HOW TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR CAREER

Category : Career and Skills Development | Sub Category : Posted on 2021-04-28 11:36:59

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1. LEAD WITH YOUR STRENGTHS

Just because you don’t know what career you want doesn’t mean you don’t know what you’re good at. A great way to focus on your skills is to make a list of your strengths. If that doesn’t come naturally to you, ask a friend or trusted co-worker their opinion. Taking a look at what you’re good at and what makes you out-standing is a powerful way of assessing a career path that will fit and compliment those strengths.

You can be good at anything if you try hard enough or put in enough effort and time. And you can save a lot of time and avoid frustration if you let your strengths lead you to what you should be doing instead of forcing yourself into a career that doesn’t really fit.

2. EVALUATE YOUR PAST TO AVOID A DEAD END

To help you clarify your feelings about previous jobs, so you can look for similar or different characteristics in the future, answer the following questions about each place you’ve worked:

• What did I like most and least about the company?
• What did I like most and least about the industry culture?
• What did I like most and least about my boss?
• What did I like most and least about the people I worked with?
• What was the most challenging thing about working there?
• When was I the happiest or the proudest?
• What was my biggest accomplishment?
• What did I like most and least about my responsibilities?

Evaluating your past can also help you recall moments you might have overlooked that would have made it clear you weren’t happy with your work. If looking back starts to uncover negative patterns around a certain kind of job or career, that’s a way to recognize that it’s time to move on. You may very well be missing out on opportunities elsewhere that would be a much better fit with your needs and abilities. Analyzing your past is a key component to discovering the kinds of situations that will bring out your best work and happiest self.

3. TALK TO PEOPLE TO LEARN WHAT YOUR DREAM career IS

Start taking some time to request and schedule informational interviews with friends, former co-workers and mentors in the fields you’re interested in to learn about their career paths and get advice. Ask about their job, their professional past and aspirations, and the industry. Just be sure to prepare with questions in advance so that you get the most out of these meetings or calls.

4. TAKE CLASSES FIRST, FIGURE OUT YOUR NEW CAREER LATER

Explore something new whenever the opportunity presents itself before you. Take online courses on Coursera and other platforms, attend workshops, read books, and watch YouTube tutorials. By taking these chances, you may find out that you’re really interested in a certain industry and start your career right away.

The point is that nowadays there are so many options for learning new skills and, by taking advantage of them, you have a fantastic opportunity to find a passion that you can turn into a new career. www.talentmatch.rw

5. CONSIDER WHAT WORK ENVIRONMENT YOU NEED

Are people in the workplace you’re considering competitive with one another or collaborative? Are they friends outside of the office? Do they work as a team or on their own? Can people work remotely or are they expected to work in the office? What is the work-life balance like? What are the salary expectations?

If you know you work best as part of a team, then it’s important to find a company that prioritizes a collaborative approach. If you’re more productive working alone, then you might be better served by freelance or contract work that allows you to manage yourself and set your own terms. 

6. DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

What do you love doing so much that you’d be willing to do it for free? Think about it: If you love something so much that you’d do it without being paid, wouldn’t getting paid for it be the definition of a dream job? Try to picture what that “job you’d do for free” is and then start connecting it to paid possibilities in the same field.

What would make you the happiest i.e., NOT what would make you the most money)? While we all need money in our daily lives, you shouldn’t necessarily choose the most prestigious job just so you can impress people around your corner. Instead, for greater long-term happiness, choose a profession that will make you the happiest and allow you to grow and learn.

By following the tips above you can develop a clear sense of what makes you successful so you’ll be able to find a career path that genuinely fits your wants and needs. You may think you don’t know what you want, but with a little reflection and determination you’ll soon realize that it’s actually right within reach.

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