Time for a Paradigm Shift

Written by: Rachel Knight

Published: 2021-03-19

When you were in high school, how many people asked you, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" How often have you asked a young person the same question? How often has the response been, "I don't know!"?

So...maybe it is time for a paradigm shift...a shift in how people think and learn about what is out there for career opportunities...a shift in how people decide what employer they might want to work for...a shift in learning what would be a good "fit"?

What if there was a website you could go to that would take the confusion out of the question...What do you want to do when you grow up? What if that website showed you what companies and careers were like because it has short, interesting, engaging videos? Well...that is what I created and I called it Destination Occupation or DO for short! DO is a career exploration and recruitment resource that educates students and job seekers about career opportunities in Maine. We also educate the educators and job coaches responsible for helping students and job seekers. But wait! There's more! Our videos serve a dual purpose; they not only educate people, they help companies recruit the right people!

Sound confusing? Here is a one minute animated video that helps explain the career exploration side:

So...how do we DO it? We use "authentic storytelling" to highlight employers' work culture as well as job specific videos to show people what skills a job requires. Viewers hear from actual employees about why they like working at that company, how the company has helped them grow, and why that employer and career choice is a good fit for them! Employers who work with DO state that they have an increase in new employees who understand the company before applying and it creates an overall better fit! Here is a testimonial from Jan at Pine Tree Food Equipment and some video examples of their employees to illustrate:

Employers featured on our site tell their employees' stories and educate people about who they are, what they do, and why a career path to their company is desirable. They use those same videos on their career page so job seekers can learn about them and see themselves working there before they even apply. To get a sense of what I mean, check out Enercon Technologies page which is a great example of this: Enercon Technologies Videos as seen on Destination Occupation: https://destinationoccupation.com/enercontechnologies/

Enercon Technologies Videos as seen on Enercon Technologies website:

So in short, Destination Occupation takes a complex problem (making a career choice) and solves it in a concrete way. We know that video is the perfect way to communicate complex content in a clear and concise way because the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than the speed of text. Couple that with conveying information using authentic storytelling and we might just have a paradigm shift.

Rachel Knight

Rachel Knight is the Founder and CEO of Destination Occupation (DO). She created DO as a tool to help solve Maine's workforce problem by educating students and job seekers about careers in Maine. DO's tagline is "If you can't SEE it, you can't BE it" which is at the heart of DO's signature service: career exploration and recruitment videos. DO has worked with employers like Systems Engineering, Infinity Federal Credit Union, Hancock Lumber, Darling's Auto Group, Jotul North America, Procter & Gamble and more! Visit www.DestinationOccupation.com to learn more!