When making a new career
choice people often fail to consider things such as transportation, schedule,
and job duties which often account for job dissatisfaction. When
looking to make a career change you may be nervous about making a bad choice.
You probably know what type of job you are looking for and how much you'd like
to get paid, but you may not have considered other important issues that could
make or break your decision.
Besides the industry and
type of career you are looking for other factors help in determining if you
will succeed or fail in your new position. Many times jobs are lost due to
people being unhappy with three things:
- Travel time.
- Schedule.
- Dislike of certain job duties.
In our current economy, gas prices are soaring and transportation
becoming harder to find you should have an idea of how far you are willing to
travel for your new job. If you live in a larger city where public
transportation is an option you may also want to think about how far you will
have to walk from the bus or subway stop to your new job.
If you are driving yourself consider the roads you must take,
rush hour traffic jams and even weather issues. Also look at how much
transportation will cost you. Is the cost worth the salary or are you going to
be better off taking something that pays less, but is closer to home? For some
people this may not seem big issue, but the worst thing that could happen is
getting your dream job only to find out you can't tolerate the twenty minute
walk from the bus stop to the office.
Are you a night owl or an early bird? It helps to know the
answer when looking for a new job. Many companies offer a wide variety of
schedule choices. Besides the normal first, second or third shifts you may also
find split-shifts, varied hours or jobs where you work three 12 hour days then
have four days off like the nursing profession. Having a clear idea of what
will work best for you will ensure you won't end up hating that your new job
cuts into your social plans or worse that you end up getting fired because you
can't seem to get the hang of third shift life.
Some of the most important decisions we make in life involve our
career choices. Making the right choices about your career is important
for future success; to be able to make the right choices, you must prepare
yourself properly. Each career choice you make will either help or hinder
you, depending on the type of decision you make and what steps you take to
fulfill your plans.
Here's are a few tips on how to make a successful career choice.
1.
Understand your
capabilities, and know what you would
enjoy doing. If you're not sure, take an assessment online or through
your local college to determine what field of work best fits you.
Evaluate yourself through the answers to find which would be the best
career choice to make instead of just applying to any available job.
2.
Once you have whittled
down your list of possible careers, go over the list to see which
jobs you qualify for and which ones actually seem appealing.
3.
Make a career choice
based on what educational background is
needed and what responsibilities you are capable of carrying out. Ask
yourself if the job itself sounds like something you would actually want to do
long term.
4.
As soon as you have
selected a job, you should then mentally prepare yourself for what needs
to be done to succeed in that job.
5.
Another important career
choice is to gain experience in any way you can, such
as taking extra courses at a local college if needed or studying the aspects of
the job in your own spare time.
6.
Once you have rounded
your options down to a small list of choices, you should prepare
yourself for interviews. Making career
choices will guide you through successful interviews with possible
employers.
7.
Make a list of questions that
you know the employer might ask, as well as questions that you will want to ask
in return. Be sure to ask detailed questions about employment, daily
tasks, company philosophy, wages, benefits and anything else you would like to
know about a particular position.
Making choices about a career can seem like a daunting task but
with the proper handling and guidance, you can make the right choice based on
your interests, education, and skills. Making the right choice will
determine the success of your future career, how well you will do and how far you
will go.
You probably already know what kind of job you want, but do you
know what kinds of job duties you like and do not like to do? Every company has
their own way of doing things. That is why every employer has some sort of
training or orientation program to teach you their way of doing things. If you
have something you really do not like doing and find out it is something you
will have to do every day at your new job then things probably won't work out.
Keeping in mind travel, schedule, and your likes/dislikes when
making a career choice will help you make a good one. All you need to do is be
honest and realistic about what you really want. It is helpful to make a list
of what you want when job searching and then for the interview have a list of
questions to ask.
The better prepared you are for your job search the faster you
will find a new career that is good for you. You will find a new career that
you are happy and stay with your new company for a long time.
We at HCC wish you a good career choice.
