Career planning process contains a number of specific steps that help you in identification of personal skills and attributes. Finding out how those skills can be utilized in the job market is accomplished by researching a number of career fields & opportunities that are of interest to you, by gaining experience in those fields and/or speaking to people currently working in those fields.
Self Assessment
This is the first step in career planning process and I have already discussed this step in detail in my previous article on Alumni Portal. I will just briefly discuss this part here for you. Before you start your search for the career of your choice, it is very important that you explore yourself, to understand your strengths & weakness, your values, your interests, your skills, what you CAN do and what you CAN'T do. It's all about knowing yourself so that you know exactly what you are looking for.
There are several ways for this purpose. You can speak to an expert career counselor, a professional from the field of your interest or even your university teachers who can assess your personality and give advice accordingly. These days, several easy-to-take personality or psychometric tests are available online which can also help you understand yourself more. It's very important for you to explore your individuality, what makes you stand out of the crowd. Reason being, when you will go out in getting to your dream career, you will come across competition and you can only will that competition when you know what to sell to employers!
Internship Opportunities
One way to test waters is by availing internship opportunities that will help you to identify if the field is the right choice for you. No one's career path is exactly what was imagined. We start off with a dream of an ideal career but with the passage of time, this dream takes a more practical shape. How many times did you hear people saying that they wanted to be an accountant or a banker but ended up in some other field which they now love the most? It happens to almost everyone.
Internships are the best platform for fresh grads to gain some job-related experience that provides them with an opportunity to test the waters in the field of their interest and also gain some valuable work experience. This is the best way to understand the job market, its challenges, required skills and competencies, and most of all increase confidence required in one's abilities.
Getting Connected
Social networking is becoming very popular these days in the professional world. I always put great weight on this form of networking because it works like magic if used properly. Professionals across the world are getting closer through such media like FaceBook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter etc. to share information, knowledge, experience, news, and views in the light of their exposure and experience gained over the years.
Professionals enjoy sharing their expertise with people interested in the field. By getting connected to these professionals, you are able to gather precious information which will be critical in your decision making process. You can also go to networking meetings announced on these forums, tap into your own professional network, or ask friends who they know.
Personal Development
Once you gather information, you need to identify the areas of improvement with respect to personal and professional development. No matter what your field of interest is, there are some important skills which you should always pay attention to. These are communication skills, interpersonal skills, and analytical skills. These skills will identify you in the eyes of employers.
Employers look usually look for human resources who have the potential to grow and go a long way with them. These skills will help you demonstrate that you have the potential to be a future leader and they should see you as an important asset which they shouldn't lose.
Conclusion
This research phase of career planning process must be based on your self assessment. If you skip this critical first step, you will not only overload yourself but also you will become confused. Therefore, go step by step and it will help you in a focused career search. Those who stay focus and make career decision on the basis of facts are bound to get to the career of their choice.
University or college life is a golden time in many ways. Apart from having fun, you can use this time to study yourself and then do some research and study the prevailing conditions in the job market. This is a good time to get connected with professionals in the field and gather information from them. Use online social media for information search on resume writing, interview preparations, soft-skills development, and increase your knowledge about the best practices in your field of interest.
