Readers:
Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis.
Andy writes:
I am an April 2004 college graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a
minor in sociology. My career search is looking bleak. I can't find work anywhere.
Please help me. I also need to find a job in the area rather than relocate.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
There are too many unanswered questions here. I need to know where you are in identifying
career paths. I need to know if you have any work experience, any internships or residencies.
So, the first thing you need to answer for yourself is what you want kind of work you want
to do now -- and in the next few years. Are you interested in some sort of counseling
position that utilizes your education or are you looking into other possible career paths?
My best advice for you is to talk with various people to formulate some ideas on possible
careers. Talk with the career services office at your alma mater, with one or more of your
former professors, with your family, and with other trusted members of your network. If
you did not want to go into counseling, your other career choices are really unlimited.
Next, take stock in identifying your accomplishments -- in the classroom and from any
kind of experiential activities (such as projects, volunteering, and work experiences). Whenever
possible, quantify those accomplishments. For example, if you were a resident adviser in
college, in your accomplishments section, mention how many residents you were responsible
for, how many programs you developed, etc. I tell my clients this activity is where you
describe how you made each job your own. As you conclude this exercise, I want you
to then see if you can find the two or three accomplishments that make you unique --
your unique selling proposition (USP).
The third step is writing or revising your resume to match the career field you want to
enter -- clearly identifying your accomplishments and your USP. You’ll also want to
review all your job-hunting techniques - cover letters, interviewing skills, etc.
The final step is using your existing network of contacts while also building it with more
local contacts since you plan on staying in the area. Networking is the key to getting your
foot in the door to start your career. Your network of contacts - people who know you (or
know people who know you) -- is a key resource of information about potential job leads.
You might also consider conducting a few informational interviews to learn more about
possible career paths -- and to build your network.
Tools from Quintessential Careers to help you in this process:
Anthony writes:
My girlfriend is a grad student in architecture, but she is finding she doesn't like it.
She is battling herself everyday about what she wants to be. She is looking into
historical preservation. Any advice you might have would be appreciated, thank you.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I’m sorry your girlfriend is having problems. Unfortunately, especially given the job
market the last couple of years, some students graduate college and go
immediately to grad school -- to avoid the job market and avoid having to make
a decision about what they want to do in their careers. As with your girlfriend’s
situation, this path can often lead to multiple problems.
Historical preservation is a growing career field -- and involves many disciplines,
including architecture, but also history, urban planning, environmental design,
and geography.
According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, “Positions exist at all levels
of government, in nonprofit organizations, and with private firms. In the public sector,
the National Park Service, state historic preservation offices, and local government
preservation divisions all work to preserve America's heritage. Examples of nonprofits
include the National Trust, statewide preservation organizations, and hundreds of local
groups. Private firms that provide preservation expertise include architects, planners,
archaeologists, and historical research firms.”
Besides national organizations, there are also state and local organizations. If this
career truly interests her, I suggest she immediately talk with her professors and
people from several of these preservation organizations to determine if continuing her
current path is the right choice for what she wants to do.
Tanya writes:
I am looking to change industries. I have been in insurance for 10 years and I
have experience in several areas but I am bored and not very excited about my job.
I am thinking of taking a personality test to match me in a job that will hopefully be
more fitting. Can you tell me where to start and what services would be best? I
really want it to be available online.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Career change is a big step, and while I believe personality tests have a place
in the process, I believe you first need to spend some reflective time with yourself,
examining your likes and dislikes. You also need to decide if you are simply
bored with your job - or bored with your current career path. Literally sit down
with a pen and a piece of paper and make two columns -- likes and dislikes --
and start putting activities into each column. Don’t just use work activities --
include everything, from hobbies to volunteering. The key to this activity is to
rediscover who you are and what you really like -- to find what energizes you.
Once you have a better feel for yourself, then consider taking one or more
assessment tests. Each one is different; some of these tests will give you
results that give insight to your work or management style, others will show
careers for people of similar types, and others will simply give you insight into
who you are. For established job-seekers, my current favorite is CareerMaze
(which you can find at CareerMaze.com).
The results from this assessment include both a specific, career-relevant
discussion of your workplace personality and a list of job types compatible
with your personality. For high school or college students, I recommend the
Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS). The JVIS accurately measures your
interests, showing how they relate to the worlds of study and work, and mapping
out your route to an interesting career (and you can find it at
JVIS.com).
If you do decide to make a career change, then your next steps are identifying
your transferable skills and accomplishments. Transferable skills are skills you
have acquired during any activity in your life -- jobs, classes, projects, parenting,
hobbies, sports, virtually anything -- that are transferable and applicable to what
you want to do in your next job. General categories of transferable skills include:
communications; research and planning; human relations; organization,
management, and leadership; and work survival. (See the next answer for more
details.)
And while I know my advice is beginning to sound repetitive, once you decide
on a new career path, you MUST immediately begin building network contacts
in your new field.
Finally, consider reviewing all the career
change resources available at Quintessential Careers.
Q:
Stephanie writes:
I am a career counselor for an IT training school. I am looking to find
some information on assessment tests for locating transferable skills.
Our students have already chosen a particular career path, therefore I
don't need a "self directed search" type of assessment. I am looking
for something more a long the lines of identifying their T-skills from past
work experience. Any information will be helpful.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
I don’t know of any assessment tests for locating transferable skills, but I
can give you an outline that I give my students for identifying their transferable
skills. I think it’s fantastic that you are attempting to help your students be
better prepared for the job market. And once your students have identified
their transferable skills, these skills become a key factor in their resume,
cover letter, and interview strategies.
And since you know the career field, you can also develop specific skill
sets for that particular industry, which might include skill categories such
as technical, adaptability, multi-tasking, etc. Have your students conduct
research of job postings for their career paths; it’s from these postings that
your students should develop their skills categories. My advice is to keep
the number of broad skills categories to three or four, and then to have
detailed examples of the experiences with those skills within each category.
If you are advising your students to stick to chronological resumes, they
can still use this skills information to rewrite how they describe their work
experiences… emphasizing these skills with keywords throughout their
resumes. They could also consider developing separate pages to enhance
their resumes -- a document for transferable skills and for completed projects.
Learn much more, including specific examples of job-seeker transferable skills,
in this section of Quintessential Careers: Transferable
Job Skills.
