Yanil: Job Search Coach

Job Search

Dec 8

What has your time as the ASSISTANT Director of Experiential Education for Columbia University taught you about the modern day job search?

My position is unique in that I'm not only a career counselor and a career coach, but I also work directly with employers to find them opportunities. It's the best of both worlds in that I've been able to directly communicate with people across a variety of different industries and interests both on the jobs seekers side and also on the employer side.

I have been able to see what it is that people want from an employee, but also what people are looking for in their day-to-day opportunities.

What drives you to help others as a job search coach?

The main reason that I'm motivated to support people that are looking for jobs is because I found myself in a really unique situation. As a first generation student specifically, I grew up in a low income household to Dominican parents whose experience was basically that of: I'm going to come to America and get a job and I'm going to stay within that job until I retire.

My parents have quite literally been working in the same roles for like 30 years now and are probably 10 years shy of retirement. That hasn't been my experience at all.

I found myself finding new skill sets and wanting to implement them in different ways. My life changed. The cost of living changed. That meant I wanted to get a better salary. There were a lot of things that I had to navigate on my own.

When we have resources, it's important to share them with other people. I found that my skill set is actually identifying those resources for other people and sharing them. So this is something that I do full-time because of that.

What does it mean to advocate for yourself through your career as a woman of color?

When I advocate for myself as a woman of color, I'm doing it with the intention of eliminating that as a conversation in the future. The fact that we have to bring it up as I need to advocate for myself as a woman, period, is frustrating. And then to add the layer of having to do it as a woman of color and think about like Latina Equal Pay Day - when I see that your average Latina is only making 50 cents in comparison to the white man's dollar. I'm frustrated.

I've learned that there's been things that I had to do that I don't see the average employee doing sometimes. For example, like I have to follow up via email to confirm what I just said sometimes, or oftentimes we limit our support of other women in the office to social media.

It's one thing to support and to have that conversation and another to actively do it.

I also make it a point that while I'm advocating for myself, I'm also advocating for the other women in the room because maybe you're new and I just started the job four years ago, so there's a little bit of leverage in my seniority.

What’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about job seekers in the modern job search?

I've learned a lot about people through working with them in their job search - mainly that a lot of people are learning about the things that they enjoy while they're on the job, versus them being intentional while they're looking for a job to find something that fits them.

People haven’t been looking at themselves holistically, they're consistently looking at themselves as just a resume.

But, your resume is designed to specify your skillset, right? It's very transactional and you're placing your work experience, some volunteer work, and some skills or certifications that you've gotten. But many people aren’t thinking about how you as an individual play a role in that decision.

What about the job search that Drives you to continue to help others?

The main reason that I feel motivated to support people in their job search is because the reality is that it's something that we all need - whether it's to pay your bills, help your family, fund your next venture, or because you need benefits and you don't want to pay for healthcare.

I'm providing the resources and what it is that I know to make sure that you're looking for roles that not only suit your skillset, but you'd benefit from as an individual, because I strongly believe that we are all capable of getting jobs that find our financially rewarding while also being personally rewarding

My strongest skillset is identifying the resources other people need and sharing them at the right time. This is work I get to do full-time because of that.

- Yanil -