Choosing a Job or Career

Most of us will at some point have to get a job and earn our own living. Bearing in mind how much of our waking time we are going to spend doing that job it’s pretty important to find something that you like. If you spend every moment that you are there hating what you are doing then you are unlikely to stick it for very long, and really that’s not going to help you earn a living.

If you have already made a decision about the sort of career you want to have, and are in the process of studying towards it, then although you may not be able to work in your ideal position until qualified, you may well find it helpful to look for work that is in the right field at least. This way, in the future when you are qualified, you will already have some relevant work experience which may give you an edge over candidates who have the same qualifications, but no experience.

If you really don’t have a clue what sort of job you want to do, then you need to look at the skills that you have, your strengths and weaknesses, and what you like doing in your spare time. If you are someone who enjoys working with numbers and could prepare financial reports for businesses a job in accountancy would be ideal. If on the other hand you really enjoy being around small children, and have found that people tell you how good you are at explaining things so that they understand them, then you may find that a career in teaching would suit you. If you really aren’t sure then visiting a careers office is worthwhile, here there are people who by asking all sorts of questions may be able to steer you towards something that will suit you.

Of course all this is only a starting point. Getting out there and finding a job is not as easy as just deciding what you want to do. Qualifications are extremely important, so it’s going to be necessary to find out what qualifications are expected of anyone wanting to work in your chosen field. Work experience can be equally important and if no paid roles are available it might be possible to gain experience by volunteering for unpaid work helping out with something. It’s not going to earn you money, but it may help you to have something to put on your CV in readiness for the day when the perfect paid job presents itself. Careers offices and libraries may hold information about places you can contact to find out about volunteer work. Charities also often need volunteers, and they will need people to help with all manner of things which may be far more varied than you might think. For example, if you are looking for a career in Hotel work, then experience dealing with people at a drop in centre might be useful. If you are looking at going into office work and management, then you may be able to do voluntary work honing your office skills answering phones and sending out leaflets. The work involved is likely to be fairly basic initially at least, but you can think of it as a step in the right direction and another skill to put on your CV, as well as showing that you are caring enough to offer some of your time to help others – a skill that never goes amiss on a CV.

For further details about part time jobs, full time jobs, graduate jobs and careers across a whole spectrum of industries visit Search Consultancy: www.searchconsultancy.co.uk