Think ACTIVE
In an era of fake news and dubious articles on social media, try not to be passive and simply accept all information as fact. You need to use your critical thinking to determine if what you are reading, seeing or hearing about a chosen career is reliable.
So we’ve devised ACTIVE – six factors to bear in mind when using sources of information to investigate your career idea.
- Accurate – roles, entry routes and job opportunities can change, so are you getting up-to-date advice?
- Comprehensive – one source can’t tell you the full story, so if you like what you see, you need to use other sources to add to what you know
- Trustworthy – is the source reputable, for example is the interview, podcast, article or video delivered by someone with expertise or experience?
- Impartial – some organisations/people are seeking to promote their particular sector. This doesn’t mean the information is inaccurate, but does it tell the whole story?
- Valid – is the information relevant to the context in which you are interested e.g. typical tasks of a job in one country can be quite different in another, as can the likelihood or method of finding work in that field
- Even-handed – as well as the good points about the career, does the information identify any challenges typically involved, such as demanding tasks, high levels of competition for jobs, lower pay levels, reduced numbers of jobs in the sector, etc.
Look at the following sources of information about careers, industries and trends. Evaluate them using the ACTIVE criteria. Consider which parts of ACTIVE have or have not been satisfied.
Click on the Reveal feedback buttons to view our comments.
| Future trends survey - Riba, June 2017 |
| Reveal feedback Comprehensive? – this source of information only presents the headlines i.e. forecast in workload. Therefore, you might need to read further around the topic to get a fuller picture of the reasons for this forecast. Reading the full text might give you this information, or you may need to research the sector further using a wider variety of sources.
Valid? – do you know where the information came from or how the data was collected? It may be that the data collected was from a context which is different to the one in which you are interested in e.g. a different region, specialism, role and therefore, may not be a true representation of the area you are researching. |
| Video case study - working for Tesco |
| Reveal feedback Impartial?- think about the purpose of this case study and the reason behind the company producing it. Is there a certain image that they are trying to present of the company/role? Therefore, what are they not saying? Finding more unbiased views of a company will help to give you a more balanced view of working in that role/company.
Even-handed? – do you think that there is anything that she is not saying about her role? Can you think of any possible negative sides of this role that she has not mentioned? Linked to the previous point about impartiality, she may be consciously trying to project a positive image of employment in that company and there may be the need to delve a bit deeper into working in that role/company/sector from a more objective perspective.
For further reviews about working for different companies try: |
| Blog – How to become a designer without going to design school |
| Reveal feedback Accurate? – in the world of graphic design, do you think that some of the suggestions made with regards to software etc. are still up-to-date? In some sectors or occupations, there may be few changes to routes into occupations. However, in a fast changing world of work, it may be necessary to seek the most up-to-date information you can find to ensure you are receiving accurate advice.
Trustworthy? – think about the level of experience from which this advice has been written. There may be some useful hints and tips but would you feel satisfied that it has been written from a position of authority? It may be beneficial to back up some of the advice given by looking at further sources of information.
For further video case studies about different occupations try: |
| Senior Lecturer - job advert |
| Reveal feedback Valid? – job adverts can be a good source of information for finding out about what might be involved in a job in terms of responsibilities and day-to-day activities. However, is this advert relevant for what you might be looking for at the moment? Viewing “typical” job descriptions or profiles might give you more detail about how to get into the more senior positions.
For job descriptions aimed at recent graduates try: |
