Careers

What should a career mean in todays' job market?

How you earn your living in today’s competitive and fast moving job market, is more likely to change several times as you first define and then redefine yourself and your goals.

Ideally your career should be stimulating, rewarding, meaningful, allow you to assume responsibility if you so wish and gain personal and professional development along the way.

So how should you manage your career?

If you are starting out on a new career path, aiming for a promotion or pay rise, there are a few simple, practical rules that need to be followed carefully, to give you the results you want:

Researching yourself
Gathering information on the market place and preferred industries
Implementing a solid job search strategy

If you skimp on any of these when planning it will lead to less than favourable outcomes.

When developing your career direction it is essential you ask the right questions of yourself and others when researching:

your self
your personal goals
your interests
your values
your ideal roles
your skills and abilities
your achievements
your preferred environments
your developmental needs

You then need to explore the market place identifying:

Occupation options you are interested in and ones you have not yet discovered
More specific information after you have narrowed down your options so you can evaluate these occupations and the alternatives
Industries and organisations which can full fill these roles
Both a short term contingency's and a long term career options
Possible up skilling requirements
Sources of additional training and education, if needed

All this new information will be used in your job searching action plan that must include:

Your new resume
Company information
New cover letters
Interview preparation and an understanding of how interview questions are created.
An understanding your competition
A good handle on the methods use by employment agencies and head hunters as they are the greatest source of positions in the market place.
And a general plan of attack to optimise your time, after all the longer you are not earning your true potential, the more money you lose.

With all this securely in place you are undoubtedly on the right foot to your new position or pay rise.

Alternatively one might seek the services of our career development professional to help facilitate your journey through this process.

Our career coach offers comprehensive direction, material and templates, in all these areas, making it quicker, easier, less stressfull and reducing the pressure on you, significantly.

Whether or not you choose to work with a professional, or work through the process on your own it is very important to remember to put a lot of energy into calculating the right career direction.