If you do not know what you are looking for, how will you know when you found it?  Paul Heng advises.

 

Out of 10 undergraduates I speak with, nine, and sometimes even 10, do not have a clear idea of what they would like their first job to be.  Unless you are doing dentistry, medicine, law and such, chances are that you would not quite know the answer when asked by well-meaning friends what career path you would like to follow.  And, this is hardly anything new neither surprising.

 

This is why many academic institutions around the world have a career services division that takes care of students’ career-related issues, and provide the much necessary career counseling support.  It has been said: “if you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there” – remember “Alice in Wonderland”?  The challenge of most under-graduates is to find out what paths to explore, and try to narrow down the options as they progress in their careers.

 

In the world of career management, it is important to separate “interests” and “competencies”.  I may have an interest in flying a plane, but until I’ve undergone the proper training, I will not be able to do so (as I do not have the competencies).  In exploring your career path, you have first to know your areas of interest – put the “competencies” issue aside.  Most people would logically fall back on the course they are doing – if you are in accountancy, for instance, then it would be: “I want to begin my career in the financial services function, auditor, accounts executive or even a trainee financial analyst.”  That’s logical.  But could it be possible that some of us actually embark on an undergraduate course based entirely on our academic results and the probability of our being accepted in the particular faculty?  Yes, this could be the case.  So, there is always the chance that you may not really have an interest in that particular field of study, right?

 

Most career services provide assessment tools – and there is a wide variety of such career interests/personality profiling tools.  Go pay them a visit if you have not already done so and find out more about what drives up your adrenalin level.  You may wish to explore a sales career – in which case, you should be extroverted, have a genuine interest in meeting people and motivated by a reward system that has your level of income being directly proportionate to your efforts and results.  Or, if you want to be in human resources, you should similarly enjoy meeting and working with people, in addition to having a direct interest in counseling and mentoring.

 

Also pertinent for you to find out is your key work values – what is important to you in a job?  For example, if you value “affiliation”, then it would do you well if you try to look for a job in a larger organization where you have lots of colleagues, where you are then able to feel a higher sense of belonging.  Or, if one of your work values is “prestige”, then you can probably derive a higher level of job satisfaction if you work for a firm that is held in high esteem in the industry.

 

Having this knowledge will allow you to work with a career coach on arriving at career options.  Remember, speak to lots of people (in the area of work that you are keen on), read up plenty on the possible career paths you have short listed.  Only then, will you be able to make an objective decision on which route to take.  However, do bear in mind your interests can and do change over time, so it is imperative that you do a periodic review/audit of your career, and switch lanes if you have to.  Good luck!

 

 

Paul Heng is a professionally certified executive/career coach that works with organizations on their talent management needs (www.nextcareer.net).  He also lectures to undergraduates on career-related topics.