keskiviikko 21. heinäkuuta 2021

Choosing Your Next Job

What do people with different jobs really do during their workdays? This is a question that often arises during career counselling sessions. It is very relevant when you are in a situation where you are about to decide where to go next workwise. We can make a somewhat educated guess, but most often there is more to jobs than what meets the eye. Previous job experience is often a useful source of knowledge about what different jobs might entail, but also about where you thrive, and what kinds of tasks you ought to avoid. Another important source of knowledge is asking people you know more about what they do.

During career counseling sessions we often discuss and review the full range of a client’s previous work experience. Often there are a lot of different tasks, hobbies, summer jobs, or fixed-term employment relationships where the client has been able to try different tasks. Even though your life might have later taken a different direction, these previous work experiences will have given you some insight into what you want to do. The insight in question might be that you want to do similar work, or it might be that you do not want to be doing anything similar in the future.

Do not worry if none of your previous jobs have been the perfect package, it is more important to analyze the specific parts of the job, and what you felt about the different tasks. It is often useful to make a list of the things you have learned and observed about yourself in different situations. Making a list of the things that you already know that motivate and suit you will guide you forward. Below are some things that can be useful to consider, when analyzing your wishes and observations. Do you want the following things, and if so, in what form and amount? What is most important for you, and what are you more flexible about?

A specific field of work or topic
Alignment with your values
Abstract issues
Challenges
Flexibility, work-life balance
Independence, autonomy
Interaction with others, collaboration with others
Responsibility
Salary
Structure
Supervision, guidelines, support
Practical tasks, physical tasks
Predictability, repetitiveness, variety
Promotion opportunities
Work community
Work environment, working hours


You may feel like you have hit a wall at this point, you know something, but you feel like it is not enough to decide. Sometimes planning and researching only gets you so far, and practical experience might be the best tool to help you get an answer. You may find yourself asking: From where can I find information about different jobs? How do I know what options I have? Can I get a chance to try a job before I must commit to my choice?

The easiest way to find information about different jobs is online. Looking through the vacancies is a good place to start. It can be anxiety provoking, but it will give you a clue about where there is a demand of workers. Another source is the websites of educational institutions, they often have good information about different jobs. A third source is YouTube, there are a lot of videos about jobs out there. Analyzing and gathering information demands time and effort, but when you are familiar enough with the opportunities that working life offers, you will be able to make more informed decisions about what might be right for you. Below are a few websites, opportunities and tips that might come in useful.

Jobmarket Finland: Professional information (In Finnish)

Professional information is intended for everyone interested in working life, for example to support career choice and career planning. Here you will find descriptions of occupations and professions, and you can read interviews and career stories. A good way to use this site is to write down the options that awaken some interest in you. Gathering these might give you a hint of your future direction and might be worth taking a closer look into.

Töissä.fi

Toissa.fi is a clever site from which you can find information about what graduates from higher education do. The website is produced by the higher education institutions. You can read about career paths, salaries, and current job titles.

Work try-out

Sometimes reading about jobs and watching videos only gets you so far, and you feel you need more information. Work try-out is an opportunity to try out a job yourself. It can give you valuable insight into the job and give an answer to if the job is suited for you. It is a good idea to look for a place for the try-out yourself, but the TE-Office can also inform you about employers who could provide a place for you. You can read more about work try out from here.

Let others know about you plans and ask around!

Friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances of acquaintances… There are probably a lot of different jobs and fields represented by the people you know. Have you ever asked them more about their lines of work? It can often be useful to talk to others about your thoughts about different jobs, because sometimes you might get tips from surprising sources. Someone might know someone who works within the field that you are interested in and can provide you with a valuable contact. Most people are only positive about people who want to hear more about his or her own job. So do not hesitate to bring up your own ideas in your circle, talking about them might create an unexpected opportunity for you.

Recognize your progress

Finding a new job can be a mentally challenging process, it is important to stop and recognize your progress along the way. Do you know more about different jobs now? Have you been able to cancel out some alternatives? Another thing that is worth remembering is that there might not be one right answer, you might be happy with several of your top alternatives - there might not be a wrong choice!



Anne

Career Psychologist



Source and inspiration:

http://suotuisasuunta.blogspot.com/search?q=Mist%C3%A4+valita+kun+mietit+uutta+ammattia

Useful links:

https://kokeile.tyomarkkinatori.fi/en/Etusivu/ammattitieto
https://www.te-palvelut.fi/jobseekers/support-finding-job/work-tryout
https://toissa.fi/home-en-us/
https://youtube.com

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