For students

Planning your career

Maybe you are not sure:

if you're in the right course
what you want to do
what you can do
what's out there

Good career management skills can help you to make informed decisions.

Step1: Learning about yourself

See if you can answer the questions below:

What do you enjoy doing?
What are you good at?
What knowledge and skills do you have?
How do you like to learn?
What really matters to you?
What do you want to achieve and how motivated are you to achieve those goals?
Do you have a preference for a type of work setting or location?
Do you like to work independently or with others?
What sort of personality do you have?

Interests

A leading researcher in career development, John Holland, says that there are six key personality types and that certain work environments suit each of these types.

The Realistic type enjoys working with their hands, using tools and equipment and is attracted to mechanical and/or practical jobs that may involve outdoor work.
The Investigative type enjoys reading and thinking about solutions to problems and is attracted to scientific and/or research jobs.
The Artistic type enjoys using their artistic and creative talents and is attracted to jobs that use those skills.
The Social type enjoys working with people and is attracted to jobs that involve teaching or helping others in some way.
The Enterprising type enjoys persuading and/or motivating others and is attracted to jobs that involve leadership and/or using the power of words to influence others.
The Conventional type enjoys order in their lives and is attracted to jobs that use their clerical, organisational and/or numerical skills.

Which of these types are you most like? Also think about:

What do you enjoy doing? (e.g. rock climbing, running school holiday camps for disadvantaged children)
What are your hobbies or leisure interests? (e.g. playing A-Grade hockey)
What are your possible work interests? (e.g. working in the areas of international finance or stock-broking)
What are (or were) your favourite subjects at school? (e.g. Maths Methods and Photography)
What do you like to read? (e.g. crime novels, Business Review Weekly)

The more you can write down, the more you will find out about yourself.

Skills

Based on your past learning experiences, you have a unique set of skills to offer an employer. These will cover generic skills - those that are valuable in a wide range of environments (e.g. communication, teamwork, problem solving and organisational skills) - as well as technical skills.

Try breaking down your various activities into the skills required to perform that activity. Have a go at completing the following statements and think of a time when you have demonstrated this skill:

My degree has taught me to…. (e.g. be able to carry out original research, as demonstrated by completion of my thesis on …)
My work experiences have taught me to… (e.g. answer customer queries, balance a till, order stock)
My extracurricular experiences have taught me to… (e.g. negotiate with team members and develop strategies so that my netball team won the B-Grade competition)

Writing down specific activities that demonstrate successful use of a particular skill will be helpful when you write a resumé and have to answer questions at interview.

A skills quiz and more information about skill development are available in Become More Employable.

Values

It is also important to think about our work values when planning a career. We all have a set of values/beliefs which determine the work situations that we prefer and would find meaningful. If our values are not addressed at work, it is unlikely that we will be satisfied or motivated to stay in that position for long.

Examples of values are:
challenge	power	profit	security	work life balance
teamwork	prestige	creativity	self fulfilment	helping others
leadership	variety	excitement	new learning	mobility

Prepare a list of what would be important to you in a job.

Career Dreams

Is there a dream you’ve always held about a great career? Try answering the following questions:

My career dreams have included…. (e.g. becoming a lawyer, becoming a merchant banker)
My dream job in five years time would have the following features …. (e.g. it would be overseas, preferably in America, it would be well paid and I would have plenty of opportunities to use my initiative)

Step 2: Exploring possible careers

Now it is time to research your options.

The first thing to remember is that there are many jobs that don't fit neatly within one specific job title. You will need to look beyond the job title when you read job advertisements, and look at the list of skills that the position is asking for.

Step 3: Making a decision

Some people find this stage the most difficult as they're frightened that they may make the 'wrong' decision, but remember that not making a choice is also a decision in itself.

Perhaps your decision will be made easier if you consider that you are only planning your next career step, not your whole life! Expect to travel along more than one career path during your life and expect it to take some unexpected turns.

Review the careers that appear to fit with your personality, skills and values
List the pros and cons of each and try to prioritise them
Weigh up the likelihood of finding work in your chosen field
Speak to people whose opinion you value
Decide whether you need (or simply wish) to undertake further study
Make an appointment with a Careers Consultant

Step 4: Achieving your objective

The final step is to set yourself some goals.

What do you need to do to make your dream become a reality?
Prepare an action plan that lists the steps you need to take to achieve your goals in the short, medium and long term and how you plan to achieve them
Set yourself some deadlines (e.g. prepare a resumé by the end of the month)
List possible constraints/barriers and how you could overcome them
Consider the resources you may call upon

Remember that a plan should always be flexible. Be open and adjust your plans according to circumstances, your changing ideas and your developing knowledge and skills. But at least having a plan gives you a direction and allows you to channel your energies in a constructive way.