How do people choose the work they do? For many, work chooses them. Careers are often formed by the first job that happens to come along after graduation.
If you add up the years that go into your final qualifications, it's staggering how little attention many people give to the question, 'What kind of work would really suit me?' Every year thousands of graduates aim to work out the puzzle, trying to match lists of job roles to their own inclinations.
You may rely on the advice of family or friends, but take care. Many graduates are trying to navigate the 21st-century workplace using career information that is two generations
out of date. Look at the new kinds of jobs that have been created during the past decade alone. Four years ago, a dotcom in London was advertising for a 'director of cool'.
Nice job title, but how would advice from your careers
advisor have helped you to get it?
Some careers services will offer you computerised tests. Where the test generates a list of likely occupations, take care. Your perfect job may not be listed because of the way
it is coded. Fields of work are complex and varied - for example, an accountant in the shipping industry will perform a very different job to an accountant working for the National Trust. Job titles are often too broad, so be careful. Starting with a list of possible is fine, but make sure you really explore what the jobs are about.
1.RETHINK YOUR EDUCATION
Look at the subjects you have just studied. What would you like to know more about? What skills have you developed while studying? Now, look at all the topics that you have chosen to read or think about in your own time.
2.TRANSLATE YOUR QUALIFICATION
Don't undersell your qualification, but sell it in a language that a buyer understands. Few recruiters really understand the alphabet soup of qualifications, so never assume that an employer will be aware of what you have studied. Translate what you have done into language an interviewer can relate to. Talk about the relevance of the subject to the workplace, and the skills you have acquired (especially team-working or communication skills).
3.OBSERVE YOUR WORKING STYLE
The way you work will have a strong influence on your likely career. Do you draw your energy from other people or from private reflection? How do you operate in a group - what role do you naturally take up? Which skills do you exercise if you have a free choice? Seek out jobs that provide a good match to the way you are in work.
4.ANALYSE YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE
The way you work will have a strong influence on your likely career. Do you draw your energy from other people or from private reflection? How do you operate in a group - what role do you naturally take up? Which skills do you exercise if you have a free choice? Seek out jobs that provide a good match to the way you are in work.
5.BEGIN TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER
Many people take 'fill-in' jobs after qualifying. The danger is that these can quickly lead you to believe they are a good example of what life is like in the working world. 'Fill-in' jobs can quickly become permanent posts unless you keep your goals in mind. In your first few years of work you will quickly discover that there is only one person taking responsibility for your career: you. Learn how to choose well, and how to move on positively if you don't.
6.WORKING YOUR CONTRACT
People in real jobs. University staff often have business contacts or can put you in touch with past students. Talk to anyone who can help: parents of your friends, past employers, friends who are already working. Learn how to conduct informational interviews: short, focused discussions that give you the inside story on other people's careers.
7.HAVE A LEARNING AGENDA
Just because you're entering the field of work doesn't mean that you will stop learning. Decide what you would like to learn from the first year in a job. Think broadly - skills, know-how, experience of organisations and work sectors. Decide how you would like your CV to read in two years' time.
Also, take advantage of any opportunities that come along for short-term or even voluntary work placements. At this stage, virtually all work experience is useful as long as you don't get locked in too early. Learn and move on. Short-term assignments are a great way of finding out the pros and cons of a potential career.
8.THINK RESEARCH BEFORE YOU JOB SEARCH
Conduct an audit: what do you actually know about work? How can you find out more? Who can you talk to? Never accept the one-dimensional view of a career given in textbooks, websites or - even worse - television. Dramas and documentaries all give you an edited view of a job; you need to know what it 's really like from the inside.
Source: Realworld, 26.3.2007