There is more to getting the job of your choice than just having
a degree. Your degree will open many doors, but it is up to you
to obtain the employment you desire. Advance preparation is critical.
Let us examine what you can do to successfully meet the challenge
of competition for employment.
First, you must recognize
that searching for the position you desire can be a full-time job
in itself. You must be prepared to make a personal commitment of
time and energy. You will need to spend time analyzing your career
and life goals, and you will need to be organized and flexible as
you pursue these goals. The more committed you are to your job search
and decision making, the greater your chances of finding the job
most satisfactory to you at this time of your life, paving the way
for a rewarding career in the years ahead.
Second,
you must accept the fact that obtaining the position you desire
requires a sales campaign on your part. Consider for a moment that
you have a product to sell and that the potential employer is the
consumer. As a salesperson, you must ferret out potential customers
of your product and learn how they can use your product. You must
be aware of your competition and know the product you are selling.
Who am I? Have you
ever sat down and written a clear, concise statement related to
this question? Could you in five minutes or so clearly describe
yourself to a stranger? Have you identified your strengths, your
weaknesses, your interests, your special talents? If not, you may
find yourself at a distinct disadvantage because your competition
may have made this self-analysis. Being able to discuss these things
with employers in an orderly and convincing manner will make a much
more favorable impression.
What Do I Want To Do?
For many candidates, this is a very difficult question. To employers,
however, it is one of the most important. The answer that you give
to this question will indicate whether you are realistic, whether
you have given serious thought to where you've been, where you are
now, and where you hope to be in the future. The more thought you
give to this question, the more convincing you will be. Employers
need a starting point in evaluating candidates, and often this question
is it. Remember, employers will be paying you for doing something
and not just for knowing something.
Why Do I Want To Do It?
If an employer asks you this question, can you answer it convincingly?
Have you thought through what motivated you to make this decision?
Are you realistic? The answer you provide to this question, like
the answer to the question, What Do I Want To Do? will be a big
factor in determining your success in convincing an employer that
you are an excellent candidate for employment.
Where Do I Want To Work?
When an employer asks you, Where do you want to work? or Why
are you interested in my organization? the interviewer is anticipating
a well-thought-out response.
Where do you want to work? has hidden meanings. It could mean
to work for a specific employer, it could mean to work for a specific
size employer or a particular type of employer, and it could mean
to work in a particular geographical location. The responses you
make to questions like these will assist you in deciding whether
you should even interview with a certain employer. Your responses
to these questions, should they be asked, will help you make a favorable
impression.
Often, to arrive at the answers to these questions, you will have
to conduct some research. Your career services office is equipped
to assist you with this project. In any case, your analysis of these
thoughts will go a long way toward saving you time and money.
What Are My Goals?
No one expects you to say with absolute resoluteness what you plan
to be doing 5, l0, or 20 years from the time you enter the job market.
However, many employers will ask this question. Their purpose is
to see if you have thought about where your entry-level job may
take you and where, at this time, you'd like it to take you.
It is important for you to realize that you are being hired, not
only for what you can contribute today, but for the potential you
are exhibiting for tomorrow. Today is a developmental stage bringing
about change, growth, and future direction. Tomorrow is the era
that allows leadership qualities to blossom fully.
Thinking about goals now helps you stay on target as you develop,
learn, and implement the skills from your entry-level position.
SUMMATION
In summary, choosing your career direction calls for a close look
at your product - YOU! In doing this self-analysis, you must:
- Know yourself. Make an
honest appraisal of your interests, abilities, and disabilities.
- Determine your interests.
Analyze what activities interest you most (outdoors, helping people,
mechanical, clerical).
- Recognize Your Aptitudes.
Identify the special abilities you have at present and for the
future, and determine your best combination of abilities.
- Evaluate Your Work Experience and
Education. Determine what knowledge or skills you have
acquired through your academic training and work experiences and
how this knowledge will transfer to your desired career path.
- Recognize Your Personal Qualities.
Evaluate those traits that will make you an outstanding candidate
and be able to discuss them clearly and concisely.
- Understand your Physical Capacities.
Do you have any physical handicaps that would prevent you from
functioning in certain jobs? If so, concentrate your efforts on
obtaining employment where these handicaps will not be a limitation
in accomplishing your short- and long-range goals.
- Identify Your Leisure Time Activities.
Evaluate your personal interests and hobbies. Determine how these
can be an asset to you in accomplishing your goals.
- Determine Your Vocational Goals.
It is important to establish goals. However, goals are only short-lived.
They are either attained, at which time new goals are set, or
they are not attained, for whatever reason, and then alternative
goals are established. In any case, at the very outset it is important
to establish short-term as well as long-term goals. Doing so provides
a target and helps keep you on the proper path.