Self assessment
Motivations
Each of us have our own important factors when considering possible job options.
Are your ideas are based on the ‘rewards’ you want?
Are you looking for a fun atmosphere or a respected post?
If we are not engaged in activities that meet our needs we can be left dissatisfied.
We need to acknowledge our priorities.
Drag and drop each of the following statements to sort them from most to least important to you.
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Progress:
A good salary and benefits are the most important factors of a job
I want to work in a particular sector or type of organisation (e.g public or private)
I must work in a well-regarded profession / organisation with a high status
My job must give me the autonomy to make important decisions
My work must involve working as part of a team
I want a particular pattern of working hours (e.g 9-5, part-time)
A good work-life balance is something I look for in a career
I want to be seen as an expert in my field
The career must offer plenty of promotion opportunities
I want a job that provides a service to others or to a cause
The physical environment I work in is important (e.g indoors/outdoors) inc. personal health considerations
It's important that I continue to learn (e.g study for a professional qualification)
I don't want to make a long term career choice right now
I like to be entrepreneurial, run my own business, or find new customers or expand products/services
I want to be in charge of others and their work
I need to have a permanent contract with good job security
The atmosphere / ethos / values of the organisation are crucial to me
I need to have a variety of interesting duties, with regular changes to things I do
My work must allow me to express my creativity/originality or be innovative
I want to work in a particular location (e.g city, region or country)
Very important
Important
Not very important
Not important at all
Which statements are most important to you?
Choose your top four priorities to review your feedback.
You can also rearrange your choices by selecting the edit tool and dragging the statements.
Salary & Benefits
You need to know the typical pay range. Be prepared to calculate your market value and justify your expectations i.e. ‘What makes you think you’re worth it?’. Potential employers will be looking for value for money, which means only paying high salaries for the best people (which means significant competition), and/or if the industry they operate in is a lucrative one, and/or if there is a shortage of people with the skills they require. Are you targeting a ‘skill shortage’ occupation?Sector or Organisation
Having a sector or industry you want to work in will help narrow the range of options, possibly to a more manageable set of ideas to explore. However, beware of making assumptions about the characteristics and ethos of organisations based on whether they are private/not-for- profit/public sector bodies. You will find that there are organisations in all sectors which share similar values and operate in similar ways, and often the lines of division between the sectors are quite blurred. For example, many private sector companies deliver services traditionally done by public sector bodies, while not-for- profit organisations may also have commercial arms.Reputation
Thorough research of the employer concerned is required. These are often the most attractive employers, and so the level of competition is likely to be tough. You will need to prove that you are able to meet their (frequently) higher expectations, although many people start out with less well-known organisations and find they can move to larger ones later in their career. In terms of the status of a career, you must examine your suitability. People often select occupations because they consider them to have status, sometimes without finding out what the work really involves, whether they are suited to it, and what their chances of entry are.Autonomy / Independence
The freedom to plan what you do and when you do it means being able to prioritise your duties effectively. Youwill need to convince an employer that you can meet the demands required of a decision-making role. This means that you will need to demonstrate that you are naturally pro-active, able to work on your own initiative, and can judge when to refer to someone else.Teamworking
Nearly all jobs involve working in teams, so it’s good if this is something you crave. Some jobs of course have more independent working than others, so look carefully at the amount of team work different careers would typically entail. It’s also important to realise that while teams need to collaborate, that doesn’t automatically mean that team members agree on everything, or that working in a team is necessarily a cosy and friendly environment. Members of teams have different perspectives so there will be disagreements. You need to be prepared to compromise, and accept that sometimes your ideas may not be accepted. Understanding the different roles you and others typically take up in a team will help you understand how you can best contribute in a team setting so if you haven’t done so before, it’s worth reading up on the different ‘Team Roles’ that have been identified.Working hours
You need to research the likely hours and work patterns for the careers or employers you are targeting. Do they offer what you want? Patterns of working hours may be generally the same within an occupation, or vary significantly from one employer to another. Meanwhile, those in professional or managerial positions often have to work outside normal ‘office’ hours.There are 168 hours in a week, not 37 - 40. In order to increase efficiency, remain competitive, and meet customer needs, organisations increasingly have to operate more flexibly, especially if doing business with clients in other parts of the world. This in turn, means they may want their staff to be available for more of the time. How far are you able to compromise/be flexible?
Work-life balance
Most jobs enable you to have free time to pursue other activities outside of work, but if having lots of non-work time is a priority, you need to be clear roughly how much time you want to devote to your work, and whether this is a realistic amount, based on your likely earnings and expenditure. Full-time work will of course entail less time for leisure or for friends and family, and some careers and organisations do have a ‘long hours culture’. In others there may be a need to work long hours to ensure ongoing success, e.g. running your own business. Check what the typical work patterns are in the careers you are considering and remember, it’s possible to work flexibly in many careers, e.g. part-time work or job sharing, if it’s something you want to do.Expertise in a field
The importance of having a sought-after skill and being technically competent is undeniable, yet becoming, and remaining, an expert places demands on your dedication to your chosen field, and your motivation to continually update your skills within it. It may also restrict your chances of moving outside of your field. There is a need to retain generalist skills, as today’s specialists may be tomorrow’s unemployed, watching the latest technology do their job!Promotion opportunities
What are the opportunities for career progression with your target employers, or in the careers that interest you? In some occupations, there is little opportunity to climb the ladder, particularly in smaller organisations. The restructuring of many organisations has meant that they may offer only a limited number of middle management posts. Also, you must remember that promotion is earned not guaranteed and your ability will need to match your ambition.Service to others or to a cause
Doing something ‘meaningful’ is demanding work, often without the level of rewards obtained elsewhere. In many cases, substantial relevant experience, often on a voluntary basis, is vital, when considering ‘socially-beneficial’ careers, e.g. caring, social/community work. Gaining such experience is likely to be a major feature of your career development.Working environment
Remember that the layout, facilities and general nature of your work surroundings will vary from employer to employer and should be checked out at interview. Obviously, the nature of the work and facilities provided by the employer are both crucial pieces of information to obtain if you have a work-related disability. These factors may also affect how far you are able to satisfy other career ‘needs’, such as the level of contact with colleagues (e.g. feelings of isolation if solitary compared to the noise levels in an ‘open plan’ office), working conditions, level of resources provided to you to be able to do the job.Continuous learning / qualifications
Graduate level occupations frequently involve ongoing ‘professional development’ in the form of training and in many cases, professional qualifications. Such activities typically lead to enhanced responsibilities, career progression, salary growth and general recognition of your expertise. To achieve these benefits however will require you to engage in activities such as attendance at conferences, and perhaps study via online courses or attendance at training centres or college, as well as ongoing assessment. Assessment can be through the maintenance of a portfolio of your work, observations of your practice, reviews with managers and colleagues or external assessors, and potentially professional examinations. Sometimes, working towards a qualification means undertaking some of the study in your own time.Leaving your long-term options open
It’s quite ‘normal’ to not want or need to make a long-term career decision. Many students and graduates just want to spend time travelling, relaxing or doing some short-term work. This is fine but still means having to make some decisions and possibly some commitments. It’s also useful to be thinking about what you can get from any time out or temporary work in terms of skills and experience, and it could influence your future options, e.g. how it can be used to open up other opportunities, or how it may be viewed by a future employer.Developing own/other’s business, being entrepreneurial
Employers like commercially aware, creative people who can change and develop the business. Being able to promote what your products and services, cultivate contacts, make decisions, get things done, etc. will be necessary to survive in an entrepreneurial role.Managerial role
You need to research the various fields of management that are possible. Managers work in all sectors of industry and occupational areas. Which fields are you more suited to? For instance, managers may be team leaders with a close people-management role, or responsible for administration systems requiring a logical, problem solving approach, or be in key sales/commercial functions. Being a manager means you need to have a high level of interpersonal skills, to be a motivator, to be politically astute and able to take hard decisions.Job security
To maximise the chances of job security, you must seek to foster your employability, while looking at the information on particular occupations and their patterns of employment to ascertain how realistic it is to expect a secure career. What actions can you take to develop your future employment prospects?Atmosphere/Social life connected with the organisation
Research possible employers carefully and consider whether you can arrange a visit. Does the ‘culture’ of the organisation match your values and the image you have of yourself? At an interview, you will need to meet the employer’s expectations of the type of person who will ‘fit in’ in their organisation and team, without coming across as artificial.Interesting and varied duties
One of the most common requirements, but also often vague. Can you answer the question, ‘What sort of a tasks motivate you / do you find interesting?’. This can be hard to answer so you may need help with this. Varied work in higher level jobs means ‘juggling several balls at once’, requiring flexibility and the ability to handle increased stress. Having a number of part-time jobs (a so-called ‘portfolio career’) may be a way of creating variety.Being creative/innovative
Creative thinkers may be prized for their novel approaches to problem solving but they may also meet with some suspicion, unless they can show an ability to compromise/ accept the organisation’s ‘rules’‘Creative careers’ (art, design, music, drama, etc) are often difficult to break into and a pattern of self-employment or freelance work is common. This means being self-reliant and may not sit easily if you’re also looking for a predictable future.
Particular location
This will mean researching the availability of your preferred job and the possible employers in your chosen area through local press, company directories, etc.. This inevitably limits the range of opportunities, so you may need to be more creative and proactive when looking for possible employers/vacancies. Simply looking at vacancies is rarely enough.If you don’t know what job you want to do, you need to find out what opportunities exist in your preferred region. If you have a desire to travel in your work, what chances do the careers you are considering provide?
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