How To Discover Your Career

Career Aptitude And Personality Tests

See exactly how to find a career you’ll love by matching your personality, talents, and interests to real-life jobs. Our free, in-depth career tests use the powerful Holland Code and Big Five systems to accurately measure your career aptitude and show you the specific jobs that make the most of your strengths.

Talk To People To Learn What Your Dream Job Is

Start taking some time in your job search to request and schedule informational interviews with people in the fields youre interested in to learn about their career paths and get career advice. Ask about their job, their professional past and aspirations, and the industry.

Just be sure to prepare with questions in advance so that you get the most out of these meetings or calls and, besides the no-brainer thank you afterward, do all you can to find a way to repay the favor.

And dont limit yourself to people you know or have connections with. Network at conferences and workshops.

Join Twitter chats, other social media platforms, or Facebook groups. Go on LinkedIn and read peoples job descriptions or read interviews and articles about people in jobs you admire. For instance, if youre curious about what a day in the life of a WordPress developer looks like, do a quick Google search and youll likely be able to find plenty of info and people to reach out to.

Before you set your heart on a right career or completely rule something out make sure you get a sense of what the job is like day-to-day.

If a career in tech is right for you What tech careers fit your strengths What skills you need to reach your goals

How Often Do People Change Jobs

We live in a unique time in history. Regardless of your level or specific area of education, you will have many choices in your life. You will probably hold many jobs throughout your lifetime.

Many people also choose to add to their education base more than once throughout their careers. This not only opens up more options but this also opens you up to more job or career changes.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the average person will change jobs 12 times in their lives.

Those statistics vary depending upon age bracket, gender, and geography but regardless of where you fit into the stats, it will be vital for you over time to continually hone your skills, add to your resume, and enhance your hire-ability.

Fortunately, with a little focus and effort, it is relatively simple to improve your skills and raise the bar on your education through the virtually endless options for personal development, business training, and general education online.

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When Changing Careers Isnt A Realistic Option

For many of us, career dreams are just that: dreams. The practical realities of paying the bills and putting food on the table and the kids through school mean that you have to spend 40 hours every week doing a job that you dont enjoy. Or maybe you have to juggle multiple jobs, as well as school or family commitments, just to get by in todays economy. The idea of making a career change may seem about as realistic as choosing to become a professional athlete or an astronaut.

Still, getting up every morning dreading the thought of going to work, then staring at the clock all day willing it to be time to leave can take a real toll on your health. It can leave you feeling agitated, irritable, disillusioned, helpless, and completely worn outeven when youre not at work. In fact, having a monotonous or unfulfilling job can leave you just as vulnerable to stress and burnout as having one that keeps you rushed off your feet, and it can be just as harmful to your overall mental health as being unemployed.

Try to find some value in your role. Even in some mundane jobs, you can often focus on how your position helps others, for example, or provides a much needed product or service. Focus on aspects of the job that you do enjoyeven if its just chatting with your coworkers at lunch. Changing your attitude towards your job can help you regain a sense of purpose and control.

Why Over 100000 People Have Used Our Career Quiz

After hundreds of hours pouring over career satisfication research, we’ve identified the most important personality traits and career trends that result in happiness .

CareerQuiz uses a cutting edge algorithm to accurately match you to the best career options for you.

We’ve compiled extensive career data on hundreds of careers, so that you can be sure that you’ll get good matches no matter what your personality and skills are.

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Example Five: A Business Owner Career Goal

“I’ve always dreamed of one day opening my own public relations firm. This goal influenced my decision to attend X University and get a degree in Public Relations with a minor in Management. In the short term, I’d like to join your team as a public relations associate and work my way up the ladder. Experience at your company would be invaluable to me as I begin my career.”

Short Term Goal: Get a job as a public relations associate

Long Term Goal: Open my own public relations firm

Use Case: Interview

Plan Your Career Discovery Before Finalizing A Major

Theres an order to everything.

Choosing a major comes before choosing a profession, as your studies will strongly impact your professional life.

You should think carefully about what you want to do in the future before you choose a major.

Identifying your personality, skills, and career interests will help you choose a major that aligns with your desired career journey and is more fulfilling for you personally.

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How To Choose The Right Career Path For You In 9 Steps

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Related: Job Cast: Choosing Your Ideal Career: Jumpstart Your Journey to Your Dream Job

Learn how to get clarity into your ideal career and start pursuing that path immediately in this virtual workshop with Tracy Timm, founder of Thrivist.

When you were young and people asked what you wanted to be when you grew up, they were asking about your desired career path. Some career paths are straightforward but others may include detours along the way. Actively choosing a career path, however, is a great way to attain the right education and experiences and build the right skills. To do so, its important to reflect on your interests and career goals as you make certain life choices, such as which school to attend, which entry-level job is right for you, or whether to obtain a post-graduate degree or specialized certification.

In this article, we explain how to choose a career path by identifying your key skills and interests, matching those qualities to a potential industry and starting a career.

Why Is It Often Hard To Make A Career Move

Well, ask yourself: why am I staying? Perhaps you feel stuck, or you dont know where to start. Youre terrified of the what-ifs: what if you cant find another job? What if the next one is worse?

Maybe you have imposter syndrome. Youve lost your confidence will anyone want to hire you? Do you have the skills necessary? Perhaps you have been looking, but it all feels daunting and overwhelming.

These are all real and valid worries. But not something to keep you from making the move you need to make.

In fact, have you considered the other what-ifs? What impact is your current situation having on your life, health, relationships, and well-being? What if you keep going the way you are going?

As an executive, career, and leadership coach, Ive worked with many clients who waited until the proverbial straw that broke the camels back to leave. But that straw is often a broken marriage, unbearable stress, or a significant health issue that takes over and forces them to leave. My hope is that the right conversations held BEFORE these drastic measures lead you to a more fulfilled path.

Dont wait. If youre unhappy, stressed, overwhelmed, unfilled, or working in a toxic, unhealthy work environment, theres no better time to consider a change.

Now, what that change is may look different to different people. You dont always have to leave your job. Sometimes, you can create change by looking for a new role in the same company, a new challenge, or a new way of working.

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Considering Your Financial Needs

Let’s face ita lot of us might choose not to work at all if we didn’t need the money. Because we need jobs to provide a source of income, it’s important to choose a career that can support our financialneeds, especially as the global economy continues to recover after the 2008 recession.

Sometimes a salaryfigurefor example, $35,000 per year or $15 per hourcan sound like a lot of money. But without research and budget planning, you may find yourself pursuing a career that will ultimately leave you lacking.

Be sure to consider some of the following questions:

• What kind of salary will I need to support my current budget?
• What are my future financial goals, and what kind of salary will meet those needs?
• Am I willing to live on less in order to follow a career path I love?

We’ll talk more about exploring salaries in our Salary Basics lesson.

How To Discover Your Ideal Career

Maybe youre closing the chapter on your military life and opening a new one, or youre in the process of making long-term plans. As a service member, you have many resources available to help you with this significant change. Heres an overview of what you need to know as you seek employment.

Explore Your Career Path

Theres a difference between a job and a career. Both pay the bills, but a career is more likely to give you a sense of meaning and accomplishment.

Finding a career that matches your skills and interests is the key to job satisfaction. Invest some time in a little soul-searching before you begin your search to make sure youre going down the right path.

Whether you plan to continue in your current field after leaving military service or you wish to pursue a new opportunity, you should ask yourself two questions:

To help you answer those questions, a self-assessment can help you set goals and plan your way forward. Here are a few options:

Credential and Leverage Your Military Experience

Your military experience has given you training that converts to skills in the civilian world. The COOL program helps you translate your training into civilian credentials and speak better to what employers are looking for.

Build Your Resume

Find the Right Civilian Career

Hiring Our Heroes career events for transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses.

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Examples Of Career Path

A career plan, which is essentially a list of short- and long-term goals that you aim for along your chosen career, goes hand in hand with a career path.

Everyone has a separate career path in life to follow. A career path starts from a point and leads you to your ultimate career goal. Below are a few careers path examples:

It is pertinent to note that you need basic education to be able to begin the journey through your career path. Then if you need to scale up the path, additional education is required. Scaling through this path may differ from one profession to another. It will take an amount of time, sacrifice, and perseverance to reach your ultimate career goal.

PRINCIPAL: Teaching Assistant Teacher Head of Department Vice Principal Principal

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Editorial Intern Editorial Assistant Assistant Editor Associate Editor Managing Editor Editor-In-Chief.

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER : Financial Analyst Associate Director Finance Director VP Finance Chief Financial Officer

COLLEGE PROFESSOR: Graduate Assistant Lecturer Senior Lecturer Doctorate Associate Professor Professor

IT MANAGER: Web Developer Intern Junior Web Developer Software Engineer IT Manager Head of IT

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER : Social Media Specialist Content Marketing Associate Marketing Lead Head of Marketing Chief Marketing Officer .

Discover Your Career Needs

What do I want to do with my life? Will I make enough money to support myself? Is this the right job for me? Choosing a career path raises a lot of difficult questions. While there are no simple answers, the right outlook and approach can make exploring careers that much easier.

In this lesson, we’ll talk about the importance of assessing your career needs, evaluating your skillsand personality, considering your financialneeds, and developing job skills as you begin to explore different careers.

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Make A List Of Possible Career Or Job Options

Now that you have a clear picture of what you would like to be doing, you can start making a list of the possibilities that might fit those parameters.

List the careers you already know that fit the bill. Then, do some research to determine what else might be out there that you have not yet discovered.

Ask people in your network or on social media channels for information about those types of careers, or who they know that might be currently doing what you want to do.

Who do you know? is a very powerful question to ask your friends, family, business contacts, and social media connections.

When you track down a few of the people who are either doing what you do, working at a firm that you are considering, or know someone who is, have a conversation with those people and ask questions to gain insights about that particular job or career.

Once you have performed your research, then youre ready to take your final step.

Taking A Personality Test

Personality tests can guide you toward the right career path. When taking such tests, be honest about who you are and how you perceive the world. These tests can have an extensive questionnaire to match you to one of 16 personality traits. Use your results to explore career paths that might be a good match for your personality type.

Related: The 16 Myers-Briggs Personality Types in the Workplace

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Example Two: An Independent Career Goal

“My ultimate dream has always been to write a book and become a novelist. To help myself achieve this goal, I am going to sign up for a local writer’s fiction workshop so I can receive feedback on my writing from my peers.”

Short Term Goal: Take a fiction workshop

Long Term Goal: Write a book

Use Case: Personal

Are There Any Other Tips For Finding Jobs

Network

Networking is one of the key short-cuts to finding work. You should try to attend networking events that cover the industries that interest you. Talk to people about their work, ask lots of questions and take notes. The more events you attend, the more comfortable and confident youll feel. In many industries, visibility is invaluable. A great many employers respond more favourably to people in person than they do on paper, so a memorable conversation that leads to a swapping of contact details may be worth any number of job applications.

Make contacts online

If youd prefer a 1-2-1 set-up then there are mobile apps, such as Shapr, that can connect you with professionals. This enables you to meet and talk to people in your chosen industry for career advice.

Use tools such as LinkedIn to connect with individuals. Introduce yourself, keep it brief and be specific. Make it personal and be clear that youre seeking opportunities in their field. But never hassle anyone or make yourself a nuisance.

Use your connections

Utilise any contacts you already have. Are there any friends or family members in the same industry? Reach out and show youre interested. Ask questions and see if theyre available for a call or to meet face-to-face.

Get on agencies books

Perfect your CV

Create a portfolio

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Get Support And Information From Others

While you can glean a lot of information from research and quizzes, theres no substitute for information from someone currently working in your chosen career. Talking to someone in the field gives you a real sense of the type of work you will actually be doing and if it meets your expectations. Whats more, you will start to build connections in your new career area, helping you land a job in the future.

Does approaching others like this seem intimidating? It doesnt have to be. Networking and informational interviewing are important skills that can greatly further your career.

You may also consider career counseling or a job coach, especially if you are considering a major career shift. Sometimes impartial advice from others can open up possibilities you hadnt considered.

Tips For Finding A New Career

Consider these tips to help you find a new career:

• Take career quizzes. Career quizzes may help identify your strengths, inventory your skills and suggest potential jobs. It may also be useful to take quizzes that help you understand your personality, working habits and leadership style.

• Attend networking events. Networking is essential for making professional connections. Continue networking within your existing industry, but consider attending events in industries you’re considering pursuing to learn about what it’s really like to work in these fields.

• Be kind to yourself. A career change is a significant decision, and it may feel overwhelming to explore your options. It’s essential to give yourself grace as you research new jobs and potentially apply for positions in new industries.

• Request informational interviews.

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