The Jobs 'Steps'
One aspect of Career Counseling that I
find personally fascinating is the process involved. Regardless of
the perceived status, income or training of the job, from Janitors to
Jewelers, the broad process is the same.
That process is simply this: Assess
yourself; Research potential careers; Acquire needed skills (could be
learned on the job); Seek employment; Get the job; Grow further.
For self-assessment, you should know
your passions, interests and skills. You will also want to consider
your priorities. Sometimes, you just need a job to pay the bills.
At other points in life, you may have freedom to pursue your
passions.
Potential careers should be researched
from several different perspectives. First of all, there is
published information. A great starting point is the Occupational
Outlook Handbook, available free at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/
There you can find out about the labor market, skills and training
needed, what people in that field do, and more. After the initial
research, you may want to do a job shadow or an informational
interview. This process provided 'real world' information. You may
also want to consider working as an intern or as a volunteer in your
prospective area.
Acquiring needed skills is a topic too
broad to address in this post, but I would like to note that I know a
young man who made applying for scholarships a full time job. In 180
days, he found enough scholarships and grants to more than pay for
his college degree.
Seeking employment, like other parts of
the process, is a large topic. In general, you have to have
target-a specific job goal. You need tools such as an effective
cover letter and resume. You need to understand how to apply
on-line. And you need to know how to sell yourself to employers.
The most important part of seeking employment? Often it is to have a
written plan, with tasks, goals and dates to reach them.
Getting the job seems easy after all of
the above. However, here again, developing a 'Core Message' or
'Selling What they are Buying' is important. These approaches help
when you are in an interview.
And the last step in my jobs process is
to Grow Further'. What I mean by this is really two things. On one
hand, it is important that you grow in your job. Learn new things,
meet new people, expand your skills. Beyond that, it also means to
prepare for your next job search. In the past, a worker could count
on his or her ability to 'move up the ladder' rung by rung. That is
largely gone. Now, you have to be prepared to change ladders.
This article was intended to talk about
the overall processes involved in careers. If you would like to look
in detail at any given step, please see other articles on this blog,
or you could purchase 'Beyond A Career Crisis'.
Good luck and Best Wishes,
Chris
Links to my
work, “Beyond a Career Crisis”:
Kindle Edition
Paperback Edition
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