In today’s working life change tends to be a permanent feature. During our career, we all face situations where we need to figure out what to do & where to head next. These situations may by prompted by external or internal reasons, whether it is moving to another country, dismissal, illness, or loss of motivation for one’s current profession. When you face a change in your career, it usually is good to pause for a moment to think about the following questions.
1. Who am I and what motivates me?
Career planning always starts with one key question: who are you and what do you want? Take some time to ponder this question. For example, you might think about the following matters: How would you describe yourself? What kind of character traits do you have? What are your personal strengths? What are your values? What kind of things interest / motivate you? What is important to you at work and in life? What do you want / don’t want from your job? What is your dream job like? To discover your personal strengths, you can also take VIA Character Strengths Survey or 16Personalities test.
2. What kind of skills do I possess?
Identifying your skills is important in career planning. In job search it is essential to be able to describe what you can do and what are you good at. Your skills can also be building blocks of a new career. In a new career or job, you can utilize the knowledge and skills that you have previously acquired. While identifying your skills, you can think about the following questions: What kind of tasks have I done in my previous jobs (describe in detail)? What kind of knowledge and skills have I acquired from my life experiences, previous jobs, and studies? What am I good at? What kind of successes have I had in my life or work? Which of these skills do I want to use also in my future career?
3. What kind of jobs match my motivation and skills?
After you have clarified yourself who you are, what do you want and what you already are capable of, the next question is what kind of a job would match your aspirations and skills. To do this you can explore websites that offer knowledge regarding different professions and fields. You can also get to know the Finnish educational system and the different vocational qualifications and degrees that are available in Finland. You can find useful links regarding professions and degrees at the bottom of this text. You can also browse through recruitment websites and read through job adverts. When you familiarize yourself with different professions and jobs, you can reflect on questions like: Which professions or jobs would suit your interests and skills? Where could I utilize my skills, knowhow, strengths, and previous experiences? Or do I want something totally different? What kind of professions could match my hopes and interests? Do I need further qualifications to reach my dream job? You can also utilize online career tests, for example AVO ammatinvalintaohjelma (in Finnish) or 123 Career Aptitude Test.
4. How to proceed? Where can I find help if needed?
Once your goal is clear, the next step is to start pursuing it. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming at first. A good way to circumvent this is to divide the goal into smaller, concrete actions or steps. You could list all the steps you think you need to take to reach your goal. What is the first step you could take? What can you do already today? How much time do you think reaching your goal would take?
If you already know what kind of job you want to apply for and if your skills match this job, then the next task is to search for open jobs and apply. There are several recruitment sites where you can find open jobs, for example TE Services’ open jobs. However, not all jobs are advertised at recruitment sites. Therefore, it can sometimes be useful to contact the companies directly and ask about their recruitment plans. If you need help with job search, you can contact your local TE Office. TE Offices offer a wide range of services that can help you in finding a job. You can read about their services here.
If you know what you want but you don’t have the necessary skills for the job yet, then the task is to figure out how to acquire the education or qualifications needed for the job. Once again, you can contact your local TE Office for help. Here you can find useful information about education and training in general and what kind of help TE Services offer regarding studies. You can also call Education and training guidance to discuss study-related matters.
When planning a career, it is also good to reflect on what do you need to take into account when choosing a profession or education – for example desired location, family, health, financial situation, labor market situation. Given these limitations, is your object still feasible? Is there anything you can do to overcome these obstacles? Sometimes it may be that the goal cannot be achieved, or it would take more resources or time than one has available. If so, you can consider possible other options. Are there other professions or jobs that fit your interests? Are there any other educational options that could take you there or close enough?
Take some time to reflect on these questions. Proceed step by step. Write down your thoughts so you can come back to them later. If you need help in career planning, you can contact your local TE Services for career coaching or other related services. You can also discuss your career aspirations with a career psychologist at your local TE Office or TE telephone services.
In the future, we will occasionally post blogs in English about career planning and studying. You can find them by writing search word “English” into Haku-area on the right-hand side of the blog.
Mari
Career psychologist
Sources
Suotuisa suunta -blogi. Pakko vaihtaa työpaikkaa – 3 askelta alkuun http://suotuisasuunta.blogspot.com/search?q=urasuunnittelun+abc
Suotuisa suunta -blogi. Urasuunnittelun ABC http://suotuisasuunta.blogspot.com/2019/09/urasuunnittelun-abc.html
Useful links
- Finnish National Agency for Education. Finnish education system: https://www.oph.fi/en/education-system
- Studyinfo: https://studyinfo.fi/wp2/en/
- Vocational education https://www.ammattiosaaja.fi/en/ and https://eperusteet.opintopolku.fi/#/en/selaus/kooste/ammatillinenkoulutus?hakutyyppi=perusteet
- Search Finnish Courses: http://www.finnishcourses.fi
- Jobmarket. Professional information: https://kokeile.tyomarkkinatori.fi/en/Etusivu/ammattitieto
- Employment outlook: https://www.ammattibarometri.fi/?kieli=en
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