The Importance of the Second Job

This blog article is going to look at voluntary roles that students and staff members may undertake throughout your career. This can be designated work experiences, a job, or less expressly voluntary roles.

So a voluntary role is generally seen more as an unpaid opportunity for work experience for learners. Individuals who work in a different field may use the voluntary role or charity work to fulfil a role they cannot seek out in their present job. The overarching benefit is undoubtedly the engagement with other professionals in a different context. Learning a different skill from other professionals is so important for those with only academic knowledge. If the learner needs a specific experience to explore a job opportunity, the voluntary work can sometimes offer this.

Good examples of experience:

• It generally makes the individual more successful in their work by allowing them access to new experiences that they can apply to their career.

• It gives learners the chance to explore different careers before you decide on the correct pathway for yourself. If you are in the vocational fields, it is so vital to work in different fields. They need to know what you want to do, what you would not do, and areas that you may think about in more detail. 

• It gives you the chance to work with teams of individuals in your chosen field; it gives you an idea of their journey and how you can get there. 

• It allows you to explore areas within your field that you are interested in, which shows your passion. It provides your employer with an insight into the holistic you, hobbies, and interests outside of work.

• It provides you with the opportunity to trial different fields if you are thinking of a move or career change before making that leap think if you want to work with dogs or open a kennel. Work at a kennel, see how to manage it try to work within different areas, and get an idea of the job, not just the image of the job.

• Remember, this is a flexible approach to the job you are entering. You are offering your time and providing the workplace with an effectively free resource. You come with a relatively low cost to the business, and they can potentially use your knowledge and insights of other fields to grow themselves. 

• For many learners, especially in fields like Zoo collections or conservation, this is often how you get a job as you know the system, and they have a lower financial cost with training you. Plus, you have effectively been doing one long interview process.

• It helps you build and develop your contacts in the field and enables you to work with individuals who are interested in the field and may themselves explore other avenues. This can be invaluable as both of your careers grow as your contacts may lead to future jobs or business opportunities. 

• It is a great talking point for your CV or LinkedIn profiles.

Bad examples of work experiences:

When I talk about bad work experiences, this is how you use it constructively and learn from the experience, not examples of them as if you have had or believe you are having a bad experience. You will be aware of it.

• Be honest about your experience what did you find to be the negative feature was it the environment, the colleagues you were working with, or was it the job. Was the job reflective of what you would be doing if you were trained, or did they not know how to apply you to the workplace effectively? Try and reflect on it with someone from a neutral perspective, not someone with a bias in favour of you or the workplace. 

• Remember, you may not be the only one discussing these points with colleagues and friends constructively in some cases can help your situation. If you are finding the work demanding or the task difficult to understand, ask for help engage support that may be available, a problem shared is a problem halved. Remember not to make it personal, discuss areas that are a challenge in the job for support. Do not use it as a gossip tool. 

• Remember to focus on the positives, what experiences you can take from your lessons in the job, and how this can be effectively utilised in your career plan. Think from a reflective point of view what does this experience tell you about who you are and what you want to do. It is also essential to have a comparison try to work elsewhere, so you do not have a bias against a field based on one experience. 

While the above largely takes the view of work experience for students, this must be recognised as a benefit for those in the working field and those studying. Whilst many individuals do not necessarily want to take on the burden of a voluntary job alongside paid work, or part-time work whilst they are studying, you cannot always find part-time work in your chosen field. This is why you must use your time effectively what value does it add to your career, does it improve your CV, provide you with business or job opportunities, does it elevate your brand. Working in multiple roles gives you the benefit of seeing yourself from different prospectives. You can highlight to employers and investors the holistic you not just the professional you. If you are active on social media, it is also worth remembering that using it as a tool can also help drive your career forward. The goal should always be to find that golden opportunity where you love what you do and are satisfied in your professional as well as your personal life. By starting a second job where you showcase more of you as a person, you attract more opportunities as the more you work with a variety of people and expand your network you enable this knowledge sharing to propel you forward. The more you surround yourselves with likeminded individuals, the more enriched your professional, as well as personal life, becomes. A second job reduces the risk for you, especially if you are trying to turn a side job into your primary job role. This gives you more safety to explore new opportunities and experiences without committing all of your time and financial resources. It is an excellent time to reflect on your financial independence as well as working multiple sources can allow you to generate revenue from various sources and not have a reliance on one single revenue stream which can give you a safety net to fall back on. This also gives you the option to explore other opportunities as financial security allows for greater flexibility professionally. On top of this, it gives you the chance to reflect on you and what you want to achieve. 

https://www.ncvo.org.uk/ncvo-volunteering/why-volunteer

https://agilesearch.io/blog/moving-on-from-a-bad-work-experience/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanrobinson/2017/07/06/unexpected-benefits-start-side-hustle-today/

Your Career Post Covid

The job market in some fields has never been tougher as it will for those facing the ramifications of Covid-19. Now the virus has severely damaged some key industries there are some which we will see a bounce back with a leaner model but others may now stop altogether as Covid-19 is another nail in the coffin. Now the industries which come to mind are large high street stores which have been declining in the wake of the online revolution. Now as I have touched on before in other blogs, not all high streets will suffer like this but many chains will, as what they offer is not different enough from the online stores or competitors. Looking at businesses like Gymshark, which recently became a billion-pound company or companies like the dollar shave club. Now whilst sectors like hospitality, travel and tourism, events and experiences are likely to bounce back this article is about what to do in the interim. Many companies have seen surges in demand during the pandemic supermarkets, local high street stores, agriculture and horticulture to name but a few. For your career to bounce back you need to think about your experiences and qualifications critically. What can you offer to a new industry or sector? Transferable skills the traits and career skills which can be applied either directly or indirectly to a new market. For example, if you are experienced in hospitality rely on these skills and apply it to client care. With you having experiences of helping clients become satisfied with products you have provided or applying soft skills like diffusing tension and conflict resolution you skills necessary to develop into other fields. So rethink what your strengths are, evaluate your knowledge, thinking what could be useful for other markets. Now whether your newly emerging into the field or you are being flung back into it, this is the ideal time to update, spruce up and reinvent your branding portfolio. Look at the new styles of CV writing what is the market looking for, what skills should you highlight, how should you present this. This is an area which we can help you to address or there are other services and providers to support you. Look at your personal statement and cover letters how far have you come since the last version of this document was sent out. What are you interested in now how has the lockdown changed your ethos do you need to add to your LinkedIn share your thoughts, challenges and interests build your tribe. Use this tribe to help you find your next chapter and opportunity for growth. Make your the branding reflect what you are aiming to achieve across all of the platforms. Have you come to the realisation that you want to be your own boss, have you noticed something that other people haven’t during the lockdown. If this is something you have mulled over and debated before it might seem like the worst time to start out but if you can provide something different, something new and safe this is when you should take the chance. The perspective you have gained from the pandemic is likely to be built into your business plan and design so why shouldn’t you go for it. You might be thinking well there is a recession but this is unlike the financial crisis. This is not a crisis that has hit every industry many are thriving as a result it is having a disproportionate impact on some and not others. If you think you can offer a nee perspective or idea then pursue it. Finally, if these options are not for you then head back to school and university think of something that you need to be back and better then ever when your industry remerges. Remember though you want this as a safeguard make sure you pursue a more future proof qualification something which enhances your current portfolio but also gives you a value-added skill.

https://ipa.co.uk/initiatives/post-covid-19-careers