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Step 1: Identify your priorities and goals - A good starting
point is to take a look at your current situation and be honest
about what you want to change about it. Try to understand where you
are and where you want to be in the future. Identify your goals,
what you want to achieve, and when you want to achieve it by.
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Identify what you value in life;
ask yourself what your priorities are at this stage of your
career and what makes you tick. It could be finding a healthy
work life balance, taking more responsibility in your role,
gaining that promotion, or earning more money
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Advisers are on hand to give you
all the advice you need. Check out the Career Values Tool, which
is available on the Careers Advice Service website. It will help
you structure your thoughts and help improve your self-awareness
Step 2: Review your skills
and interests - It will become increasingly difficult over the next
ten years to secure a job without any basic qualifications, so why
not take the time to assess your skills and interests. Think about
what you like and don’t like because that will ultimately determine
the type of career that’s right for you.
Julie adds: “It’s not just about
what you can do; it’s what you want to do that matters. It’s really
important that you try to find a role that will be satisfying and
fulfilling. It might sound simple but think about what’s important
to you.”
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Jot down what you imagine to be
your current skill set, this will help you determine what skills
you have and what skills you might need
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Consider learning something new
or refresh the skills you already have by training, taking a
qualification or volunteering. For additional advice try the
Careers Advice Service’s Skills and Interests Assessment Tool
Step 3: Focus and gain
direction – Once you have identified your goals, skills and
interests, the next step is to start thinking about specific roles
that might suit you. It is important to focus on one or two roles
that appeal to you and are achievable.
Julie says: “Its quite nerve
wracking when you start thinking about all the jobs that are out
there. Gaining some direction is invaluable. Our advisers can work
with you to start drawing up a plan of action, helping you to focus
your efforts and pull everything together to make an informed
decision.”
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The Careers Advice Service
website has access to over 700 job profiles. Go online or speak
to an adviser to find out more about each role and what they
might involve
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Our Job Profiles will help you
gain a better understanding of your chosen path, helping you to
identify the gaps in your skill set and give you some
suggestions about how you can fill any gaps
Step 4: Be informed - Whether
it is an industry, sector or a specific role that interests you, it
is critical that you understand the requirements and qualifications
that will allow you to progress in your chosen field. Do as much
research as you can and get to know the industry inside out.
Julie says: “A lot of people
struggle to find a career that is right for them. Once they find
that career, people can struggle to turn their dream into reality.
Our advisers will talk you through the routes into each role and
give you advice on the skills, experience and qualifications you
might need.”
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Talk to a Careers Adviser or
people who work in the industry. The Careers Advice Service can
put you in contact with the relevant Sector Skills Councils and
help you identify the skills required for the role. You can also
speak to your local nextstep advisers, who can provide
face-to-face advice and provide on-the-ground information on
local labour markets
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The Job Profile section of the
website will help you understand the routes you can take into an
industry, whether it is your first step towards securing an
entry-level position, or whether you are looking to progress
your career by taking a relevant qualification
Step 5: Confidence is key -
Once you have found the career, job or qualification that is right
for you, you need to have the confidence in yourself to make it
happen.
Julie adds: “Our advisers can help
you to take the final steps towards pursuing or securing a new and
hopefully rewarding career. It’s sometimes easy to feel like you are
‘stuck in a rut’ simply because you might not realise that there are
different ways of doing things - whether it’s finding new ways of
re-selling your experience to a new employer, looking at how you can
re-write your CV, or just keeping in touch with your friends more.
There is so much you can do.”
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Persevere and have patience.
Things might not happen straight away, but have the confidence
to follow your chosen path
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It might not be possible to
secure a position immediately. If you are studying or have
recently completed a course securing work experience will help
bolster your CV
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If you have been made redundant
remember that brushing up on your existing skills or training to
learn new ones, can give you an advantage when looking for work
and can get you noticed by employers The Careers Advice Service
The Careers Advice Service provides
free, impartial and confidential advice for those interested in
learning a new skill; who want to find information on different
courses or help with finding out about funding options and ways to
get started in a new career.
The Careers Advice Service is open
seven days a week from 8am to 10pm. To speak to a Careers Advice
Service adviser call 0800 100 900 or visit
www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice.
Official Website:
www.direct.gov.uk/careersadvice.
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/careers_advice1
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Careers-Advice-Service/202088201941
For free face to face careers
information and advice to adults, nextstep provides help and support
in updating skills, training, learning and work. The service is
available throughout England. The nextstep advisers are able to
provide careers information and advice based on detailed knowledge
of the learning and work opportunities available locally.
Visit the national nextstep website
at
www.direct.gov.uk/nextstep
January 2010 - Peterborough UK
Community Website |
