Whether you are looking to land your first job out of school or to move up from an entry-level position, you need to be smart about your next job hunt and your career choices.
It is not about finding a job, but the right job – or at least a stepping stone that eventually gets you to where you want to be. Here are five ways to get closer to your dream job.
1. Assess Your Skills
Before you can choose the right career, you must learn about yourself. Think about your values, interests, soft skills, hard skills, and aptitudes, in combination with your personality. This will make some occupations appear a good fit and others inappropriate for you.
Look hard at your skills, which include both what you acquired from and outside of work. What do you do well? What skills do you look forward to using in the future? Ensure you have plenty of up-to-date evidence of skills development, learning, and voluntary activities.
2. List Out Your Top Job Ingredients
List out a personal wish list of the ingredients in your ideal job. Think about key elements such as the kind of people you enjoy working with, the goals you like to achieve, and the working style you like.
Look back at your past work experiences, and analyze what made you happy and what made you upset, what you wish to keep and what you wish to change. List 5–10 criteria of a perfect job in your opinion. Then throw your values into the mix – what products or industry matter to you? Look for jobs that match at least more than half of your job criteria.
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3. Focus On Job Responsibilities
Don’t refer to job titles all the time, but look for certain responsibilities, such as “a job that involves XXX skills, YYY knowledge, and ZZZ working style.” Analyze the job responsibilities and compare them to your own skills and interest. This step will make sure that you will have a pleasant experience during your 9-5 daily schedule.
4. Consider Your Future Career Track
Most jobs start off with a couple of years of hard labour at entry-level pay before you reach real job satisfaction. If you’re only starting, look ahead at people who are well into your intended career track to determine whether the lifestyle they lead is appealing to you. Some important factors you should consider are the salary level, benefits, level of job satisfaction, the amount of travel, as well as the control you’ll have over your time.
4. Fill in the Gaps with Training
As you research different jobs, are you noticing that you’re missing some common qualifications? Consider taking educational or training courses to help fill in those gaps.
At Academy of Learning Career College, Canada’s largest career college network, our flexible and effective programs have helped our graduates successfully complete over one million training courses. Browse our program list and find the best program that suits your needs!