Waiting for your dream job
We’ve really enjoyed giving you tips on how tackle the dreaded job interview over the past few weeks, and we hope that you were able to take something out of them so you can have more confidence going into one! While nailing the job interview is a vital step toward getting your dream job in Aged Care or Disability Support, we’ve found that the time you have when you’re between jobs is just as, if not more important.
There are a few ways that you can approach this period of “job-limbo”. The first is to sit back, not hand out any resumes and wait for some good fortune to stumble upon you. The second is to simply hand out your resume to any job vacancy you see, and wait for any replies. The third, and final way is where you take this time as a positive experience, and use it to further your skills and knowledge, so that when the time comes, employers have no excuse not to hire you.
Now, we definitely don’t recommend the first approach – it’s not a great way to go about it. The second is ok, provided you have lots of experience and are extremely well qualified. However, what we at Newly think is best way is the third option, and this is what this blog entry will be focusing on – the 4 things you can do, when between jobs, to enhance your chances of getting hired.
Volunteer/Get Experience
This one is especially important if you’re fairly new to Aged Care or Disability Support. If you keep getting feedback from employers telling you that you don’t have enough experience or are having trouble getting your foot in the door, then you should try to volunteer somewhere. Many residential facilities, community centres and hospitals will have work for volunteers, and it’s a great way to build up your experience.
Employers also value this greatly, and it looks much better on your resume than graduating 6-12 months ago with no recent experience. Even one day per week can give you that invaluable exposure to that industry. Just jump onto Google, find some facilities, hospitals or community centres near you and ask them if they are looking for volunteers. You’ll be surprised by their response!
Get Your Drivers Licence
As a rule of thumb, many Aged Care and Disability Support employers prefer to hire people who live close to where the job is. While public transport is great and a valid way to get from point A to B, it can also be seen as a restriction to you being able to get to work on time – especially if the job is far away. So if you can’t drive, use this time to learn how and get your licence!
Having a car and a driver’s licence will make you a more appealing candidate to employers. They will feel better knowing that you have more control over your transport. But not only that, it benefits you as well, as it opens up more options in terms of what locations you can work in, and it allows you to do direct in-home care and support if that’s what interests you.
Work on Basic English and Maths Skills
Not everyone is genius at spelling, grammar or maths – but that’s ok, employers understand that this is just a fact of life. But what they do expect is that you are able to read, write and perform maths equations at a basic level. This is because, as a Professional Carer, they will require you to document certain things, write progress notes and in some cases provide medication to clients. And you can be sure that they will test you on these things in an interview.
If for whatever you reason you feel that your skills in this area aren’t up to scratch, then there is no shame in looking at some short-courses that can help you improve them. Many community centres and training organisations offer some great options and using the time between jobs to do this will help you find work a lot faster.
Here are some recommended resources and short courses that you can take if you feel that you need to improve your English or maths skills:
Update Your Skills/Get Extra Qualifications
Certain certificates such as police checks and first aid qualifications expire after a period of time. When you’re between jobs, it would be a good idea to make sure that these have been recently updated. Doing this will ensure that if you do succeed in finding a job, then employers will be able to process all your details that much faster, instead of having to chase everything up.
Also, using this time to work on other qualifications and certificates is a great way to keep your skills fresh, as well as giving yourself the opportunity to set yourself apart from the other applicants. If you haven’t already got your Manual Handling and Food Safety Certificates, this period is the perfect time to do them!
So there you have it! Ensuring that you use your time between jobs effectively is extremely important and by doing these 4 things, you can really improve your chances of finding great work in Aged Care and Disability Support.
As always, if there’s anything that you think belongs on this list, then leave it in a comment below!