Getting ready for the workforce
Career Preparation
While the life of work and further education may be a few years away yet it is not too early to start planning for your future. This planning is as much about BEING as it is about DOING.
There are lots of different factors that go into choosing a career path. To determine the occupation you want to enter you need to consider your interests, how long you want to be in school, how much money you want to make, the type of work you want to do, the potential for job growth and job trends in the industry – sounds like a lot, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. However the sooner you begin to think about potential careers, the more chances you will have to explore them before making major decisions. Luckily, there are lots of tools, programs and people available to you to help decide what you want to do.
Discover Yourself
It is important to realise that whatever career path you choose there is a set of qualities that will help make you successful no matter what you choose to do. These qualities are reflected in every job / career so it is important to know what they are and try to develop and nurture their development within yourself.
Careers and jobs are constantly changing as we head into an uncertain future due to rapid technological discoveries so there is a good chance that you will have many different jobs in your lifetime , many that don't yet exist - so you will need to be prepared for rapid change and the need to be constantly learning new skills.
So what can you do now that will help you be prepared? Lets break it down into a number of categories:
While the life of work and further education may be a few years away yet it is not too early to start planning for your future. This planning is as much about BEING as it is about DOING.
There are lots of different factors that go into choosing a career path. To determine the occupation you want to enter you need to consider your interests, how long you want to be in school, how much money you want to make, the type of work you want to do, the potential for job growth and job trends in the industry – sounds like a lot, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. However the sooner you begin to think about potential careers, the more chances you will have to explore them before making major decisions. Luckily, there are lots of tools, programs and people available to you to help decide what you want to do.
Discover Yourself
- What do you like doing?
- What do you want to do?
- When you think ahead ten years, what do you see yourself doing?
It is important to realise that whatever career path you choose there is a set of qualities that will help make you successful no matter what you choose to do. These qualities are reflected in every job / career so it is important to know what they are and try to develop and nurture their development within yourself.
Careers and jobs are constantly changing as we head into an uncertain future due to rapid technological discoveries so there is a good chance that you will have many different jobs in your lifetime , many that don't yet exist - so you will need to be prepared for rapid change and the need to be constantly learning new skills.
So what can you do now that will help you be prepared? Lets break it down into a number of categories:
Personal Qualities
Know Yourself
Take time to reflect on who you are and where you are headed. Who am I? What do I get excited about? What do I value? What career path do I want to follow? What are some of the alternate routes to achieving this career? You can take several career assessments including the MBTI, Strong Interest Inventory, and Sigi3.
Curiosity
When young people are supported in pursuing fields that are of true interest, they are more likely to want to learn more and become well-versed in those areas. Intellectual curiosity leads to better educated and more informed workers, who can quickly cultivate themselves into real talent with a little help. Therefore, the more inspired and motivated you are, and the more space you are given to explore, create and innovate, the more your potential becomes unlimited. Therefore nurture your curiosity, try different things, set yourself constant challenges. The more experiences you have the better equipped you will be to deal with whatever is thrown your way.
Resourcefulness
Learn how to be solution-driven (rather than easily deterred by failure). Become a problem-solver. Don't give up easily.
When people are resourceful, they will always entertain new ideas, approaches and possibilities. You will find that most successful entrepreneurs today are very resourceful and don't give up easily. They meet their challenges head-on and are fearless in their pursuit of their dreams. Are you one of these people?
Be Professional
Even while you are still at school you can start to develop a professional attitude to the way you interact with others. Treat people with respect show empathy by considering the needs and feelings of others and show due consideration of the impact of your actions when making decisions that will affect others. These are all the seeds of becoming highly professional in whichever field or career you enter.
Know Yourself
Take time to reflect on who you are and where you are headed. Who am I? What do I get excited about? What do I value? What career path do I want to follow? What are some of the alternate routes to achieving this career? You can take several career assessments including the MBTI, Strong Interest Inventory, and Sigi3.
Curiosity
When young people are supported in pursuing fields that are of true interest, they are more likely to want to learn more and become well-versed in those areas. Intellectual curiosity leads to better educated and more informed workers, who can quickly cultivate themselves into real talent with a little help. Therefore, the more inspired and motivated you are, and the more space you are given to explore, create and innovate, the more your potential becomes unlimited. Therefore nurture your curiosity, try different things, set yourself constant challenges. The more experiences you have the better equipped you will be to deal with whatever is thrown your way.
Resourcefulness
Learn how to be solution-driven (rather than easily deterred by failure). Become a problem-solver. Don't give up easily.
When people are resourceful, they will always entertain new ideas, approaches and possibilities. You will find that most successful entrepreneurs today are very resourceful and don't give up easily. They meet their challenges head-on and are fearless in their pursuit of their dreams. Are you one of these people?
Be Professional
Even while you are still at school you can start to develop a professional attitude to the way you interact with others. Treat people with respect show empathy by considering the needs and feelings of others and show due consideration of the impact of your actions when making decisions that will affect others. These are all the seeds of becoming highly professional in whichever field or career you enter.
Practical Steps
Make A Plan
What does it take to get where you want to go? Consider all of the alternate pathways to get there - not just higher education. . Leave yourself plenty of space and time to change your mind about specific career paths. Once you have a plan, work the plan. Do the steps along the way each year to keep on track toward graduation and further education (if that is the path you choose).
Explore the World of Work
It is never too early to research companies/organisations to see what they offer in the way of careers and opportunities. Match what you are looking for with the company culture and what they represent.
Find out how your potential employers define preparedness
If you are seeking to enter into a career find out what is required at the entry level in terms of skills and experience. Set goals then to acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and understandings that are expected.
Get a much experience as you can
There are many ways to gain the necessary experience needed for various jobs / careers without actual having the job. You can apply for an internship, organise work experience, volunteer at a local business where the skills you need are similar. Do online courses, seek or follow online mentors associated with your career, read widely around your chosen field, establish your own online presence or cottage industry to show your skill level and enthusiasm in the chosen field.
Make A Plan
What does it take to get where you want to go? Consider all of the alternate pathways to get there - not just higher education. . Leave yourself plenty of space and time to change your mind about specific career paths. Once you have a plan, work the plan. Do the steps along the way each year to keep on track toward graduation and further education (if that is the path you choose).
Explore the World of Work
It is never too early to research companies/organisations to see what they offer in the way of careers and opportunities. Match what you are looking for with the company culture and what they represent.
Find out how your potential employers define preparedness
If you are seeking to enter into a career find out what is required at the entry level in terms of skills and experience. Set goals then to acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and understandings that are expected.
Get a much experience as you can
There are many ways to gain the necessary experience needed for various jobs / careers without actual having the job. You can apply for an internship, organise work experience, volunteer at a local business where the skills you need are similar. Do online courses, seek or follow online mentors associated with your career, read widely around your chosen field, establish your own online presence or cottage industry to show your skill level and enthusiasm in the chosen field.
Smart Moves
Researching Careers
Once you have figured out the things you like to do and the things you do well, you can begin exploring careers that incorporate your interests and skills as well as the education needed, average salary earned, potential job openings.
Expand your comfort zone and try something new
Join a group, take on a project, take a class in an area you haven’t explored yet or study abroad.
Connect
Network with everyone you know: friends, family, faculty/staff, neighbors/community, clubs/organizations, employers/co-workers, professional associations, and professional social media. Did you know that findings from Jobvite’s 2015 Job Seeker Nation Study included:
Commit to becoming a life-long learner
Almost all of the respondents to the Bentley survey (94%) agree that students must commit to being life-long learners both inside the classroom and beyond.
While this might at first sound like a lot of work, the truth is that committing to learning and upgrading your skills on a continuous basis will keep your career, and life, interesting and rewarding. Most induStries incorporate formal and informal learning / training to ensure their employees keep up with the latest technology and develop necessary skills. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO LEARN LONG AFTER SCHOOL IS FINISHED SO YOU NEED TO DEVELOP THE MINDSET OF LIFELONG LEARNING
Start your portfolio early
Portfolios and CVs are considered valuable marketing tools. With that in mind, start tailoring your resume early in order to target it to the career field you want to be in.
Remember: A resume shouldn’t be a laundry list of all your job experience, awards and achievements. Rather, think of your professional resume as a concise promotional vehicle that will advertise the assets you will bring to a particular business or company. As you continue your education and involve yourself in more and more organizations and extracurricular activities, it should become easier to build your resume one line at a time. Also try to use one of the major projects assigned in a course as a representative sample of the quality work you’re able to produce.. Crafting a resume, CV and professional portfolio as soon as possible is always a good idea; this way you will have already created something to revise, augment and polish in the future.
NOTE: There are many online tools available to help you create that CV or professional Portfolio. Check resources here.
Think about building a diverse set of skills
Business leaders believe that hard and soft skills are equally important for success in the workplace. (Hard skills refer to technical and professional skills, while soft skills have more to do with people and interpersonal interactions, such as communicating effectively, teamwork, and patience.)
While soft skills are not taught at school there are ways that you can develop and demonstrate these skills once yo know what they are.
Be prepared
Attend career workshops & events. Learn how to dress for success, brand your image, create your resume, develop your 30 second infomercial, or participate in Speed Mock Interviews or Mocktail Hour with employers. You never know when an opportunity might present itself and you want to be ready. Have your resume and infomercial ready to share!
Researching Careers
Once you have figured out the things you like to do and the things you do well, you can begin exploring careers that incorporate your interests and skills as well as the education needed, average salary earned, potential job openings.
Expand your comfort zone and try something new
Join a group, take on a project, take a class in an area you haven’t explored yet or study abroad.
Connect
Network with everyone you know: friends, family, faculty/staff, neighbors/community, clubs/organizations, employers/co-workers, professional associations, and professional social media. Did you know that findings from Jobvite’s 2015 Job Seeker Nation Study included:
- 67 percent of job seekers using social media turn to Facebook, 45 percent use Twitter and 40 percent use LinkedIn.
- 79 percent of recruiters have made hires via LinkedIn, despite job seekers’ Facebook use.
Commit to becoming a life-long learner
Almost all of the respondents to the Bentley survey (94%) agree that students must commit to being life-long learners both inside the classroom and beyond.
While this might at first sound like a lot of work, the truth is that committing to learning and upgrading your skills on a continuous basis will keep your career, and life, interesting and rewarding. Most induStries incorporate formal and informal learning / training to ensure their employees keep up with the latest technology and develop necessary skills. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO LEARN LONG AFTER SCHOOL IS FINISHED SO YOU NEED TO DEVELOP THE MINDSET OF LIFELONG LEARNING
Start your portfolio early
Portfolios and CVs are considered valuable marketing tools. With that in mind, start tailoring your resume early in order to target it to the career field you want to be in.
Remember: A resume shouldn’t be a laundry list of all your job experience, awards and achievements. Rather, think of your professional resume as a concise promotional vehicle that will advertise the assets you will bring to a particular business or company. As you continue your education and involve yourself in more and more organizations and extracurricular activities, it should become easier to build your resume one line at a time. Also try to use one of the major projects assigned in a course as a representative sample of the quality work you’re able to produce.. Crafting a resume, CV and professional portfolio as soon as possible is always a good idea; this way you will have already created something to revise, augment and polish in the future.
NOTE: There are many online tools available to help you create that CV or professional Portfolio. Check resources here.
Think about building a diverse set of skills
Business leaders believe that hard and soft skills are equally important for success in the workplace. (Hard skills refer to technical and professional skills, while soft skills have more to do with people and interpersonal interactions, such as communicating effectively, teamwork, and patience.)
While soft skills are not taught at school there are ways that you can develop and demonstrate these skills once yo know what they are.
Be prepared
Attend career workshops & events. Learn how to dress for success, brand your image, create your resume, develop your 30 second infomercial, or participate in Speed Mock Interviews or Mocktail Hour with employers. You never know when an opportunity might present itself and you want to be ready. Have your resume and infomercial ready to share!