GUEST POST

Graduating from university in 2020 has brought with it a series of challenges. After submitting my dissertation from home, and celebrating with a slightly longer Netflix binge than normal, I started to look for work. I had planned that I would spend my post-university gap year gaining work experience, saving money, and travelling, before starting a master’s degree in London in 2021. With travelling now out of the window, and the country in the midst of a pandemic, my mind had now turned to ‘just getting through’ the next year, and I began applying for any job that I thought I had a chance of getting.

Feeling demoralised and stuck

The demoralising experience of applying for jobs that I knew I probably wouldn’t enjoy, alongside the restricting conditions of a job market in the middle of a pandemic, began to take its toll. I felt that I lacked direction and insider knowledge, but I wasn’t sure what to do about this. I have always been jealous of others who appear to ‘know’ what they want to do with their life, and those who have a clear path mapped out for themselves. Going along with life’s flow had got me by so far, but it was clear that it would no longer cut it at this transitional point of my life. 

It was around this time that my mum sent me a post on LinkedIn - a connection of hers was offering young person’s coaching as part of her training, in exchange for some feedback. With my newfound free time, and desire to gain confidence in myself and my job search, I decided that this would be a valuable thing for me to try. 

Pausing and reflecting for the first time

I hadn’t tried anything like coaching before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first session. Helen was warm and friendly and immediately made me feel at ease. She outlined that the first session was primarily about us both getting to know my values, what makes me tick, and what motivates me. She led me through a series of visualisations, which subtly helped me to identify which values, personal practices, and qualities are most important to me. This session was an hour, and allowed time to really get stuck in. The introspective nature of these exercises complimented this year’s period of lockdown in their emphasis on pausing and really getting to know the self. Helen emphasised finding my ‘leader within’, something which I had never really devoted time to addressing before. As this was uncovered, we worked towards using it to push me forwards. This first session helped me to uncover the different aspects of my life’s vision, and left the opportunity open for crafting my gap year around this vision.

Confronting parts of me which were holding me back

As the sessions went on, Helen used both emotional investigation and practical solutions to encourage me forwards on my journey. This wasn’t always easy, as I was forced to confront the parts of myself that were holding me were back, and to battle my inner saboteur. Helen was brave in identifying when and how this was limiting me; as a result I became more determined to overcome these behaviours and hold myself accountable. 

My new, flexible approach

As my life’s vision was uncovered and explored in more detail, I readjusted my expectations of myself in my job search. I was encouraged to be flexible in my approach, and think outside the box of typical job applications. Coaching helped me to see how different opportunities can align with my own ethics and beliefs, and allowed me to craft my job search in terms of this. I now view this year as not just something to ‘get through’, but as a vital part of my arc of progress and development. I am using my time to develop my skills, create professional connections, and assess how different roles can serve me and my future self. 

Using my intuition more

I am still learning, but I feel that as a result of coaching, I have developed a more deep and intuitive feeling of which opportunities are ‘right’ for me. I assess new opportunities in an open-minded but critical way. I consider whether, if for example they don’t reside in my desired industries, they address some of my other needs in terms of personal development, skill acquisition, ethical beliefs, or academic interests. We are still living in very uncertain times, but the people around me have noticed a visible change in my determination and drive, and I feel confident that although this year isn’t what I expected, that it will be a valuable part of my personal and professional growth.