Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.
Whatever your reasons, thorough career research will yield positive results. Even so, effective career research needs to be conducted in an organized manner.
Here are some tips that can help you as you begin your research.
Make a Career Plan
If you don't know where you're going, it's very difficult to figure out how to get there. Without a concrete plan, your research may become directionless and disorganized.
You may be working on a short-term career plan for a year or a few years or a long-term career plan that will cover five years or more.
Below are some points for consideration when making your career plan:
1. Analysis of your preferred lifestyle. Can the career you are pursuing make it possible for you to maintain this lifestyle?
2. Analysis of your work and leisure activities. Do you find them compatible with your career of choice?
3. Analysis of your weaknesses and strengths in terms of experience, talents, technical knowledge, education, training, skill development, etc., with respect to your desired career.
4. Analysis of what success means to you. Is it money, satisfaction, power, or something else?
5. Analysis of your personality type. Do you prefer a desk job or something that involves moving around?
Take a Career Assessment Test
You need to take at least one of these. There are many tests available; one is the Myers-Briggs personality test. Most tests are available online; some are free, but others charge a fee.
These tests are an excellent way to get pointers regarding the career you should pursue.
Learn About Various Occupations
Try learning about different occupations. Explore the nature of work involved, working conditions, earning potential and educational and technical requirements.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor can be an excellent source of such information.
Read Career-Related Books
Review books related to specific careers, many of which can be found online for free reading. You can also check your local library for such books and reading material.
Get Career Information Through Contacts
Use your network of contacts-your friends, relatives, family, peers, colleagues, neighbors, teachers, professors, and others-to get information about potential careers.
You may be surprised at the information you will unearth.
Use the Power of the Web
Conduct an online career research, which can give you an insight into a variety of possible careers for college majors and others with different educational levels.
Search Job Openings
Go through various job sites to find out what jobs openings are currently available. You may find many types of careers that you might not have considered simply because you had no idea that such jobs existed.
Doing dedicated research can empower you to select a suitable career for yourself.
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