Use Your Time At Home To Grow Your Story
We’ve discussed a lot about how important it is to have a story during any upcoming interviews you have. Now, or in the future, you can combat ageism in conversations by telling your story, rather than your career resume.
You need to be more than an age, more than a list of jobs on piece of paper, you need to be unique – and to do that you’ll need a story that’s exciting, entertaining, and that showcases your many diverse talents.
We hear a lot that it’s hard to work on crafting a story, or learning new talents to add into that narrative, because there never seems to be any time. Well, many of us have recently found ourselves with extra time. Time not spent sitting in traffic on the way to and from work, time not going shopping or out to eat, time not spent outside of the home.
This is an interesting time, but also a time that we can funnel extra emphasis into creating our individual stories.
For anyone that has lost their job during this pandemic, it is inevitable that during interviews you will hear a question about how you spend your time at home. Your answer will showcase a lot about you, and that’s something you should take seriously sooner rather than later. But, More importantly than that, you should be growing your talents now for yourself. Now is the time to work on you.
Have you always wanted to learn how to craft a blanket from scratch? Cook a special dish for your family? Practice your art skills? Now is the time. But, where to start?
What Do You Want To Do?
What have you always told yourself you would do if you had some extra time? Make a list of those items, and then decide which of those can be done right now. Are there items on your list that will be easily accomplished in the comfort of your home during this time? Put emphasis on those items.
What Materials Do You Need?
Gather any materials you will need. Maybe you have items around your house that you can repurpose for your project, or maybe you need to place an online order. Gather everything you need to get started.
Plan Out A Schedule
It’s important to set aside time to accomplish your new tasks. One suggestion is to carve out time during the hours you would normally be commuting to and from work. Or, if you get to sleep in a bit more nowadays rather than leaving for the office early, you could stay up a bit later working on your project. Having a schedule in place helps hold you to doing what you set out to do, and lessens any excuses you may come up with along the way to push the project off.
Share Your Journey
No matter the new skill you are learning, it’s important to share your experience with others along the way. That can mean asking a friend or family member to learn the skill at the same time as you to experience it with someone else, or it can mean sharing updates along the way on a social network or blog. Sharing your accomplishments is not only exciting, it also holds you accountable and will help ensure you see your new creation or education to completion.
Enjoy The Result
Whether you learned a new language, grew a garden, wrote a book, or crafted a coffee table, enjoy the fruits of your labor. Appreciate that you learned something new, that you crafted a new accomplishment. Good job! Be proud of Yourself.
Share Your Story
When you inevitably get asked the question “what did you do during lockdown,” don’t be shy. Tell the story of what you learned, what you accomplished, and what you created. Your story makes you unique. You will stand out in your future interviews because you have a story to tell, and because your story shows how you motivate yourself.
