. She also invited me to connect on LinkedIn saying she is doesn't like to add people unless she's met them. Note to self.
I also attended a panel discussion coordinated by the UofC for alumni on staying resilient. I mentioned in the last post that LinkedIn is bugging me to update my new position and I asked what they thought of my putting something in about career exploring and the like. They thought it was a good idea because it would also send a notification to all of my contacts that I'm looking and what I'm looking for. Done. Felt kind of silly but LinkedIn stopped sending me notifications.
I went to the local career and employment agency with an appointment to speak to a counsellor first. After the appointment I popped my head in to the manager's office and asked if she had a moment. I let her know that I was looking to make a career move and I was hoping to volunteer to learn more about career coaching and such. She admitted that she was on board but she would have to talk to the regional manager about it. She asked me to forward an updated copy of my resume and I sent her the most recent one I'd used to apply for something else. Next stop: junior high.
I have experience cold calling and asking strangers for meetings so this was no issue for me. In these two instances, I had a bit of an "in" (though even I thought it was kind of ballsy to approach a place I had turned down an offer from previously). The secret is perspective. I could have looked at the situation as if I should feel ashamed for reaching out to them when I'd turned them down before but I decided to look at the fact that if they were interested in hiring me before, they might be open to what I was suggesting.
Another piece of experience I have gained is that when you are marketing something specific, the person you are marketing to might not see the relevance of what you are offering to what they need. Sometimes you have to ask them what their needs are and formulate your strategy from there. When I met with the vice principal at the junior high, this is the approach I took. I wanted to be able to offer something they needed and I was pretty open to what that was, but I wanted him to ask me for it (essentially).
After he told me about some of the possible deficiencies, I was able to focus on those. They don't have a full-time counsellor nor do they have a visiting one anymore. He wears the hat of career counsellor as well as vice-principal. He's a great guy, honestly, and I'm completely certain that if he has to deal with an unpleasant experience with a student he works hard to put the past in the past and move forward. Kids, though, may not be so inclined. He thought it would be a great idea if I was able to come in during lunch just to offer a different face for their questions.
Success so far, even if neither opportunity will pay, it's still an opportunity.
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