Lately, I’ve been connecting with as many creatives and communications professionals in the outdoor industry as possible. I’m not doing this solely to land my dream job. Rather, I’m doing it to answer the what-ifs, random inklings and nagging questions regarding the industry that swirl around my head on a daily basis.
I’m forever curious about what it takes to film a ski documentary, shoot action sports at a resort or capture the stories of our nation’s 60+ parks.
After spending a hot minute perusing Indeed, LinkedIn, Handshake, insert name of job board here , I realized it’s going to take a whole lot more than hitting submit on a job application.
So, I’ve turned to the incredibly daunting…da, Da, DAAAAA: Informational Interview.
“Am I even qualified to talk to this person?”
“Do I sound like I’m just looking for a job?”
“I don’t have enough experience at this point in my life.”
“How do I ask for advice when I don’t even know what I’m looking for?”
“Why are they taking the time out of their day to talk with me?”
Fueled by the infuriatingly omnipresent imposter syndrome, these questions are B.S. Yet, somehow, they taunt me when I hit that little green phone icon before a call.
Despite these little voices in my head, I still hop on the phone and do one thing: be curious.
When I talk to someone, no matter their role or job title, I want to learn something new. I know absolutely nothing about a lot of things and every day is a chance to change that.
Some questions I have found helpful to ask:
Have you always been interested in ____________? How did you get your start?
How did you combine your passion for the outdoors with your craft/trade?
What are the rewarding parts of your job? Most challenging?
What is the industry like where you live? How does it compare to other places you’ve worked?
Do you know of anyone else that I can connect with and learn from?
What advice would you give your 23-year old self?
The last question is super important because it’s the ‘what comes next’ step. ‘What am I going to take away from this conversation and apply to my life?’
I recently talked to 2 awesome individuals who work in the creative and outdoor industries. They each gave me valuable advice that I will carry with me for a long time.
#1: Make a list of what you are good at and a list of what you love to do.
My thoughts: Just because you’re good at something, doesn’t mean it fuels you. Find that intersection between passion and skill. Love what you do and it won’t feel like work. Also, making a list will remind you of any goals you may have lost track of during the job hunt.
#2: Pick a skill and hone it.
My thoughts: Get really good at a few things. It’s easy—especially for my I/ENFP self—to spread yourself too thin while doing a bajillion projects. My current goal is to get good at Adobe, starting with Premiere Pro. I want to learn the ins-and-outs of editing and do one thing every day to reach that goal.
I still don’t know exactly what I want to do or where I’ll end up, but who cares! Most people don’t. And if you do, that’s great too. All I know is that I want to learn new things, work hard and connect with people.
Steve Jobs hit the nail on the head in his 2005 Stanford commencement speech.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Maybe in 20 years from now, we’ll look back and connect the dots. But for now, let’s keep on keeping on.
-M