Career Planning Advice

15
Nov

TotalJobs, one of the UK’s leading job boards asked me to share the following post with BioJobBlog readers. It offers insights and tips for jobseekers who may be embarking on a new career or simply looking for new job opportunities. Surprisingly, many jobseekers overlook these simple tips that can mean the difference between employment or not.

Finding a Career Path That is Right for You

As many of us know from our own experiences, job hunting can be a gruelling process. The current economic climate has left many of us unemployed and desperately seeking work. With jobs few and far between, many jobseekers will jump at the first opportunity that comes along. Sadly, the idea of landing that dream job that you fantasized about during your school years may now seem like a distant memory. However, what many job seekers don’t understand is that by simply altering their job search strategies, they can dramatically increase the likelihood of landing that almost-forgotten dream job.

Ideally before your begin your job search you ought to have a general idea about the career path that you want to follow. This will help you to focus your job search. For those who don’t know or may be confused about possible career options, answering the following questions may provide some clarity

What were you strongest subjects at school? In what did you excel?
What qualifications and skills do you currently possess?
What are your hobbies and interests, what really gets you going and excited?
Ideally, what job do you see yourself doing in the future?

Once you have answers to these questions, try to identify two or three possible career paths that feel right for you and are consistent with your background, skills and training. The next step is to determine whether or not the career paths that you have chosen are truly viable options for you. There are a variety of actions/activities that help you with this reality check.

Many colleges and universities offer counselling services that are free and open to the public. Chatting with career counselling professionals can provide clarity about jobs and whether or not they are consistent with your interests and personal skills. Career counsellors can also advise you on the coursework, qualifications and skill sets required for those jobs.
Use the internet to research specific jobs or career options. This will help to improve your understanding of specific job titles and also provide insights into the-day-to-day requirements and activities of individual jobs. Also, you can determine the average salaries for specific jobs that you are interested and whether or not there are opportunities for career advancement in the jobs that you identified.
Decide whether or not you are prepared and willing to do whatever is necessary to qualify you for a particular job: even if the job may require additional coursework, exams, internships etc.
Determine the location of the jobs that you are interested in and see whether or not you would be able to live in those areas. For those of you considering graduate school and are interested in teaching assistant jobs you will need to determine whether or not local schools/colleges offers graduate training. If not, you may have to consider leaving home to pursue the career that you are interested in.
Identify persons who previously or currently work in the industries or jobs that you are interested in. Ask whether or not they may be willing to talk with you about their experiences to help you determine that you are the right fit for a specific job that you are considering. Sometimes, these so-called informational interviews can lead to internships or possible future job leads. If nothing else, they help to build a professional network which is absolutely essential for any jobseeker.

While many of these recommendations seem obvious, you will be surprised that learn that most jobseekers do not consider many of them before they begin their job searches.

Generally speaking, jobseekers give their career paths some thought are more apt to find jobs as compared with others who believe that landing a job is a random process and requires little more than luck!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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