Careers isn’t something that people choose when they are in high school and do for the rest of their lives. Very often people change careers as they spend time on the job, reassess life and priorities change. On average people change jobs every 5 years and 2 million people made a career change in 2023. For this reason, careers advice applies for people of different ages. And because your career is a continuous process that needs to be carefully planned and reviewed to foster growth and job satisfaction, we have split this article in 3 main sections which can be simply broken down to how do you get to start to think about your career, how do you go about getting that career and what happens sometime after securing your dream career.
Preparing to start a career
Choosing a career can be an exciting but also an anxious time for many as you have look inwards and find out about yourself.
Speaking to parents, guardians or friends
Asking your family or friends questions about their job journey can be way to learn about their thinking process and factors that have led them to choose a particular career. Don’t expect to be able to learn everything and come up with a career choice during a one-off discussion as you many need many conversations to analyse the information and discuss ideas. Those close to you know the best and discussions with them can have a major impact on helping you to explore your interests and motivations.
Using assessment to discover about yourself
Simply thinking about our passions isn’t easy and we may feel like we are not making any process. This is a time when having some prompts can make the different. An example if the framework below published by the Harvard Business Review.
5-step framework to help you make a decision
- What are your feelings telling you?
- Are they any careers that you are considering? Put them down on paper and see what feeling come up. If you are doing a job at the moment, explore what feeling does that give.
- What matters to you?
- Think about your values, the things you care about and if you struggle with that take a psychological assessment to help you bring them to the surface.
- What matters to other people? The things that you care about matter the most and they will help you find your career choice but also bearing in mind the opinion of your loved ones. This may be more relevant for those having families or someone in care and so their career choice may be influenced by these factors.
- What is the reality of the situation? Whilst many jobs may sound ideal, we have to remain grounded and think about what is achievable. This helps to avoid being disappointed and having expectations that are too big which can lead to negative experiences. If your dream career seems big you can use the SMART goals to help you analyse the situation and turn your goals into reality.
Psychology assessments:
- Discover your skills and careers (DYSAC): interests, motivations, preferences
Speak to a career advisor
This can be whilst you are at high school or contact online via the National Careers Service.
Browse the different industries
It’s very easy to overlook other jobs if you have set your hard on something. This can happen in families where parents and other members of the family work in the same sector for example. Take your time to explore different options. Choosing a career should be a well informed decision. Take a look at the different job sectors on the national careers service.
Did you know that on the National careers service there is a section for Green careers? If you are passionate the environment this may be something of interest for you. There are plenty of jobs that may surprise you as you give yourself the time to explore what careers are out there.
Find out more about your career options
- Attend careers fair where you can speak directly with organisations and find out insights of the job and details that may take longer to find online.
- Attend an open university day if you are thinking of starting an undergraduate course. It is an excellent opportunity to explore your chosen option but also keep an open mind about other courses and let your mind explore other options too.
- Volunteer or shadow in the sector if a great way to experience the work environment first hand. This can be anywhere from a business company to a hospital setting. Speak to members of staff and get their thoughts and opinions.
Deciding whether the chosen career is the best for you
If you can get some more insight about the job by any of the ways mentioned above that will help you narrow down your options. But for many this may not be an option, so thinking about the following may be an alternative:
- What qualifications do you need? If you are changing careers think about whether you can retrain.
- What are the responsibilities i.e the day-to-day tasks?
- Does the job fit in with your family commitments?
- What opportunities for progression are there?
Securing the job
Find out more about the chosen career. You can do this in different ways according to the stage in your work life.
- Complete an application form
- Write your CV
- Prepare for interview: online, video in person,
- Interview tips: dos and donts, dress code
- Common questions asked at an interview
- Answering questions about gaps in your work history
Advancing your career
- Identify skills
- Develop skills: saying yes to challenges
- Having a good mentor
- Develop a good life work balance
- Gaining additional experience: volunteering
- Attending courses: conferences, online learning, in house courses
- Networking
Resources:
CIPD people profession survey 2023 https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/people-profession-survey-2023/
The ultimate guide to S.M.A.R.T. goals
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/smart-goals/
Discover your skills and careers https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/discover-your-skills-and-careers/
National careers service contact https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/contact-us