Preparing for your CAREER

IF you are now in college, or just finished with college or high school, and are trying to figure out how to get yourself into a career, then here are some suggestions from Phoenix to help you make sense of the foggy working world. We here offer folks like you an interesting smorgasbord of ideas:

1. Do you have a shortlist? If not, sit and make one now. List out the jobs or careers that most interest you in order of interest. For the time being just make a simple list and we will come back to this later.

2. Assess yourself. Do you know what your own strengths, weaknesses, skills, likes, and dislikes are? If so then this is your second list.

3. If you are already working or have worked in the past, note down your thoughts about those jobs. What did you like. What didn't you like? What did you enjoy most about the work?

4. There are specific and general skills that are needed to launch yourself into a career. Specific skills include things like qualifications, training and experience. Go back to the first shortlist (1) and next to each job/career note down what specific skills are needed to get into that type of work.

5. General skills would be a common need for almost any type of job. Here we can think of communication ability, concentration, general knowledge, a basic grasp of common software such as word processors, skills with search engines and other net stuff with some knowledge of html and the basics of websites and doing business on the web.

A good command of language is always helpful, along with etiquette and manners,
business communication,
preparing your resume,
telephone skills, &
understanding and using body language,

and then there's a whole ocean of little and big stuff here that can help you to be a success. Stuff like

Interviewing skills
and
How to perform well in group discussions and
Gaining self confidence...

Phoenix does offer a short course that covers all these basic but very necessary things. If you are in doubt, get in touch with us - the counseling is free - the course itself is not.


7. Finally, cast an eye to the future. Can you see how each of the careers in your shortlist are going to play out? How does each one of those provide room for growth and development. Are they careers that are likely to be stable even in economically difficult times?


Mentoring is very valuable at this critical stage of your life, so don't make the mistake of joining one of those crowded famous courses for career preparation. Look for a sensibly designed course that is taught both with good knowledge and that offers real personal development - development that will make the most of who YOU really are.