Selecting a career objective is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make.
Your Interests
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Choose a career where you can do what interests you. Interests are often evident from childhood, so think back to what you loved to do as a child, a teenager and a young adult. Ask yourself what you would like to spend your days doing even if you were not being paid. Talking to people, finding out about things, traveling, or fixing and building things are all examples of interests that can translate into a career. Identify likes and dislikes that will affect your work life. For example, if you are an introvert, you might not want to work in customer service. If you enjoy physical work, preferably outside, you’ll be very unhappy working in a cubicle.
Your Skills
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Skills are important to getting hired. Whether you already have skills doing what you love or need to explore training options, you must have marketable skills to pursue your career objective. Post secondary training is becoming the minimum requirement for most jobs now, so choose a major based on your interests. Another option for gaining the necessary skills to work in your chosen field is to seek out internship or volunteer positions. If you blend your skills and your interests, you are more likely to be enthusiastic about your career choice and to succeed when you start to look for work.
The Labor Market
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Analyze the labor market when choosing a career objective, but remember that what is in demand today may not be tomorrow. Be forward thinking. Don’t make a career decision based only on the labor market. Talk to employers or experts in the field you are interested in to gather information to make a wise choice. Conducting informational interviews with employers in your chosen field is also a great first step in your job search. Always find out how your interests and skills will fit into the existing labor market and the workplace of the future.
After reading this post, please comment and let us know what your various Career Objectives are!
