Design Your Own Career

1
Design Your Own Career

• Chapter 12

2
Theories about Career Choices
3
Realistic

• Apply scientific principles in things that they
  do.
• Have mechanical abilities
• Like doing or making things
• Examples are
• Pilot
• Engineer
• Electrician
• Construction worker

4
Investigative

• Like abstract thinking, discovering new
  knowledge, testing hypotheses and solving
  problems
• Examples
• Research scientist (physicist)
• Chemist
• Medical researcher
• College or university professor

5
Conventional

• Enjoy working in structured situations
• Self-disciplined
• Orderly
• Like organizing
• Work comfortably at routine repetitive tasks
• Examples
• Clerical worker
• Accountant
• Bank teller
• Data entry
• Billing clerk

6
Enterprising

• Are persuasive
• Like to influence other people
• Risk-takers
• Enjoy business ventures
• Examples are
• Business owners
• Real estate brokers
• Sales managers

7
Social

• Like to work with people, especially in helping
  relationships
• Examples are
• Social worker
• Counselor
• Teacher
• Health care worker
• Clinical psychologist

8
Artistic

• People who are creative, imaginative, emotional
  and who hold unconventional perspectives which
  they like to express
• Examples are
• Painter
• Sculptor
• Musician
• Writer
• Dancer

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Which are you?

• Go to FACTS.org
• Click on with your user ID/password
• Work/Career
• Next, click on https//cp.bridges.com/choices/work
  /finder/InterestsAdd.do
• My Characteristics
• Assignment
• Do the
• Interests see your matching careers
• Work Values see your matching careers
• Attitudes see your matching careers

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Assignment

• What is your interests profile?
• What are your matching careers?
• Of those, which 3 would you be interested in
  knowing about?

11
Anne Roe (1972)

• Variables that relate to vocational behaviors
• State of the Economy .war, peace, inflations,
  depression, labor market, trends for businesses
• Family backgroundculture, socio-economic
  circumstances, values, educational values
• Chance unexpected events
• Marital situationhappy, going through divorce
• Physical.capacities as well as health
• Intellectualcognitive abilities of general and
  special nature
• Temperament and Personalitypatterns of
  behaviors, preferences
• Learning and Educationgeneral education and
  experience
• Acquired skillsspecial skills and techniques
  learned

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According to Buckingham and Clifton (2001)

• Most organizations are built on two flawed
  assumptions
• Each person can learn to be competent in almost
  anything
• Each persons greatest room for growth is in his
  or her areas of greatest weakness

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Best managers assume that

• Each persons talents are enduring and unique
• The greatest room for growth is in areas of
  greatest strength

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Strength Defined

• A consistent, near perfect performance in an
  activity (p. 283)

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Living Life of Strength

• Three Principles
• Being able to do consistently, over and over the
  same work happily and successfully
• Not needing strength in every aspect of a role to
  excel
• You will excel only by maximizing your strengths,
  never by fixing your weaknesses

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Self-Assessment

• Introspection looking inward at ourselves
• Process of discovering what is going on inside
  ourselves and noticing patterns in our
• Behaviors
• Feelings
• Attitudes

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Self-assessments

• Through writing about our feelings, experiences
• Gathering feedback from others
• Using assessment instruments

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Portfolio Development

• Defined as a collection of representative samples
  of what you have done (for example,
  academically/occupationally).
• Keeping important historical documents of your
  successes may help you in your self-assessment
• May also help you in your proposal for a raise,
  funds, research, etc.
• Items in portfolio may include
• Values
• Personality
• Skills
• strengths

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Finding Information About Careers

• Using Books
• DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles)
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• National Career Development Association
• Using Computers
• Monster Board- www.monster.com
• Career Builder- www.carrerbuilder.com
• Career Mosaic- www.service.com80/cm
• More on page 288
• Campus Career Centers
• Interview
• Interning or Volunteering

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Making the Decision

• Focus on your strengths, interests and
  personality patterns
• What careers can help you bring out those
  strengths?
• Commit thoughts to paper
• Compare systemic factors against alternate
  choices

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Once decision made

• Set goals (remember, must get information in
  order to design goals)
• Should be achievable
• Measurable
• Realistic
• Flexible enough that you dont set yourself up
  for failure
• Have a career plan

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Career Goals

• Long-range, general abilities and requirements
• Current skills, interests and experiences
• Short-term, specific goals to make your dreams a
  reality

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Getting the Job

• Seek Campus for information
• Job Fairs
• Campus Library for organizations
• Human Resources Department
• Newspaper classifieds
• Develop a network of contacts
• Using the internet http//jobhunterbible.com
  and http//ncda.org

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Click on

• https//access.bridges.com/portal/client/topic/get
  tingHired.do?productGroup2
• Navigate through the page to find out what they
  recommend for
• GETTING HIRED
• Go through all the elements

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Preparing your resume

• You can make your resume in
• Chronological order, or,
• Function or task accomplishments
• Customized single resume
• Use action verbs http//www.quintcareers.com/actio
  n_skills.htmlcommunication

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Items to Include in Your Resume

• Who you are
• Job Objective or Goal
• Education
• Experience and Achievements
• References
• Action words managed, designed, implemented,
  wrote, organized, evaluated

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Writing Your Cover Letter

• Its an original business letter that compliments
  your resume
• Its a brief introduction that tells the employer
  why you are applying for that position
• Letter of application if there is a posting
• Letter of inquiry no specific job posting
• Three paragraphs should include
• Stimulating interest, why you are writing , how
  you found out about the company, and position
  sought
• Make clear what you can offer the company, point
  out how your skills and knowledge and experience
  are commensurate with those listed in the job
  posting
• Designed to get a response from the employer.
  Indicate when and how you will contact the
  employer for a follow up

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Preparing for the Job Interview

• Know about the company
• Nature and purpose
• Key leaders in company
• Organizational makeup, branches and patterns
• Organizations reputation
• Major competitors
• Any thing about this company in the news?
• Position requirements/job description
• Why is this position now available

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Five Cs of Job Interviewing

• Challenged
• Communicative
• Candid
• Comfortable
• Confident

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During the Interview

• Introduce yourself in a friendly and courteous
  manner
• Wait to be invited to be seated
• Listen, respond, and ask your questions in the
  exchange of the interview
• Mentally note any follow-up requirements such as
  supplying references/transcripts
• Sense when the interview is drawing to a close
• Clarify with the interviewer the next step in the
  process
• Summarize your pleasure at the interview
  experience
• Thank the interviewer as you prepare to leave
• Follow up with a written thank you letter

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Tips to Keep in Mind

• Dos
• Your homework
• Rehearse
• Prepare questions
• Dress a level above the job youre seeking
• Arrive on time
• Have a firm handshake
• Show interest
• Listen
• Be Nice, Be Yourself
• Think before responding
• Maintain eye contact
• Thank the interviewer

• Donts
• Appear uninformed
• Talk too much
• Pretend to be listening
• Interrupt the interviewer
• Put yourself down
• Be arrogant
• Be rude
• Question about salary early
• Be an extremist
• Have a telephone interview
• Be vague or indirect
• Be negative

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FACTS.ORG Assignment

• Go to FACTS.org
• Use password and id as provided on WebCT
• From the previous assignment, select three
  careers you may be interested in and then print
  the skills needed for each.