You don’t have to be a trendsetter

Millennial Jas

Dear Millennial,

You don’t have to be a trendsetter, just learn Mandarin.

We had dreams and ideas as children of what life would be like as we got older. We envisioned the houses that we would live in, the cars we would drive, our future careers, how much money we’d make, and everything that we’d enjoy doing in life as “grown-ups”. In our minds, we thought it would be easy. We watched our loved ones provide for us to the best of their ability, and thought to ourselves, “how hard could it really be?”

We went from elementary school through high school (and college for some) never having the validity of our childhood dreams questioned. It wasn’t until the time had come for us to depend on our own abilities to provide a life for ourselves that we began to re-evaluate all of the promises we made to ourselves during our childhood. Some of us still hold tight to the idea that we will conquer all the ambitious goals that we set forth for ourselves as children. Some of us have had life interfere with those goals, and they are no longer part of the plan. Whatever the case may be, we’ve all had to figure out the best way to create and maintain a life for ourselves at some point.

In the pursuit of happiness, we network, apply for countless jobs to replace our current jobs, or even add second/third jobs for additional income just to afford the bare minimum. There are also those who have landed what they’d believe is the perfect job only to later realize that said job is not what they want to do forever, or they feel as though they aren’t utilizing the skills they possess within a specific role. At the end of the day, there can only be one perfect candidate for “the job” when considering between recent graduates, the unemployed, the unhappily employed, the well-seasoned employees seeking a fresh start, and internal hire candidates from the job-seeking pool. Similar to childhood, we believe we’re the gifted and/or lucky one that has what it takes to get the job done. Unfortunately, we may not always be the perfect candidate.

The conversations with myself when dealing with rejection from a prospective employer typically went like this: “What is everyone else doing to get the job of their dreams, and how can I get on board to do the same thing?!  Surely I’ll find a position as well if I do what those who are securing jobs are doing.” So you ask your friends and family what they’ve done to land their current jobs, and you begin tweaking things in hopes of finally getting a “yes”… or even just a call back. You rack your brain, but you can’t figure out how to differentiate yourself while maintaining professional decorum. In moments like these, it’s important for you to remember that you don’t necessarily have to be a trendsetter; you just have to learn Mandarin.

We all need something that sets us apart from everyone else. Seasoned working professionals are typically set apart from their early-career counterparts due to them having more overall workplace experience. As such, it’s fairly safe to say that experience is needed when trying to climb the corporate ladder with a current employer, or when searching for new opportunities elsewhere. I had read every opinion article written about what I needed to do as a young professional to get ahead, but I felt as though the advice wasn’t working or it didn’t apply to me specifically. I later realized that studying Mandarin as a second language was my way of setting myself apart from other job prospects whom otherwise looked identical to me on paper.

I felt that Mandarin was a language known by some, but primarily spoken fluently by native speakers of the language. After doing some additional research to determine what adding a second language could do for me from a growth perspective, I decided that learning Mandarin would be most impactful. You might ask, ”Why not Spanish?” Based upon research about secondary languages in the workplace of the future, and not the present,  Mandarin showed to be the clear choice globally. What can you learn, do, or perfect to make yourself an asset to an organization?

Maybe speaking Mandarin fluently is not what you need or want to make yourself stand out. Maybe it’s a certification, a specialized degree, a trade, a hobby or a talent. Whatever it is, know that you are unique in your own way. Ask yourself how you would want to be set apart from your competition, and think about the value that you would add to an organization as an employee. Step outside the box; research someone you admire in the world, and identify what makes them who they are. Think about what you’ve been told you’re good at by friends and peers. More importantly, identify how can you market yourself & capitalize on the lack of resources/expertise in the market today to catapult yourself forward!

What’s your Mandarin?

Millennial Jas