Here’s my reorganized collection of tasks from the WCIYP 2022 chapters before the Flower Exercise. They might be duplicative of tasks in the Flower Exercise but I want to start here since they were mentioned beforehand.

SKILLS

• List “I have these skills” – make a comprehensive inventory of the job skills you can claim
• List “my (5) favorite skills” list – skills, talents, experiences, backgrounds; learning, knowledge, volunteer activities – we tend to forget what we have accomplished and focus on what we didn’t get done
  • How do your unique skills and traits add to the workplace? How will you perform the job in a way that is different and better? How will you be more inclusive and connect with everyone?
  • What are the favorite skills of your best friend or mate? Do you know? Are you sure? Have you asked them what they think they are? Have you complimented them on these skills, say, during the past week?
  • Keep one key word in mind: employability. Am I employable? How can I be sure? And how can I make myself more employable? What is the monetary value and desirability of your skill set? Find the skills and you find the job.

SELF – general questions before the Flower Exercise

• Think about what an ideal future would look like to you – create a list of 25 things you like
  • The best work, the best career, for you, the one that will make you happiest and most fulfilled, is going to be the one that uses your favorite transferable skills; in your favorite subjects, fields, or special knowledges; in a job that offers you your preferred people environments, your preferred working conditions, with your preferred salary or other rewards, working towards your preferred goals and values.
• Draw a picture of your ideal life: where you live, who’s with you, what you do, what your dwelling looks like, what your ideal vacation looks like, all of it.
• Make a vision board by cutting pictures and quotes out of magazines
• Set up rewards for taking action, regardless of the outcome – go on fun mini-adventures e.g. inexpensive places like parks
  • List your character, your faith, your values, your gifts or immutable skills; enthusiasm, passion
  • What are the three strengths you want an employer to know about you? In ten minutes? What are the kinds of challenges you like to deal with, what skills you have to deal with those challenges, what experience you have had in dealing with those challenges in the past?
  • What enables you to do your best work? e.g. working from home – where you will fit best

FLOWER EXERCISE

• Complete the Flower Exercise on page 111

FIELDS

• List fields, industries of interest and job titles that interest you
• Occupational Outlook Handbook – http://www.bls.gov/ooh careers and occupations by occupational group, number of new jobs projected to be available, faster-than-average job growth projected, level of education or training required, median pay and “similar occupations”
• http://www.directoryofassociations.com
• FlexJobs.com, Freelancer.com, FreelanceWriting.com, Guru.com, LinkedIn Services, Upwork, and Fiver
• indeed.com
• proven.com – https://blog.proven.com/100-best-job-boards-to-find-niche-talent
• jobs.mashable.com
• any company’s website “careers” “jobs” “opportunities” – use linkedin to find employees at that company – ask them: what do you like best about this work? what do you like least about this work? and how did you get into this work? ask them how they perceive their career: what are its component parts?
  • Get a sense of keywords and skills to emphasize in future applications
  • Create a targeted resume for each position
  • Learn more about what employers are looking for in a candidate
• See if you can get hired as a temp, contract worker, or consultant at an organization you have chosen – aiming at a full-time position only later (or not at all)
• Always follow up the interview with a thank you note