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How to make career choices when you don't know what you want to be next.
Career planning isn't something that stops after doing the thinking in your early twenties and maybe in your 30 something… It's a process that occurs at any stage in life. So lets take a quick breather… pop our heads up and see what is on offer.
Life changes, sometimes balance is thrown out and in that mix, we are confronted with what to do next in our work life? It used to be a career for life on leaving school but now at the other extreme.... a career is like a clothing piece, what is in and what is out seems to be determined by what is happening in your life.
If you are thinking "I am not at where I want to be" ….then this is for you… Career Planning- a stepwise approach.
Look, I am sure that if you said " I don't want a career, I am over that..I just want a job" This also can be of help to you...
Career Planning: A Step Process
The career planning process is comprised of four steps. One might seek the services of a career planning professional to help make the steps and complete the journey to your next career choice. Whether or not you choose to work with a professional, or work through the process on your own is less important than the amount of thought and energy you put into choosing a what you want to do next.
Self Assessment
Gather information about yourself, a self assessment with a magnifier on:
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Interests
- Values
- Roles
- Skills/Aptitudes
- Preferred Environments
- Developmental Needs
- Your realities
The Myers- Briggs Type Indicator is a good tool and is part of a suite of tools offered by the Career Magnifier… You can access sample reports and a variety of services with Career Magnifier on line.
What are my options?
- Explore options in which you are interested
- Research the industries in which you would like to work
- Research the labour market
Check out this great service- Australian map with a list of top occupations in each area! The site, my future, provides a list of labour market occupations for australia in what appears to be a user friendly manner. Have a play with a map first to learn how it works and then the rest is up to you.... Go to the My Future website now.
Making the "career" dots match up
During this phase of the process, you need to go though and:
- Identify possible occupations
- Evaluate these occupations
- Explore alternatives
- Choose both a short term and a long term option
What to do next?
Ok so you have matched what you're interested in with what are the occupations out there.... what to do next in order to reach your job goal? You may want to:
Planning before you act allows you to make focused moves. Once you've plotted your course, you must follow through, it is the in activity which is the biggest obstacle to making the change. Commit to action and the rest will follow. Don't forget to check your career plan materials regularly to ensure you have not veered off course. When the job market is rough; the people that do well are those that have a strong idea of where they want to be next.
Discover your ideal career with this online career test! Career Magnifier provides career advice and career counselling to help you make a career change. The assessment is based on extensive research and provides guidance to people of all ages.
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