Career Decisions Section #1

Choosing Your Career Topic #1

Consider This… “To be truly happy in what you do for a living, you need three things: You must be good at it, it must come easily for you, and you must enjoy it.” Unknown

Learning Targets Discuss career and job trends, and describe sources of job information. Complete a job analysis, listing the positive and negative features of potential career choices. Describe the techniques for coping with change. Explain changing career patterns in a world economy and the need for job networking.

Careers of the Future Careers of the future will be based on technology and information management. Careers will change rapidly in requirements and skills. Major Occupational Groups: Service jobs will continue to grow. Businesses will depend more on the gathering and use of information.

Job Titles and Descriptions Several U.S. government publications, available online and in most libraries, provide detailed job descriptions: Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT): Online: O*Net: http://online.onecenter.org Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH): http://www.bls.gov/oco Monthly Labor Review: http://stats.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.thm

Job Analysis Job Analysis: An evaluation of the positive and negative attributes of a given career choice.

Job Analysis Evaluate positive features of a job, such as: Salary: The amount of monthly or annual pay that you will earn for your labor. Benefits: Company-provided supplements to salaries. Promotions: The ability to advance, to accept more responsibility, and eventually to work your way up to higher positions. Fulfillment Evaluate negative features of a job, such as: Employee Expenses: Include any costs paid by the employee that are not reimbursed. Job Pressures Stress

Entrepreneurship Consider owning your own business. Entrepreneur: Someone who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.

Coping with Change Read widely and be a lifetime learner. Take classes for upgrading and retraining. Retraining: Involves learning new and different skills so that an employee can retain the same level of employability. Consider earning an advanced degree. Advanced Degree: Specialized, intensive programs that prepare students for higher level of work responsibilities with more challenges and higher pay. Complete a self-assessment inventory to learn your strengths and weaknesses. Self-Assessment Inventory: Lists your strong and weak points and gives you an idea of how to prepare for a career.

Changing Career Opportunities Make career planning a long-term strategy. Recognize that you are part of a worldwide, interdependent economy. Develop a network of contacts. Networks: Informal groups of people with common interest who interact for mutual assistance.

Planning Your Career Topic #2

Consider This… “To be happy in your work life, you must be able to work as if you don’t have to.” Dr. Alfred Mukakis

Learning Targets List reasons why people work and factors that affect career choices. Identify and describe good career planning techniques. List sources of job opportunity information. Itemize and explain good job search techniques. Formulate a personal plan of action to get the job you want.

Factors Affecting Career Choice Do a self-analysis to identify your values, lifestyle, aptitudes, interests, and personal qualities. Values: The ideals in life that are important to you. Lifestyle: The way people choose to live their lives, based on the values they have chosen. Aptitude: A natural physical or mental ability that allows you to do certain tasks well. Interests: The things you like to do. Personality: The many individual qualities that make you unique.

Career Planning Research careers that best fit the characteristics revealed in your self-analysis. Make a plan to reach your career goals and re-evaluate your choices from time to time. Create a checklist of your short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals, and check them off as you accomplish them. Goal: A desired end toward which efforts are directed. Look for ways to gain experience in your chosen field. Experience: The knowledge and skills acquired from working in a career field.

Sources of Job Opportunity Information Search for job opportunity information through your contacts, placement services, newspaper ads and private job listings, the Yellow Pages, employment agencies, and online company and job sites. Contacts: Someone you know, such as relatives, friends, members of a group you belong, and former employers.

Job Search Techniques Work History: A record of the jobs you have held and how long you stayed with each employer. For a successful job search, get organized, make a plan, follow up, and don’t give up.

Getting the Job Topic #3

Learning Targets Describe and prepare an application letter. List guidelines for and prepare a resume and scannable resume. Describe the reference letter and explain why it is useful to job applicants. Describe and fill out an employment application form. Discuss how to prepare for a job interview. Describe and prepare a thank-you letter.

The Application Letter An application letter sent by mail should include a return address, letter address, salutation, body, and complimentary close. Application Letter: Introduces you to the potential employer and gives you a chance to “sell” your qualifications. Return Address: The first thing to appear at the top of the letter which contains your complete mailing address. Letter Address: Contains the name and address of the person or company to whom you are writing. Salutations: The greeting that begins your letter. Body: The message section of the letter. Complimentary Close: A courteous phrase used to end a letter.

The Application Letter Preparing an E-Mail Application Letter: When you prepare an application letter in the body of an e-mail, use the Plain Text setting and avoid special formatting and tabs. The purpose of an application letter is to interest the employer in reading your resume and granting you an interview.

The Resume Resume: Tells the employer neatly and concisely who you are, what you can do, and your special interests. A resume is a concise summary of your work experience, education, abilities, and interests. To make your resume easy for a scanner to read, avoid fancy fonts and formatting. Scannable Resume: A resume that has been designed for easy reading by a scanner and contains key words from the applicant’s career field. Ask for a reference letter from past employers, co-workers, teachers, and adults in business who can vouch for your skills, character, and experience. Reference Letter: A statement attesting to your character, abilities, and experience, written by someone who can be relied upon to give a sincere report.

The Application Form Employment Application: A preprinted form that must be filled out when applying for employment. Fill out employment application forms completely, accurately, and honestly.

The Job Interview Job Interview: A face-to-face meeting with a potential employer to discuss your job qualifications. Prepare for an interview by reviewing you materials, researching the company, and rehearsing answers to questions you might be asked. Arrive at the interview on time, dressed appropriately, go alone, and be courteous and enthusiastic.

The Thank-You Letter Thank-You Letter: A follow-up tool to remind the interviewer of your qualifications and desire to work for the company. After an interview, follow up with a short thank-you letter that reminds the interviewer of your key qualifications and your interest in the job.

Adapting to Work Topic #4

Learning Targets Identify and describe effective communication strategies on the job. Discuss guidelines for effective human relations at work. Describe written and unwritten work rules. Discuss appropriate work attitudes and the problem of absenteeism. Discuss two theories of motivation and the results of job satisfaction.

Effective Communication at Work Effective communication requires sympathetic, critical, and creative listening. Listening: An active hearing process that requires concentration and effort. Sympathetic Listening: The ability to perceive from another person’s point of view and to sense what the person is feeling. Critical Listening: The ability to differentiate facts from opinion. Creative Listening: Listening with your mind open to new ideas.

Speaking People speak informally to make contact, exchange information, influence others, and solve problems. A formal speech may be designed to inform, entertain, or persuade. Practice can reduce “stage freight.”

Communication Flow in the Workplace Workplace communication flows horizontally, upward, and downward. Horizontal Communication: Communication among co-workers of equal rank. Upward Communication: Communication that flows from lower to higher levels of the organization. Downward Communication: Communication that flows from higher to lower levels of the organization. E-mail is fast and easy but not private.

Human Relations at Work Good human relations requires understanding and genuine concern for others. Human Relations: The art of getting along with others.

Employer Expectations Most businesses have both written and unwritten work rules. A good work attitude creates a favorable impression on customers and your employer. Frequent absenteeism results in high costs to the absent employee as well as the company.

Motivation and Needs Maslow’s theory holds that people who behave in ways that will meet their need from lower to higher levels of the hierarchy. Herzeberg’s theory suggests that to motivate greater achievement, employers must offer both hygiene factors and motivators. Hygiene Factors: Job elements that dissatisfy when absent but do not add to satisfaction when present. Motivators: Job elements that increase job satisfaction.

Results of Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction results in increased productivity for businesses and greater self-esteem and opportunities for employees. Self-Esteem: Feelings of self-respect and recognition from others.

Bibliography Ryan, J.S. (2006). “Managing your personal finances.” Thomson South-Western; Mason, Ohio.