Looking For Work (Even When You Have Work!)

For many people, it’s very easy to just stop looking for work when they land a job, especially if the job hunt had been a long one up until then. Naturally, upon earning yourself a position, it will feel like quite the relief after what could have been months or even years of pressure, and you deserve to settle into it and take the pressure off for a little while.

The good news is, you’re now working and earning a wage, and the consistent worry about a lack of income can be removed from your shoulders. However, this by no means implies your search is over! You may have earned the next step in your career, but there are still many opportunities out there. One of them may be looking for your unique set of skills right now!

In fact, this very thing happened to me. Twice. After being in a job for about four months, another process I had applied to got back to me after a considerable amount of time. It turned out that they were desperately in need of talent with my skills and decided to contact me to move to the next step with a pool of qualified candidates. Many of us ended up getting hired, and it was one of the best career moves I have made up to this point: this position was actually my foot in at the government.

Now, this was a very entry-level position. It was a term position rather than permanent at the very first level, which still paid nicely, but wasn’t quite where I wanted to be. It was through keeping my options open that, a year later, I managed to find myself a permanent placing in a second-level position. If it wasn’t for my willingness to keep my options open, I would never be here, and may still have found myself in the first job at a considerably lower salary and with a considerable amount fewer prospects.

So where am I now? About a year into my current job which I am enjoying thoroughly. I still take the occasional interview when something of interest comes up, and it keeps me in practice for the next time I am looking for a position. It also helps me keep up my professional network, as I tend to connect with a number of people from a variety of different places this way. Am I actively looking for a new position? No, not really, but I will certainly jump at the opportunity should a step up and a good opportunity come my way.

It only happens though, if you make yourself available.