Making the right career choice is one of the most crucial decisions of one’s life. No matter you belong to which social and financial background, you have to make career decisions, and it has to be right. Career guidance can be helpful, but ultimately you are the one that has to take action to fulfill your career-related dreams.
Making a career choice was easier in the 70s and 80s. The government jobs used to the first property, and that was available for all too. But now, the professionals and the college pass-outs have plenty of choices to make the right career guidance. More career options can make one confused about the right career decision. Career guidance can be the right tool to clear the confusion.
Choosing a career was never easy, but if you divide this complete process into steps, you will get more clarity to make the right career decision. Let’s check out how to choose your career in 9 steps;
Make a Right Career Choice in 9 Steps
A person without an aim is nothing. All of us, students, business persons, working professionals, have an aim, and we work harder to achieve it. The aim can be good marks, good profit, a particulate post or money. We spend 12-17 or more years in studies to make a career. What if, after spending such a huge time of your life, you land a job that doesn’t suit your personality? Though all the ways have a U-turn, so does the career. But why take a U-turn when you can make the right career choice by following these nine steps;
1. Identify Your Career Choices
Before seeking career guidance, first, ask a few questions to identify your career goals. Your answers to some general questions will narrow down your list of potential careers. Here are the questions that you must ask yourself before making a career choice;
- What are my expectations from my career?
- What I want from a job; stable career, good salary, roaming profile, or want to get settled abroad?
- What makes me more excited; a job or business?
- What are the things I love to do?
- Will I be good in a management role, or should I pick a technical stream?
- How good can I perform in a competitive exam?
- What are the core values I have?
- What are the soft skills I possess?
You can write down the questions and their answers for a better understanding of your career goals. At present, as a plethora of opportunities are available for job seekers, your answers will help you to choose one. Your skills and other answers will narrow down the list of career options for you.
2. Discover Your Personality
You must know what kind of personality traits you have. Most of the time, we know what we like or dislike, but we don’t know much about our personality. The personality you have has a huge effect on your working life. So, to make the right career choice, it is a must to know about your personality. Different personalities can perform different tasks better and be happier in different job profiles.
You can understand this with the example of a technical person working as a CCE. The job will not give satisfaction to the person; hence he will not perform well. Therefore, the career graph will show either a straight line or a slope. You can find various ways online to know your personality better. You can take the help of The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, The Jungian Type Index, or The Keirsey Temperament Sorter to know more about your personality.
3. Mark Your Interests
You can work better in the area that appeals to you more. If you love to spend more time in the gym, you can be a good physical trainer. For someone who enjoys coding can be a good programmer. If you love to read stories, then you can be a visual storyteller. Only the sky is the limit to make your interest your career.
4. Make Realistic Career Goals
Now you know the potential career options for you, and you have also found your priorities based on your answers to the above-asked question. The next step will be to make a realistic career plan for the next 3, 5, and 10 years. Write down the roles you will be having after a certain period. Also, mention what kind of education you will need to achieve your goals. After deciding on realistic and time-bound career goals, you will need a plan to make your career dreams come true.
5. Plan Your Career
So, after following the instructions given in steps 1 and 2, its time to plan your career. You have already set career goals for 3, 5, and 10 years. To achieve them, you will have to start with the first goal you have set for three years. Please find out your training needs to achieve it and plan to get trained according to the job requirements. Keep. Your previous or present education and work experience in mind when you plan your career. You will also have to closely watch changes in the market trends to be updated for the jobs that suit you, your personality, and fits in your career plan.
6. Make a Comparison between What you Want and What you Have
When you have a detailed career plan with expected milestones, compare the qualifications you have to execute the plan. Check out the required qualifications to grab your dream job. If you have them, then proceed by applying for the vacancy. If you don’t have all the required qualifications, you have two options; first, to grab a job that suits your educational qualifications and enhance your education simultaneously. Second, complete your education and then apply for your dream job. The choice is yours, but at present time most of the students pick the first option.
7. Identify Your Soft Skills
Every post or job needs some soft and some hard skills. Hard skills you can from training but soft skills you already have. Certain training can enhance your soft skills, but you will have to do really hard work to develop them. To perform certain tasks with perfections, you need certain soft skills. Your soft skills will help you to achieve your career goals.
8. Identify Your Training Needs
Its easy to find out your training needs once you make a career choice. You can get to know about the required training for a particular job by visiting any job portal and reading the job description for your dream job. Its an easy way to understand the recruiters’ requirements from a job seeker.
9. Your Expectation from Job
You will also have to keep in mind the salary you will get from the job ideal for you. Its not easy to make a career in the field that attracts you but its even difficult to survive without a salary. So your first step towards your career can offer you less salary but don’t get settle in too less. If you have skills, you are qualified, then you can get work that you love, sooner or later.
