Career Guidance
Qualities of successful job seekers
- Minimum level of Skills,
- Good Attitude,Willing and able to learn,
- Optimistic,can do approach.
- Dogged Determination,
- Positive Perspective,
- Smart strategies
Tips for effective career planning
- Know your strengths and passions
- Set clear and realistic goals
- Research the job market and industry trends
- Invest in continuous learning
- Network and build professional relationships
- Embrace flexibility and adaptability
- Seek feedback and evaluate progress
- Reflect on Hobbies & Extracurricular Activities
- Mind Map your Likes & Dislikes
- Look Beyond your Degree
Career
“An individual’s Journey through life, learning and work”
“Life and career are difficult to separate”
It happens over time and is life long
It can be planned or unplanned
It often requires flexibility, changes and adaption
Career guidance is the guidance given to individuals to help them ACQUIRE the Knowledge, Information, Skills and experience necessary to identify career options and narrow them down to make one CAREER DECISION..
How to choose a career ?
Stages of career plan
- Identify your skills and interests
- Explore career ideas
- Make a decision
- Set achievable goals.
1) Identify your skills and interests
ask yourself the following questions:
- What am I good at?
- What are my interests, motivations and values?
- What did I most enjoy at university?
- What kind of lifestyle do I want?
- What do I want from my career?
- What is important to me?
If you’re struggling to identify your strengths, weaknesses and character traits, taking psychometric tests could help you.
2) Private – sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
Public – local and national governments, plus their agencies and chartered bodies
Not-for-profit – often referred to as the third sector, or the charity and voluntary work sector.
Job profiles may introduce you to some less obvious career paths where your skills and qualifications could be useful.
Before considering any Job opportunity think of the advantages and disadvantages of it in terms of:
- career development
- employment outlook
- entry requirements
- job description
- related jobs
- salary and conditions
- training.
3) Make a decision
To help make a decision, ask yourself the following questions:
- Will I enjoy doing the job every day?
- Does it meet most of my preferences?
- Do I have the right skills?
- Does the company fit with my values?
- Are there any location/financial/skills limitations I need to take into account?
- Is the job realistic in terms of salary?
- If you’re struggling to reach a conclusion, there are a number of exercises you can try to aid the decision-making process. Listing the pros and cons of a particular job or career is often useful, as is completing a personal SWOT analysis:
Strengths – What skills, traits, certifications and connections would you bring to the role that nobody else could? What makes you unique?
Weaknesses – What areas could you improve on? Do you lack any skills holding you back from excelling in the role you’d like to pursue?
Opportunities – Is your industry growing? Could you take advantage of your competitors’ mistakes or gaps in the market?
Threats – Could your weaknesses slow your progression at work? Is there anything else that may stand in the way of your development, such as changes in technology?
4) Set achievable goals
Your first short-term goal may involve improving your CV and cover letter.
Other short or medium-term targets could include undertaking relevant internships, gaining volunteering experience or attending careers fairs
Finally, don’t forget that career planning is a continuous process. Revisit and review your aims and objectives throughout your career, and don’t feel constrained by the goals you’ve set – the structure of a career plan should help you clearly map out the route to trying something new..
