Careers NSW

Thinking about who you are is important when thinking about your career. You don’t want to choose a path that makes no sense to you. After all, you have likes and dislikes, things you’re good at, and maybe things you aren’t. So, it’s important to take stock of your skills and where you want to end up. Spend some time on this. Consider the career choices you’ve made so far and how you feel about them. How important are rates of pay versus other considerations? Try to be realistic about your strengths and where they can take you.

To find a real career, your skills and experience need to come to life. What you bring to the table counts. Be positive and clear-headed about your background and what you need to learn. What have you enjoyed in the past? What were you good at? How important was your training or education in that? Get a list going on your profile. Ask some friends or colleagues about how they see you at work. What about asking your family? Imagine having a conversation about what you’re good at and why. You’ll get closer to working out where you want to go and how to get there.

When it comes to discovering interesting career information, the online world is a friend with deep pockets. Don’t stop at your laptop though. Talk to employment agencies and career counsellors as well. Anyone who might know a helpful fact. Just as an interesting exercise, go through a list of industries and the bigger occupations list [link]. Ask yourself, where can I fit in? Can I see myself in one of those occupations? Have a thought experiment about working in one. See how it feels. Does it feel right? Talk to people who know about your specific career interests. Their knowledge could save hours of career detective work. Be active.

Understanding what jobs there are for you is the next step. It’s one thing to find a career you enjoy but another to find a matching job. By now steps 1, 2 and 3 have helped you find what you’re good at–your skills and experience–and what you’d like to do. Now, you can start looking for jobs that match. Online information, like Job Outlook, can really help. But many jobs are gained through word-of-mouth referrals. That is where a contact recommends you to someone looking to fill a position. Your contact knows your skills and career interests. Don’t forget them. Talk to your contacts as well as searching the job boards and websites.

It’s highly likely you’ll find one or two careers that really grab you. That’s great! Except when you look more closely, you may find they need skills you don’t currently have. Don’t be discouraged. It happens to nearly everyone. Remedy the shortfall by learning a new skill. Then see where that gets you. When it comes to what you really want to do, going back to learning can be fun anyway. Don’t stand still with your skills. Work life is dynamic. That can only make things more interesting.