How can you narrow your job possibilities to the one thavt is best for you when there are hundreds to select from?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenge if you have no clear goals.
Lucky for us, that’s not the case.
If you follow a systematic procedure, you will raise your odds of choosing a wise choice.
1. Think About Yourself
Knowing who you are is a prerequisite to making a wise professional decision.
Some careers will be an excellent fit for you based on your beliefs, interests, soft skills, and aptitudes, and others will be a bad fit due to your personality type.
Take advantage of self-evaluation and career exams to learn more about yourself and your interests, and then use this information to narrow down a list of potential careers.
Some people find it helpful to consult with experts in the field of job development, such as counselors or coaches.
Write Down Potential Professions
At this point, you’ve probably got several lists of potential careers in front of you, one from each of the self-evaluation resources you utilized.
You should merge them into one master list for convenience’s sake.
Start by looking for jobs on more than one list and writing them down.
Give it the heading “Exploring Possible Professions.”
2. Investigate Some of the Proposed Professions
You should feel relieved that your list is only ten to twenty items long.
You can now learn the fundamentals of each profession on your list.
Consult published resources for job descriptions and educational, training, and licensing prerequisites. Find information about available promotion channels.
Use government-issued labor market statistics to learn about potential income and employment opportunities.
3. Make a Short List
Get to work refining your list now that you have additional data.
With the information you’ve gathered, you may start crossing off the occupations that aren’t appealing to you.
By the end of this process, you should have between two and five potential careers in mind.
If you have solid objections to a particular line of work, you should take that option off the table.
Get rid of anything that requires you to perform tasks you despise.
Discard occupations with low job growth potential.
If you lack the requisite soft skills for success in a certain field of work or if you are unwilling or unable to complete the necessary educational requirements, you should not pursue that field of work.
4. Carry Out Interviews to gather Data
Start undertaking in-depth research when you’re down to just a handful of career options.
Meet with people in the fields you’re considering for interviews.
They will have firsthand experience in the fields you are considering.
5. Figure Out Your Profession Path
After much thought and consideration, you are likely now prepared to decide.
Based on your research, select the line of work that you believe will provide you with the most fulfillment.
Remember that it is okay to alter your mind about a decision at any time.
Individuals frequently switch occupations.
6. Set Some Objectives
After making a choice, it’s time to set some objectives.
This will help you plot a course that will hopefully lead to employment in your field of interest.
It usually takes three to five years to accomplish a long-term goal, but a shorter-term one can be completed in as little as six months to three years.
Be guided by what you discovered in your exploration of appropriate coursework.
Obtain more information if necessary.
After gathering relevant data, you can plan your next steps.
7. Create a Work-Related Action Plan
Create a career action plan that details the measures you will need to take in order to achieve your objectives.
Use it as if it were a map that would lead you from A to B, then C and D.
Put your long-term and short-term objectives on paper, as well as the actions you’ll need to take to achieve them.
Describe any potential roadblocks you see to reaching your objectives and your plans for overcoming them.
That’s because it is.
But if you have a clear idea of where your career will go, you’ll have a much simpler time getting there.
It will save you a lot of trouble and anxiety if you take these precautions right away.