Finding a job or career suitable for you - part 2

In the first blog post of this two-part series, Chris Darrall talked about self-awareness, and understanding your strengths and weaknesses, today Chris chats about additional skills you may need and finding the perfect career for you.

Researching and identifying your perfect career are the next steps. Once you have understood more about what type of skills you are going to need in your work area, it’s a question of finding it. Here are some of the strategies you can use:

  • Base a decision on good or strong school subjects or further qualifications gained and making work a natural extension of this.
  • Read the Job Profiles on https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/ to understand what different jobs involve and consider if they match what you have to offer.
  • Use job sites such as https://www.indeed.co.uk/ to view job descriptions in vacancies and if they appeal to you.
  • Get work experience or do voluntary work to get first-hand know-how of a skill or job area.
  • Do internet research on skills or job areas to see second hand if you’d like doing this e.g. YouTube videos on plumbing in a bathroom, how to replace a car engine cylinder head gasket or how to bake a Cornish pasty.
  • Use labour market information (LMI) to locate buoyant career areas on which to focus; see the LMI blog for relevant sites and tips.

If you weren’t sure where to start when you clicked on this two part blog, try the two-pronged approach of reflection, followed by research and identification; it might just give you the ideas you need to get going with your career path.