Resilient like Dandelions

Recently, I saw a lovely post by Jude Gaal an Employment Strategist, helping people across North America, comparing her favourite flowers cosmos to resumes. “They start from nothing and grow to be something wonderful that captures and keeps the attention of the person taking a look.”

At the end of her post, she asked us to share our favourite flowers. I mirrored what she’d done and replied with an analogy about dandelions as job seekers. This blog builds on that analogy, and is meant to inspire job seekers who do not feel appreciated in their current workplaces.

My favourite flowers are the dandelions. They thrive in pretty much any conditions, and are the first to bloom in the spring.

They are resilient, and useful, feeding bees and other pollinators, while bouncing back from life's challenges including being mowed down.

They spread joy with their vibrant yellow, and for those who are so inclined, they provide sustenance with dandelion wine, salads and tea.

And although many people try to bring them down with pesticides (literally poisonous environments), they're happy to go to where they're welcome, and thrive in those places.

To tie this back to job seekers, dandelions can survive in almost any environment. When they find one where they are welcome and appreciated, they thrive and share their gifts (talent, skills, knowledge) with others in the same spaces.  

And when they're not welcome, or treated well, they float away, and find better places to be, often without explaining their departure.

Many of the people in my neighborhood do not appreciate dandelions.

Happily, our next-door neighbours on one side, and a family across the street, also enjoy dandelions, so we get to enjoy three yards worth each spring!

To stretch the analogy about job seekers, when you find yourself in a workplace that doesn't appreciate you, look further afield, to find one that does.

Networking is an excellent way to find those more welcoming workplaces. If you’re hesitant to pursue networking because you cringe at the mere thought of approaching a bunch of strangers to make small talk and exchange contact information, then I recommend that you invest about 30 minutes of your time to enrol in and complete my free on demand online course called “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces.”

You can access the course through my website by clicking on Courses.

Now to close this blog with the dandelions, as job seekers, and how networking ties in. Just like the wind helps dandelion seeds find new more welcoming fields, so too, does your Friendly Forces network help you explore potential workplaces where you can find your ideal job.

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