BY BONNIE LAXTON-BLINKHORN, KINDICARE

OCTOBER 14, 2022

Job hunting is not what it used to be! Gone are the days of circling an ad in the paper, popping your resume in the mail and hoping for the best. Platforms such as our newly launched KindiCare Jobs make it quick and easy to find and apply for roles in early education, but you’ve still got to stand out from the crowd to ensure you’re the candidate called for an interview.

The good news is that this isn’t as hard as it may seem, and with a little bit of work and some creative thinking your online presence will be looking great in no time, here’s how:

Be easy to find

LinkedIn is the easiest way to maintain a professional presence online and is increasingly being used by recruiters to identify and approach candidates. Your LinkedIn profile is the story of your working life, and the platform makes it possible to connect with like minds in early education, stay up to date with innovations and seek inspiration.

To make the most of LinkedIn be sure to include a professional photo, write a compelling headline, include a punchy ‘About’ summary and keep your work experience current. For example:

Headline: Degree qualified early childhood educator

About: I am a passionate and motivated early childhood teacher who focuses on delivering high quality learning experiences that educate and inspire. With a background in the Montessori approach and experience in a variety of settings I am interested in nurturing the whole child and to setting the foundations for a life of learning.

Remember, your LinkedIn ‘About’ summary should be an evergreen overview of your work history, education and professional aspirations. The ‘Experience’ section is where it’s important to keep your details up to date, even if you aren’t currently looking for work (more on experience below).

Once you’ve set up your profile, get busy following and connecting with people to build your network. 

Know what you want (but be open to alternatives)

If you’re actively hunting for a new role, it’s helpful to have a clear idea of:

• Who you want to work for
• What you want to do
• When you want to start and when you can leave your current role
• Where you want your new job to be
• Why you want to work for a particular employer or in a certain role

 

Happily, the ‘How’ here is sorted as KindiCare Jobs, which launches on 1 November, which makes it so easy to search and apply for all the best jobs in early education. 

Taking some time to think about the five Ws above will save time and energy and ensure you only apply for the jobs that align with your professional aspirations.  

Less is more in everything except experience

When it comes to work, experience is everything and it helps to provide as much detail as possible.

Recent graduates should include any work experience, even if not related to early education: volunteer roles, leadership roles, work experience or any positions of responsibility are worth listing.

Employers looking to recruit trainees and new graduates won’t be expecting a long list of experience in the early education sector, but skills gained in other aspects of life can paint a picture about you and demonstrate how you can contribute to the workplace.

When summarising your work experience, whether on your KindiCare Jobs profile, LinkedIn or your resume it helps to have a really good brainstorm about the skills and opportunities in each role. It’s easy to overlook the unique combination of skills, talents and personal qualities that make you the ideal candidate for a role, don’t undersell yourself!     

By way of reminder, here are some skills worth talking about: team player, great communicator, First Aid/Anaphylaxis Training, creative thinker, compassionate, solutions focused, great time management skills, experienced in NQF and assessment and rating process, patient, committed to personal reflection and professional development, tech forward, highly inclusive, physically fit and high energy levels, respect for family privacy and confidentiality, organised, details oriented, interested in child development and wellbeing, motivated.

How many of these apply to you? Can you add any others?    

Your unique selling points

Every job applicant has a different combination of professional and life experiences, qualifications, ambitions, skills, values and expectations they bring to a role, these elements combined are your unique selling proposition (USP).

Leveraging your USP is the best way to demonstrate your suitability for a role. Here are some questions to help you work out your USP:

• What early education skills do I have that are unusual and useful?
• What three things do I do better than my peers?
• What are of early education/child development/the NQF/pedagogy do I know really well?
• What would my manager say is my best professional quality?
• What part of my job am I most passionate about?
• How do I deal with the hard parts of working in early education and care?
• How have I used my qualifications and professional development to improve?
• What is my biggest achievement in the last couple of years?
• What personal qualities and experiences make me uniquely suited to this role?
• How have I improved my workplace and the experience of the children I educate and care for?

 

Take your pick

Remember, it’s a great time to be looking for work in the early education and care sector and most providers are bending over backwards to attract high quality candidates like you. Back yourself and think strategically about the sort of role you want and the kind of team you want to be part of. The world is your oyster!