BEST TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE A BETTER CAREER
There are two approaches to working out what you should do with your life. The first involves looking at you – your values, skills, interests and motivations – and then looking for jobs that match them. The second is to look at jobs that interest you and then see whether you have the necessary skills to do them. In either way, making a good career choice without knowing a bit about yourself is difficult.
FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED BEFORE CHOOSING A CAREER
1. YOUR VALUES. What are your values?
Your values are those things in your life that you consider to be important. In relation to work, values are what give purpose to a job in the eyes of the individual who does it. The effort, commitment and motivation that a person brings to a job is usually in direct proportion to the values that they perceive in it. How do these values relate to careers? Your values are likely to be the main factor in deciding on a career, or a career path within a particular field of employment
Take a closer look at the listed group of values below and tick the ones that appeals to yours.
INDEPENDENCE. Freedom to work alone, make your own decisions, plan your own work.
HELPING. Helping, advising or caring for others in face-to-face work situations.
RISK-TAKING. The sense of excitement, adventure and challenge that comes from taking risks, whether personal, physical or to an organisation.
VARIETY. Change and diversity in work content, personal contacts or location.
PRESTIGE. The status, recognition and importance of a job, either within your own organisation or that accorded by the general public.
LEADERSHIP. Motivating and directing others. Taking the initiative. Making decisions and seeing them through.
TEAM MEMBERSHIP. Working in close co-operation with others to achieve a common goal.
ADVANCEMENT. Promotion, career progression and upward mobility.
MATERIAL BENEFITS. The financial, or other material rewards that ensure a comfortable lifestyle.
SECURITY. Stability of employment and assured salary.
ARTISTIC CREATIVITY. Engage in creative work in any art form.
THE ENVIRONMENT. Interest in wildlife and the countryside.
RELATING YOUR VALUES TO JOBS
INDEPENDENCE ( Medical Sales Representative ,Barrister, Management,Consultant ,Journalist , Translator , TV Producer ,Exhibition Organiser ,University Lecturer,Careers Adviser)
HELPING OTHERS (Social Worker ,Youth Worker,Teacher,Charity Administrator ,Occupational,Therapist, Nurse, Alternative Medicine,Housing Manager ,Counsellor,Careers Adviser,Art Therapist)
RISK-TAKING (Police Officer ,Fire Officer ,Armed Forces,Officer , Prison Governor,Advertising Account Handler,Share Dealer)
ARTISTIC CREATIVITY (Actor , Sculptor , Graphic Designer , Illustrator, Web Designer)
PRESTIGE (Barrister ,TV Producer ,Advertising Account
Handler, Investment Banker , Civil Service,Management Consultant , PR Executive).
VARIETY (Barrister,Retail Manager , Management,Consultant, Logistics Manager ,News Editor- Radio ,Journalist,Exhibitions Organiser ,TV Producer, Sales Representative ,Buyer).
LEADERSHIP (Teacher ,Marketing Manager , Production Manager , Hotel Manager , Retail Manager , Armed Forces Officer).
TEAM MEMBERSHIP ( TV Producer , NHS Manager,Systems Analyst , Special Needs Teacher, Copywriter ,Chartered Accountant)
ADVANCEMENT ( Retail Manager , Logistics Manager,Management Consultant, Exhibition Organiser CS Fast Stream, Advertising Account Handler).
MATERIAL BENEFITS (Accountant, Investment Banker,Actuary Marketing Manager , Barrister,Management Consultant).
SECURITY( Civil Servant , Teacher,Public Sector Accountant ,Solicitor, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist , Nurse,Air Traffic Controller ,Insurance,Underwriter).
THE ENVIRONMENT ( Environmental Consultant, Charity Fund-raiser , Science Teacher
, Environmental Health Factory Inspector).
2.YOUR INTERESTS: Most students will say "I want to do a job that interests me". Your interests have already influenced many of your life choices to date: your degree subject; choosing which university to attend; paid work you have done; how you spend your spare time; holidays. They may have been responsible for friends you have made and helped you to develop your skills. These interests may have a similar influence on your career.
For some people, an interest is so important that it is the main influence on their career choice. A gifted athlete, for example, may be able to use their interest and ability to succeed in a sporting career. Many more people will be content to play their sport at a recreational level, but will still take this interest into account when selecting a career or an employer. Some may enter sports-related careers, in leisure management, sports administration or promotion, retailing sports goods or teaching physical education. Others will seek out careers in different fields that offer similar opportunities for physical activity, teamwork, competition or challenge. Or they may simply choose between employers on the basis of the company sports facilities.
Take a closer look at the listed group of interests below and tick the ones that appeals to yours.
MANAGEMENT Organising people or work procedures; getting things done;
planning tasks and seeing them through to completion.
INFORMATION Analysing, classifying, processing and interpreting data and
information.
SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL Observing, investigating, analysing, or solving problems
in the fields of science and technology. Understanding why things happen.
LITERARY Conveying ideas or facts to others through writing or speech.
ARTISTIC Using imaginative or creative skills to produce or interpret artistic
work - music, literary, dramatic, etc.
PRACTICAL Making things: using your hands or machinery to produce a physical
object or an observable outcome.
OUTDOOR/ACTIVE Working out of doors; performing physically demanding work
or activities.
SOCIAL Working with other people, one-to-one or in small groups, to give help, advice or guidance.
Try to relate this group of interests to available careers/jobs to know your strengths or weaknesses.
3.YOUR PERSONAL STYLES:Your skills may determine your chances of success in a career; your interests and values will be the strongest factors in deciding where you choose to apply these skills - but are there aspects of your personality that need to be considered?
Some characteristics are widely applicable. Resilience, for example, can be equally valuable to the police officer, the television producer, or anybody whose daily journey to work passes near the Westgate Towers! Tact and sensitivity are not just for social workers but can help anybody to get on with their colleagues.
These personal characteristics may have a strong influence on your choice of career. Anybody who feels that terms like ‗‗outgoing'', and ‗‗independent'' are the complete antithesis of their personality is unlikely to be happy, for example, in sales or at the Bar.
You may think that certain personal styles, such as being reserved and careful have negative connotations, but being careful is a valuable attribute in financial jobs and crucial for many medical occupations (imagine the brain surgeon who isn't careful!). Similarly, being reserved may be linked to powers of concentration and attention to detail which may be important in scientific and computing fields.
Before relating your personal style to careers, though, you need to make sure that you are well informed about what a particular career demands. If you are methodical, meticulous and reliable you could certainly do well as an accountant
- but at the same time, you need to be adaptable and confident to deal with the range of clients you are likely to encounter.
Look at the personal styles listed below. Note the personal styles that are most like you. If there are other styles which relate to you which aren't on this list then write them down below.
SELF-SUFFICIENT
ADAPTABLE
PERSISTENT
ORGANISED
TACTFUL
DECISIVE
CREATIVE
CO-OPERATIVE
IDEALISTIC
RESERVED
RELAXED
ENERGETIC
OUTGOING
SENSITIVE
RESILIENT
CAREFUL
RISK-TAKING
RELATING PERSONALITY TO JOBS
RELAXED Counsellor, Social Worker, Careers Adviser, Youth Worker
ENERGETIC Retail Manager, Armed Forces Officer, Police Officer, Air Cabin Crew, Fire Officer, Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, PE Teacher
RESERVED Programmer, Research Scientist, Underwriter
OUTGOING Salesperson, Marketing Manager, Barrister, Management
Consultant, Journalist, Social Worker, Exhibition Organiser, PR Executive
SENSITIVE Counsellor, Social Worker, Careers Adviser, Primary Teacher,
Special Needs Teacher
RESILIENT Police Officer, Environmental Health, Estate Agent, Tax Inspector,
Barrister, Salesperson, Retail Manager, NHS Manager CAREFUL Medically-related jobs, Solicitor, Legal Executive, Accountant, Air
Traffic Controller, Insurance Underwriter, Publishing Editor, Actuary
RISK-TAKING Police Officer, Fire Officer, Armed Forces Officer, Assistant
Prison Governor, Advertising Account Manager, Stockbroker
CO-OPERATIVE TV Producer, NHS Manager, Systems Analyst, Special
Educational Needs Teacher
INDEPENDENT Medical Sales Representative, Barrister, Management Consultant, Journalist, TV Producer, Exhibition Organiser, University Lecturer, Careers Adviser
ADAPTABLE Barrister, Journalist, TV Producer, Arts Administrator, Retail
Manager, Hotel Manager, Management Consultant, Logistics Manager
PERSISTENT Salesperson, Marketing Manager, Financial Adviser, Estate
Agent, Journalist, Charity Fund-raiser
IDEALISTIC Charity administrator, Social Worker, Minister of Religion,
Counsellor, Alternative Medicine
CREATIVE News Editor - Radio, Journalist, TV Producer, Advertising Account Manager, Copywriter, Publishing Editor, Multimedia Designer, Radio Station Assistant
ORGANISED Retail Manager, Exhibitions Organiser, Advertising Account Manager, Charity Fundraiser, Publishing Editor, Health Education Officer, Training Manager, Marketing Manager, Librarian
DECISIVE Army Officer, Policeman, Marketing Manager, Retail Manager,
Production Manager, Purchasing Officer
TACTFUL Diplomatic Service, Counsellor, Solicitor, Equal Opportunities Officer, Police Officer
4.YOUR SKILLS:While your interests, values and personality will affect the career choices that you make, your skills will be crucial in enabling you to make successful applic- ations to your chosen employers and to do your work effectively.
The term ―skills‖ as used here does not relate to practical skills such as computing skills, languages or lab skills. They are not specific to any one career area and are often referred to as ―transferable skills‖ or ―soft skills‖ as these skills can be used and developed in all areas of your life including study, sports, societies, part-time work and volunteering.
Employers need graduates who can offer more than just their academic achieve- ments: however good these are, you will be competing with other graduates who are just as good in terms of their academic results. Recruiters look for graduates who will be able to adapt quickly into a working environment, become proactive members of teams, are good communicators and can plan and execute their work efficiently and effectively. Demonstrating these skills in your CV and application form, using your various experiences as evidence, will help you to gain employment easily.
THINK ABOUT THESE SKILLS
Numeracy skills
Planning skills
Communication skills
Leadership skills
Problem solving skills
Some skills are easy to identify, such as driving a car, word processing or playing the drums. These are often things you’ve learned, and become good at. Some skills called soft skills or natural aptitudes, are grown throughout life without you taking much notice. They are the sum of things that you have done in the past, the activities that you have drawn to, your love of the subject you are studying and the attributes your family and friends value you for. You need to think for yourself how good you are and what activities you’ve done which will illustrate how good you are to an employer. Examples of this type of skill are problem solving, team work, listening, organising, negotiating and leadership.
Try mapping out some of your previous experiences like jobs, work experience, volunteering, projects & assignments and other responsibilities you may have had, particularly those that you remember as being positive. Consider each one in terms of the skills and abilities you used or developed to undertake your tasks. Think about the ones that you enjoyed using and the ones you didn’t.
Your attributes or personality can also have some influence on your fit with different jobs; are you for example an innovator, good listener, leader, organiser, patient, introverted, outgoing, outspoken? Thinking about some of your own characteristics will help you in building an overall
Some other factors that you may put into consideration when choosing a career includes the following:
Your Location,Your qualifications and the duration of training for your desired career.
In summary,you should not forget to:
1.Learn about yourself.
• Values—What is important to you?
• Interests—What appeals to you?
• Aptitude—What are you good at?
2 .Learn about the career.
Once you’ve narrowed your career choices, talk to people who are working in that field or, if possible, find a part-time or volunteer job in that field.
It’s helpful to ask questions such as, “What’s good and bad about this job?” and “How did you learn your trade?”
There are many sources of career and job outlook information available— check the Internet or go to a library.
3.Consider how much training you will need for the career you’re interested in.
• High school diploma:
cashier, receptionist, retail salesperson, security guard, waiter, or waitress
• Special career training (e.g., career school, apprenticeship):
auto service technician or mechanic, cosmetologist, police officer, truck driver
• College degree:
accountant, engineer, forensic science technician, registered nurse, pilot, teacher, public relations specialist, video game designer
• Graduate or professional degree:
college professor, doctor, dentist, lawyer, veterinarian, research scientist,
