Career Planning. Career Development Centre

Transcription

1 Career Planning Career Development Centre

2 Learning Objectives Understand the need to put into words my skills, strengths and preferences as they apply to careers Know how to gather relevant career information Know how to begin generating a list of possible careers to research Be aware of the career planning resources available through the Career Centre

3 Career Planning CAREER AWARENESS EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION SELF- AWARENESS CAREER IMMERSION GOAL SETTING

4 Career Planning Effective career development involves: Gathering, assessing and understanding information about yourself and your options Why? To make the best decisions and take the most effective actions as you move toward selecting your career path Career planning is an ongoing process where answers do not occur overnight.

5 Career Planning Who here is asking themselves: What can I do with my degree? A more meaningful question to ask is: What are my skills, interests and personality and how does this translate into a meaningful career path? Employers hire people, not degrees!

6 Career Planning: Self-Awareness CAREER AWARENESS EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION SELF- AWARENESS CAREER IMMERSION GOAL SETTING

7 Self-Awareness Self-awareness is something you will continually revisit This includes: understanding yourself; your preferences, needs, aspirations and your work self; work environments you prefer, teams you work best within Often overlooked or superficially managed YOU are the most important part of the process!

8 Self-Awareness Goals Understand yourself in the context of career selection, planning and development Gain the vocabulary to put into words your skills, strengths and preferences as they apply to careers Develop the ability to evaluate your options based on an understanding of your career preferences

9 What is your current level of self-awareness? Career Narrative Exercise Identify a situation you have participated in where you felt a sense of accomplishment, pride, utility, and/or where you believe you made a contribution Write down some of the things that come to mind when you think about this experience What types of things come to mind? What does this mean in terms of career selection?

10 Self-Awareness is a lifelong goal Meet with a Career Consultant to discuss your individual situation Consider if career assessments would be helpful Personality (TypeFocus, MBTI) Interests (Strong Interest Inventory, CareerLeader) The assessments and debrief helped me better understand my personality characteristics and what I should be looking for in a career. -Mehak Bhatia, Health Science Student

11 Career Selection What was involved in selecting your major or university? What do you think you can do to select your career?

12 Career Planning: Career Awareness CAREER AWARENESS EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION SELF- AWARENESS CAREER IMMERSION GOAL SETTING

13 Career Awareness Knowing what careers are available and understanding what these careers involve Not choosing a career based on a limited amount of information and little personal experience Expanding your knowledge of what is available before you narrow your options

14 Career Awareness Two major questions to ask yourself: 1. What careers/jobs have I never even heard of which may be a great match for me? 2. What careers/jobs or industries/sectors have I heard of but do not realize would be a great match for me? Remember: A good understanding of yourself will help you conduct effective career research

15 Career Awareness Career Research What things do you want to know about the occupation(s) you are considering?

16 Generate Career Options My Major handouts The Career Resource Centre offers many types of career books such as, Great Careers For People Who Like Results from Career Assessments: Your results will profile careers that may be a good fit Graduate Survey Data research findings

17 Conduct Career Research The N.O.C (National Occupation Classification System) Explore 1000s of occupations to understand the work settings, and what skills, aptitudes and education is required. Working in Canada Government of Canada s leading source for labour market information. Offers information such as educational requirements, main duties, salary rates Career Cruising Username: wlu Password: laurier Includes over 500 career profiles and a comprehensive database to search for further education programs

18 More Research Sources Career Profiles Learn more about over 50 potential careers by reading about the paths of Laurier alumni. Gain inside information on a day in the life of the job, educational requirements and tips from those who have been through it Social Media Twitter, Blogs and LinkedIn

19 Remember: You are gathering information and generating a list of possibilities!

20 Labour Market Awareness Being aware of the impact of the changing labour market: Provides you with valuable information when considering, or ruling out career options Allows you to learn about the opportunities being created or removed from the workforce Labour market information is part of the equation, but should not be the deciding factor in your selection of a career path

21 Staying on Top of Labour Market Trends Some labour market resources: Commit to reading the careers and business sections of the national and local newspapers (Toronto Star, Globe & Mail) Subscribe to industry magazines and e-newsletters Review reports available through Working in Canada offers reports by region and provides salary information Datamonitor comprehensive industry, company and country information Scott s Info - reliable up-to-date information on Canadian sectors Social Media

22 Key Career Research Goal Can you complete the following chart thoroughly for at least five different careers of potential interest?

23 Career Planning: Career Immersion EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION CAREER AWARENESS SELF- AWARENESS GOAL SETTING CAREER IMMERSION Narrow your multiple options down to a manageable number and move into the immersion phase of your planning.

24 Immersion Before you commit to any course of action, how can you learn even more about a career field? Spend time with a professional Identify career-related volunteer opportunities Research internships and/or co-op opportunities Identify related part-time and/or summer jobs Attend related training or educational opportunities wherever possible Participate in informational interviews and job shadow experiences

25 Immersion Initiate Informational Interviews Talk to people who are currently working in the field to gain a better understanding of an occupation or industry Build a network of contacts in the field The Career Centre has created an Informational Interview booklet to help you prepare.

26 Immersion Search for contacts using: ASK Alumni Sharing Knowledge feature alumni for you to contact. Search by their current occupation, program of study, or where they work. LinkedIn (Laurier Alumni Group) Professional Associations many organizations have student memberships. See examples listed on the My Majors handouts. Warm/Cold Contacts use your existing connections to create new contacts Employer Events/Career Fair/Job Fair stay plugged into our Event Schedule

27 Strategic Volunteering Strategic volunteering allows you to try out a career and build your skills and resumé Tips for strategic volunteering: 1. Be clear about your goals for volunteering 2. Identify opportunities of substance 3. Research specific organizations Find a volunteer opportunity: wlu.ca/volunteer volunteerkw.ca charityvillage.com Take courses with Community Service-Learning Not-for-Profits (Blue Book)

28 The Value of Volunteering Volunteer Profile Anthropology & Global Studies Graduate

29 Immersion Choosing a career without initiating informational meetings or engaging in strategic volunteering is like buying shoes without trying them on.

30 Next Steps Continually invest in your career by looking ahead and identifying your options Set goals, develop an action plan Meet individually with a Career Consultant

31 Connect With Us! x4495 wlu.ca/career facebook.com/lauriercareercentre lauriercareercentre.wordpress.com linkedin.com (Laurier Career Centre group)