Exploring Career Choices

You have a multitude of options when it comes to a career  It can be difficult to pick one, especially if you have no idea what you want to do ... or if many things appeal to you. Does it seem like an insurmountable task? It's not. 

You will have to put some effort into making your decision, but your effort will be well worth it in the end. If you follow these steps, you can successfully choose a suitable career and avoid making a big mistake. 

Assess yourself
List occupations to explore
Explore the occupations
Create a 'Short List'
Conduct informational interviews

For details on the above steps, see the article here,

Steps to Choosing a Career

When the time comes for you to pick a career, you will discover that you have a multitude of options. It can be difficult to pick one, especially if you have no idea what you want to do ... or if many things appeal to you. 

This is not an insurmountable task. You will have to put some effort into making your decision, but your effort will be well worth it in the end. There is a method and by following these steps, you can successfully choose a suitable career. 

See eight steps here to structure your investigation.

Analyze the Job Description

Any interview is definitely a one time make or break. The company will make a decision on you as a candidate for the role you are interviewing for, but they will also decide how they feel about you as a candidate for the company overall. 

Knowing what you are interviewing for is more than just knowing the job title and position basics. It means dissecting the job description and knowing how to apply your past experience to the job being filled.

For the anatomy of a job description, there are usually 4 main parts: the overview, the responsibilities, the requirements, and the desired attributes.

For a discussion of these factors see the article here

Have A Career Network

A career network should be in place when you need it, both for job searching and for moving along the career ladder. Since you never know when you might need it, it makes sense to have an active career network, even if you don't need it today.

Career networking, or "professional" networking, involves using personal, professional, academic or familial contacts to assist with a job search, achieve career goals, or learn more about your field, or another field you'd like to work in. 

Networking can be a good way to hear about job opportunities, or get an "in" at the company you'd like to work in.  For 7 tips see the article here.

Create a Personal Power Statement

In 30 Second Summaries and in Resumes, consider the power of words that describe a person's character, values, and skills perfectly. Creating a power statement is imperative for all persons at any level. Individuals need to be effective in communicating their strengths and accomplishments at any educational level. 

When presenting oneself to others, there is a need to present information to validate one's values, character, and skills in a powerful and succinct manner. 

This could be difficult without the guidance presented here.

Things to say in an interview

Your interview is usually your first (possibly only)  opportunity to present yourself.  You need to be able to effectively communicate your skill set and show the best competitive advantage to secure employment. 

During the interview process, you want to highlight as many of your strengths as possible. An easy way to do this is by slipping a few simple phrases into the job interview. 

Find seven things you should be ready to say in an interview here.

Networking for Introverts

You have probably heard you should spend some portion of your time networking. This includes even when you have job. So with networking being essential, now is the time to start.

You will most likely find yourself at an event of some kind event  (networking?) or mingling before the event starts (networking?). This is a natural opportunity for networking to take place.  For the recent college graduate,and for the unemployed, networking is really about any room you are in that contains other people too!

Some people are naturals at the art of networking while for others, perhaps the more shy or introverted among us, networking can be a stressful experience.

Find eight tips which will provide some help in relieving that stress here.