There are seemingly endless amounts of job industries to consider and careers that you can pursue. Often the most difficult part of developing your employment is choosing a direction! You want to enjoy the ins and outs of your role as much as possible and have a clear understanding of the progression that your career can take in the long term.
If you’re completely unsure of where to begin, start by working alongside a career coach like me to figure out the path that will best suit your needs and your interests.
Should you already have some idea of what you’re looking for from your job, here is a handy guide illustrating how to check your career choice.
Identify Your Strengths
Thinking about your personality and your skills is a great place to start when you’re determining what career will fit you best. Your natural strengths will make you a better candidate for some jobs right from the beginning, so you may as well consider those first! Write a small list of your top characteristics and personality traits, or take the Myers-Briggs personality test. Understanding the type of person you are will provide a rough guide on what aspects of different careers you’ll succeed in.
If you’re outgoing and good at conversation, a customer-facing job role or, a management position where you’ll handle people will highlight your strengths. If you’re highly organised and self-motivated, an administrative job such as accountancy will serve you well. Equally, you know what jobs might not suit your personality. If you’re shy and awkward around new people, you wouldn’t want to be a cold caller. You should have managed to slightly narrow down the careers that will suit you now.
Consider Your Skills
Most job roles will ask for relevant experience, while others will require general or specific qualifications.
If you’re unsure whether you’ve obtained the necessary qualifications for the jobs you’re interested in, seek reliable career counselling for advice and support. You’re much more attractive for any job role if you have a track record of successful employment. If you’re considering a career switch, then it’s important to focus on the skills you have which could transfer into a different role.
My career coaching services can also help empower you to pursue a promotion or ask for a raise. If you feel stagnant but you’re happy with the industry you’re in, it may be time to consider how best to showcase your strengths and skills.
List Your Goals
Writing down what you would like from your job role is a sensible final step to choosing a career. If having plenty of free time is important to your lifestyle, you don’t want to choose a job like teaching where you’ll need to work a lot of overtime. Similarly, if financial security is really important to you, then you’re going to find happiness in higher-paying roles. Knowing what you require to feel successful will ensure that you don’t end up with a career where you feel unfulfilled or stagnant.
Knowing your long-term goals can also help to educate your short term goals too. If you want plenty of free time to pursue a hobby alongside your career, how are you going to achieve that? Is owning your own business the best way to ensure you have control over your working hours? Your short term goals will change and develop when you’re completing them, and ultimately help you work toward your big dream.
Remember – your career is so much more than your next job !
For further impartial career advice and counselling sessions, please feel free to contact me – Chris Kenber.