Career+Exploration

CAREER EXPLORATION. . . Finding the "right" job is important! //Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life!"//

If you are going to go to work everyday, you might as well try and find ways to enjoy it, right? How do you know if you have the "right" job? Maybe the bigger question here is: Will you have a job or a career? Do you know the difference between the two?

Whether you have a job or a career, here are some things that we might want to look for:

- enjoy going to work - feel enthusiastic, energized - feel a sense of optimism about your future - pride when describing your work - believe that you are making a positive contribution, making a difference - respect and enjoy the people you work with

If finding the "right" job is important, than one thing should be clear - the "right" job varies from person-to-person. How do we find a job that is "right" for us? The key is to start by knowing yourself. Why? First of all, jobs are changing. Our economy is changing. Trying to pick the "right" job by looking at how work is done today. Yes, its important to look at the skills we have, the things we are interested in, and values that are important to us. We also want to spend some time thinking about ourselves. Job and work-duties will change. Are we ready to change with them? To find the "right" job, we want to think about how we will be able to adapt and continue to feel that our job is "right." If we just think in terms of the grades we get at school or other traditional ways of measuring skills, we might not see some of the talents, strengths, and characteristics that make us strong.

A Career Cluster is a broad group of related career majors within an occupational interest area. They represent groupings of occupations and industries based on shared traits. Career clusters show us how skills, interests, and learning apply to different occupations. They are a tool that help us look at different occupations, see career paths to enter a given trade or profession, identify options to prepare for different careers, and provide a transition from school-to-career. We can use career clusters to identify personal strengths, research a variety of careers, analyze our choices in terms of interest and abilities, and develop a plan to make our career choice happen. There are many different kinds of "assessments" or short quizzes that we can use to help identify our interests and skills and match them with career clusters.

1.Take the **Interest Profiler** test. Identify which cluster best fits your interests. Clicking on each link will show a fuller list of the different types of jobs and careers in each cluster and the types of knowledge and skills that people in these careers use. It can provide a good way to start thinking about careers. 2. Take the **Basic Skills** test. 3. Complete the **Work Values Sorter** 4. Complete the **Transferrable Skills Checklist** 5. Take the **Career Cluster Survey** 6. Work through **The Career Key**
 * Go to [|IHAVEAPLANIOWA.GOV] -- after each test/survey, save your results into a Google folder.**
 * Each item is found under the "Learn About Yourself" tab.**

"Soft Skills"/Employability Skills What do today's employers expect from new employees? They need workers that show up on time, give an honest effort, and don't always need to be told what to do. Employers want employees that treat others with respect and courtesy. Teamwork is important. Employees need to show employers that are comfortable, competent, and confident to learn how to do the tasks at hand. These are called "soft skills" because they are needed to succeed in virtually all jobs. "Hard skills" refer to specific skills that are used on specific jobs. For example, being able to back a semi-trailer up to a loading dock without hitting anything or anybody is a "hard skill" that is necessary to be a truck driver. Reporting to work on time, being able to take direction, and having enough initiative to be productive are "soft skills." Notice how these skills are important to truck drivers. Employers seek these skills in everyone they hire. Most employers prefer to hire polite people that can express themselves, and have an optimistic, friendly attitude. Soft skills complement hard skills, which are the technical requirements of a job. Employers want employees that have BOTH soft and hard skills. Many employers, however, are more interested in "soft skills", because they can teach "hard skills" to those that are ready and willing to learn. Its not hard to teach someone to use a computer or machine. It is very hard to teach someone to show up on time, ready to work.

Employers like outgoing, friendly, and cooperative employees. To many employers, this is more important than any other qualification. Personal appearance is important because it helps people see us in a positive light. There is probably no easy way to teach soft skills; we start to learn them when we are very young, long before we start thinking about careers.

If may not seem fair that employers judge us on our soft skills - even worse - people often don't talk about soft skills. If a person needs help improving their soft skills, many feel uncomfortable even bringing the subject up. We don't want to hurt the feelings of others. We also don't want to get into arguments.

Employers often do not say anything when there are problems with a persons soft skills - they just take appropriate action so that they no longer have these types of problems. It doesn't feel good to have someone tell us that we need help with our soft skills. If someone is willing to help us, however, it can be valuable to listen. If anyone ever politely suggests ways to improve our soft skills, it is probably best to listen and thank them - at least they cared enough to try and help.

Check your "soft skills". Here is an [|online quiz] that will help measure your soft skills.

Now, l et's look at ways we can show employers that we have the necessary soft skills to get that job.


 * Work ethic.** This is the belief that an employee needs to give an employer an honest day's work for a paycheck. How do we show that we have a good work ethic? Show up on time, look for ways to stay busy, be willing to accept challenges, stick at a task until it is done - these are all ways to demonstrate a good work ethic.
 * Courtesy.** Manners are how we "grease" our relationships with others. Being in the habitual use saying “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” and “may I help you?” when dealing with others is the best way to demonstrate this soft skill.
 * Teamwork.** Sharing is important - being able to share responsibilities, help others, and eek help when needed show that we are "team players." Even though many of us like to "stand out" by being "exceptional," remember that employers need people to work together. Often this means that we don't get fully noticed for everything we do, but that's ok. Remember, most employers are not looking for "superstars." It is how we work as a group that really counts.
 * Self-Discipline and Self-Confidence.** Being able to manage what we do, learn from experience, ask questions, correct mistakes, and accept direction and criticism without feeling defeated, resentful, or insulted is important. Employers need people that are teachable.
 * Conformity to Prevailing Norms.** It's the teamwork thing - being able to fit in with a group is important. Dressing and grooming appropriately, being mindful of our body language, the tone of our voice, and even the words we use affect how we work in a group.
 * Language Proficiency.** Have you noticed that effective communication is often the key? Being able to speak, read, and write is important. Usually, it is through language that employers expect us to learn a new job. Having the necesarry hard skills does not do any good if we do not also have the soft skills to be effective communicators.


 * Do you have the necessary "soft skills" employers are looking for? Summarize the "soft skills" you have to offer to an employer. Use a Google Doc for your summary. Share with me (jgrams@hlv.k12.ia.us) and also save in your folder. **

** Personality Assessments ** 1.The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II: [|www.advisorteam.com/temperament_sorter/register.asp] This assessment produces a brief summary of the user's temperament and career options matching the personality. Free registration is required to take the test. 2. Personality Pathways: [|www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html]  This short online version of the Myers-Briggs Type indicator gives test takers their 4-letter MBI code and descriptions of the 16 personality types. 3. The 9 Types: [|www.9types.com/rheti]  Sample version of the Riso-Hudson Ennegram Type Indicator allows users to explore which 9 diagrams are most prominent in their personality, helping them to decide which work environments fit them best.

**Summarize your personality traits. Use a Google Doc for your summary. Share with jgrams@hlv.k12.ia.us and also save in your folder.** ** Considering Your Lifestyle ** **Answer the following questions on a Google document. Share with me.** 1.What are your hobbies? What do you do when you're not in school or working? 2. What part of your life do you enjoy the most? Time with the family? Learning new things? Socializing with friends? Other? 3. What part of your life do you dislike? Do you expect this to change? 4. Who are the most important people in your life and how do they influence your decisions? 5. Identify 3 subjects in school you've done well in. Did you enjoy these subjects? Why or why not? 6. What are you good at? What do you learn easily without much help from others? 7. Thinking about your future: Where do you see yourself living (city, state); what type of lifestyle would you like to have?

Each of us has unique interests, skills, abilities, and preferences. Self-exploration is about becoming aware of those qualities. On a new Google document explain what you learned about yourself. Also indentify if your skills match your ambition. Share with jgrams@hlv.k12.ia.us and enter in your folder.

** Exploring Your Career Choices ** Go to [|IHAVEAPLANIOWA.GOV] **You will be exploring two career choices. Why two? Think of the second choice as a 'Plan B'. One career should be selected based on the results of the tests/surveys/assessments your completed. The other career choice can be one you think you'd like to do. Your responses to the following items should be recorded on a Google document to share with jgrams@hlv.k12.ia.us and save in your folder.** 1. For each career choice identify the tasks, responsibilities, risks, and physical demands of that specific occupation. 2. What skills are required? 3. What training, education, or other qualifications (licenses, registration, certification) is needed? 4. What is the work environment like (workload, people, pace)? 5. What is the work schedule like (hours per week, hours per day, overtime, travel)? 6. What are the earnings or salary wages? 7. What is the employment outlook for each occupation? (Things have changed dramatically with today's economy.) 8. What are the possibilities for advancement or promotion?