Career Finder E-Book

Hasson Gill

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 191

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

DISCOVER THE CAREER THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU The quest for the work and a career that's right for you--that's fulfilling and that you enjoy--is a process of discovery. It involves learning about yourself and finding out about the wide range of work and careers available. And it involves finding out how best to access the work or career you're interested in. TAKE CONTROL AND DO WORK YOU LOVE! Whether you have no idea what work or career you want to do or there's too many options and you can't decide, Career Finder will help you discover what's right for you and how to go about achieving it. * Understand how the world of work and careers is changing * Overcome limiting beliefs, identify your strengths, skills and values and build your confidence * Identify--from the wide range of career options--the best possibilities for you (not what other people think you should do!) * Discover the opportunities that will lead to the work and career you're interested in Whatever's happening in the world and whether you've just started thinking about a career, want to go in a new direction, or have a complete change, Career Finder will guide and advise you. You'll be prepared to move toward a career that you enjoy and works in harmony with your life and who you are.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

1 The Changing Nature of Careers

Is it Possible to Find Work and a Career that You Enjoy and Are Happy With?

What's Getting in the Way?

2 Knowing Who You Are and What's Important to You

Identify Your Values

Identify Your Core, Intrinsic Values

Extrinsic Values; Work Values

Work Values

3 Knowing Your Skills, Strengths, and Learning Styles

Identifying Your Qualities and Strengths

Identifying Your Work Skills

Hidden Skills and Strengths

Identifying Your Learning Styles

Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Visual Learning

4 Identifying Possible Jobs and Careers

Turning an Interest into a Career

Should You Make Your Passion Your Work?

What if There Isn't Anything You Feel Inspired to Do?

Identify the Jobs and Careers that Might Be of Interest to You

5 Finding Out More About the Work that Interests You

Informational Interviews

Who to Meet and Where to Find Them

Make Contact

Prepare Some Questions

Work Shadowing

Volunteering

Take a Course

6 Internships, Returnships, and Apprenticeships

Internships and Returnships

Returnships

Apprenticeships

Voluntary Work

7 Portfolio Careers and Side Hustles

Side Hustle or Side Project

8 Being Stuck in a Job, Quitting a Job, and Managing Unemployment

Make the Best of a Bad Job; Make Your Job Work for You

Knowing When it's Time to Quit

Quitting the Course

Managing Unemployment

Have an Open Mind and Be Persistent

Websites and Further Information

Job Roles and Profiles

Job Fairs

Work Shadowing

Voluntary Work in the UK

Volunteer Abroad

Environmental Volunteering

Volunteer Work with Animals

Volunteer Work with Children and Young People

Voluntary Work with Mental Health Organizations

Voluntary Work in Museums

Volunteering in Sports

Medical Volunteering

Courses, Training, and Study

Internships

Career Change

Returnships

Apprenticeships

Creative Careers and Publishing

CVs, Application Forms, Cover Letters, and Interviews

About the Author

Index

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover Page

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

Pages

iii

iv

vii

viii

ix

x

1

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

37

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

59

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

Career Finder

Where to go from here for a successful future

Gill Hasson

This edition first published 2021

© 2021 by Gill Hasson

Registered office

John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print‐on‐demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e‐books or in print‐on‐demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names: Hasson, Gill, author.

Title: Career finder : where to go from here for a successful future / Gill Hasson.

Description: Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom : Wiley-Capstone, 2021. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020043581 (print) | LCCN 2020043582 (ebook) | ISBN 9780857088642 (paperback) | ISBN 9780857088659 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9780857088604 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Vocational guidance.

Classification: LCC HF5381 .H287 2021 (print) | LCC HF5381 (ebook) | DDC 650.1—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020043581

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020043582

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover Image: © kathayut kongmanee/Shutterstock

Introduction

Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.

Katherine Whitehorn

Why do people end up working in jobs and careers they don't like? It's not that they're bad jobs; they could be jobs other people do like doing. In general, people end up in jobs or careers they don't like for one or more of the following reasons:

Their job or career doesn't reflect who they really are: there's a mismatch between their values, interests, strengths, skills, and abilities and the job they're doing or the career they're in.

They aren't aware of the huge range of jobs and careers that are out there, that are available to them, and would be a good fit for them.

Once they have identified a job or career they'd like to do, they don't know what opportunities to pursue to maximize their chances of getting an ‘in’.

You don't have to be one of these people!

Identifying the work and career that's right for you – that you'll like and enjoy doing, is a process of discovery and learning.

Not only do you need to find out more about yourself and the jobs and careers that are available, you also need to know that, whatever path you decide to follow, it doesn't have to be fixed. These days, careers are dynamic; they're characterized by changing world events, changing personal circumstances, new ideas and directions. Chapter 1 starts by explaining this. It describes how each of us has to take responsibility for managing the nature, direction, and development of our own career. And that's a good thing! It means that you get to define and create your own working life: you become the author of your career.

Chapters 2 and 3 help you to learn more about yourself – to identify your values and interests; your skills, strengths, and qualities; and your own preferred way of learning and doing things. Having done that, you'll then have a clearer idea of who you are. You'll know what your values are: the importance, for you, of what you put into and get out of your work. You'll have identified your attributes – your strengths – and your skills – what you're good at doing. You'll also have identified the way that you naturally approach learning and doing things.

Next, you can start to explore what jobs and careers there are and think about how they might be of interest and be a good fit for you. Chapter 4 discusses whether or not there's a perfect job out there for you. You may be hoping that once you've found your passion everything else will fall into place. But what if you don't have a passion or a ‘calling’? There's little or nothing you feel particularly enthusiastic about or inspired to do? No problem!

You don't have to have a calling, a big idea or a long‐term career plan. Instead, you identify what might be of interest and be a good direction, do some research, and learn from what you find out along the way. Chapter 4 helps you discover the wide range of jobs and careers out there and explains how to narrow them down to a few that are most of interest to you.

Once you've identified some possible jobs and careers, as well as the criteria to judge them by – the extent to which they match your interests, values, skills, and strengths – the next step is to find out about them in more detail. Chapter 5 explains a number of ways you can do this.

Once you've narrowed down your ideas and options you'll want to know what opportunities you could pursue to maximize your chances of getting into the job, profession, or career that interests you. In Chapter 6 you can read about internships and work placements, returnships and apprenticeships.

In Chapters 4, 5, and 6 there are details about many of the organizations that can give you further advice and guidance. The section at the back of the book – Websites and further information – also has contact details for organizations that provide information about internships, apprenticeships, voluntary work, writing CVs, application forms, etc.

Chapter 7 explains what a portfolio career is and how it could work for you. This chapter is particularly useful if you're thinking about making a career change.

Chapter 8 moves on to what to do if you are currently stuck in a job or career you don't like but, for whatever reason, you're unable to leave for now. There's plenty of positive advice if you're in that position right now. There's also advice and support around what to do if you actually hate your job or a course of study you've embarked on. And finally, there's constructive advice about managing unemployment.

Whether you're stuck in a job you don't like or you're unemployed, whether you're still in education or just leaving it, or you're thinking about a career change, the emphasis throughout this book is that your attitude and approach make all the difference. You'll need a positive mindset, persistence, and determination. You'll also need an open mind; a willingness to be adaptable and flexible.

Finding the right job and career for you might not be easy, but if you follow the steps described in this book, you'll not only ensure that you're heading in the right direction, but you'll do so with enthusiasm and confidence.

1The Changing Nature of Careers

The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.

Irene C. Kassorla

What is a career? Like most people, you probably think of a career as the work a person does throughout their working life, in a specific profession or industry. We talk about a ‘career path’ and a ‘career ladder’; we see a career as something we make progress in, with opportunities for promotion, an increase in responsibilities and pay, and other benefits.

Although we're all familiar with the concept of a career, it is, in fact, a relatively recent concept.

In the past, most people simply did the work that was there; they did what their circumstances and environment presented them with. If, say, you lived in an agricultural community, your work was in agriculture, working on a farm or in associated work; as a blacksmith, for example. If you lived in a fishing community your work was in the fishing industry and if you lived in a mining community, you worked in or at the surface of the mines. In the towns and cities, you might have worked in a trade; you might, for example, have been a draper, or a goldsmith, a tailor, a cordwainer, a plasterer, or a bookbinder. Whether a person lived in a town or a city, as a rule, if their family did it, so did they.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the advent of the Industrial Revolution brought people work in the factories and work with large employers, such as railway companies.

By the twentieth century, and throughout the following decades, access to an education widened the possibility for many individuals to enter a profession and build a career. Typically, people secured a job after leaving school, college, or university and they either stayed there or moved on to maybe one or two other employers during their working life. Employees were loyal towards the company or organization they worked for, and were confident of a high level of job security. Within the organization, there was a clear line of promotion; employees aimed to work their way up the career ladder in order to gain promotion and the associated benefits: increased responsibilities, pay, status, and a decent pension at the end.

The organization you worked for mapped out your career; they provided career opportunities and progress. Now, though, many of the organizations and companies that used to offer steady lifelong jobs are no longer presenting a linear career path and/or the security that previous generations experienced.

The three‐stage life of education, work and retirement is clearly not fit for purpose. That's a huge shift for the young as they consider lifetime learning and multiple career shifts. What worked for their grandparents' generation won't work for them. And it's not only the young who face this challenge – those in their forties and fifties have to plan for longer careers in a world where jobs will be changing with technology and their skills may no longer be relevant.

Lynda Gratton – professor of management practice and Andrew J Scott, professor of economics, both at London Business School.

Professors Gratton and Scott, authors of the book, The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World, suggest that ‘a core aspect of this new multi stage life is that it is “self‐authored”, in the sense that the dynamics and trajectory lie with you, rather than, as was the case in the past, with your employer. When we live longer, we inevitably have more transitions – from one job to another, but also from a job to a time to learn, or from a job to a time to care.’

Today, even if you do stay in one profession or industry or with one employer, you might travel a career path that changes direction. The UK's Civil Service, for example, on their career page https://civil-service-careers.gov.uk/ suggests to prospective employees that ‘whatever your passion, to specialize or try something new, there's a path for you.’

From A&E nurse to psychotherapist

In 1995, at the age of 31, Donna Butler started work as a staff nurse in the A&E department of Brighton's Royal Sussex County Hospital. She soon became aware of the stressful impact – whether in a cumulative way or from single traumatic incidents – that working in A&E was having on her and her colleagues. Too often, staff struggled to cope with the stress: they either carried on and their mental health suffered – depression and anxiety and/or trauma and burnout – or they left the job.

Donna identified a clear need and determined to do something to support herself and her colleagues. She took the initiative and, for the next four years, while continuing to work in A&E, she studied for a counselling degree so that she could qualify and register as a psychotherapist with the aim of persuading the hospital to give her a post supporting her colleagues in A&E.

After qualifying in counselling in 2002, Donna devised a questionnaire asking all staff in different departments at the hospital if they felt they would be better supported in their jobs if they had access to counselling therapy: 98% said yes. As a result, the hospital agreed to create a new post for Donna as a counsellor offering a safe, confidential place to talk, supporting A&E staff, patients, and relatives with counselling and to facilitate debriefs following specific traumatic events on the unit.

In 2009, after eight years of delivering the counselling service in A&E, Donna determined to widen both her knowledge (she studied for and achieved a master's in Integrated Psychotherapy) and the counselling service she was providing.

She presented the executive team and hospital board with a business plan to make a counselling, psychotherapy, and training service available as an ‘in‐house’ provision to all Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust's 9,000 staff.

Donna is now the lead psychotherapist with a team of therapists – delivering the Trust's Health, Employee, Learning and Psychotherapy service. She also became part of the senior HR team and leads on advising the Trust on psychological care for staff.

So, while some people may stay with the same organization, and move up the career ladder in the conventional way, some, like Donna, stay with the same organization but move into a very different role.

Then there are other people who can't or don't want to rely on one organization to provide the structure and opportunities around which they can develop a career. Instead, they move to a different employer every few years in order to progress. In fact, according to recent research by life insurance firm LV=, on average, a UK worker will change employer every five years.

Increasingly, people change professions completely. One person I know has gone from being a plumber in his 20s to becoming a fire officer in the Fire and Rescue Service in his 30s. One friend went from working in book design for 30 years to working as a tree surgeon. Another friend changed direction from being an illustrator to becoming a portrait painter. Someone else I know went from working in hospitality to working in social media. And one friend, who I met when we were both waitressing as teenagers, many years ago, went on to be a pop star, then a TV producer and an investigative journalist, and is now a furniture maker.

Writing in the Financial Times in September 2017, Work and Careers Editor Helen Barrett described having recently met a woman in her fifties who was soon to qualify as a lawyer, her fourth career.

Helen explained that for this woman, an early academic career had led to museum work, and, by her thirties, she was curating exhibitions at leading international galleries in London and Berlin. ‘In her forties,’ Helen wrote, ‘she developed a sideline: teaching the practicalities of entrepreneurship to art undergraduates. This turned into a fascination with intellectual property law. At 46, she started legal training. Years later, she is now a trainee for a boutique intellectual property law firm in the City of London. In another year or so she will be qualified. Would it be her last career? She couldn't say.’

Some people spend their working life with one employer, others change employers and change professions every few years. Many people eschew being employed by someone else and set up their own business, work freelance, and are self‐employed. And some people have more than one career at the same time – a portfolio career: a portfolio of jobs which involves dividing their time and skills between two or more part‐time jobs, one or more of which may be self‐employed.

Clearly, then, career paths are far less predictable than they once were. There's been a huge shift from individuals relying on their employer for job security and career development to individuals taking responsibility for their own career management and employability.

Over a person's lifetime, their own personal circumstances – their values, skills, abilities, and interests – change. There are continual economic and technological changes at local, national, and global level; economies collapse, companies go under, entire professions get automated by technology. And pandemics occur. All of which impact on each and every one of us in terms of jobs, work, and a career.

In good times and bad, whether life appears to be stable and secure or uncertain and unclear, we must manage our own work and career and create our own opportunities. We each need to be open to new ways of thinking and doing and be willing to acquire new knowledge and skills.

Career progress or ‘success’ is no longer measured by how far up an organization's hierarchy a person can climb. Career success and progress is now more subjective: a ‘good job’, ‘good work’, and a ‘successful career’ is defined by you, the individual; it's work that is consistent with your own personal values, circumstances, and priorities at any one period of your life.

What career success means is down to you; you can have your own definition of success and use this definition to guide you in your career choices.