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Our resident career doctor is here to study your problems and research the best advice
for you by consulting a vast army of experts.
Here, the career doctor advises a jobseeker who feels unsure which direction their
career should take.
Dear career doctor,
I am 21 years old and have no idea what I am doing with my career. I have various A-levels
in arty subjects including photography and drama, which I am good at and love, but have never
been to university, as I didn't know exactly what I wanted to go for. So instead I got a
job in IT, something that I'm not very good at and which is just not me. The only thing
that has kept me here is the fact that jobs seem to be very thin on the ground at the
moment, and I have no idea what I should do towards a career for the rest of my life.
Do you have any suggestions?
Regards,
P.
Dear P,
Every week we receive dozens of similar queries from people who feel overwhelmed and
at a career crossroads, so you may be reassured to hear you are not alone in lacking
direction. According to recruitment consultancy Kelly, you could be in the wrong
job if some of the following points apply to your situation:
- The thought of going to work depresses you.
- There don't seem to be any moves or promotions on offer.
- You find your work boring or routine.
- You often think about resigning.
- Your confidence is lower than it was when you started your job.
- The days pass very slowly.
- You don't respect your boss or colleagues.
An obvious but important step is to identify what sort of career you would
enjoy and then take positive steps to move in the right direction.
While it's relatively easy to find a job that pays the bills, a more rewarding
career will take more effort, research and possibly training. You may find it helpful
to sit down with a professionally-trained recruitment consultant to go through your
background in terms of education and career history, as well considering the many
other strengths and qualities you may possess.
As a starting point, Clare Francis, head of communications at Kelly, suggests
drawing up an 'ideal job' chart to help you identify some of the things you want
from a new job. Draw three interlocking circles and label them 'skills',
'interests' and 'personality' and write your own information inside them. The idea
is that by looking at how they combine, you should see a pattern emerging and spot
some elements that your ideal job should contain. You will then have narrowed down
your options.
Note down all of your skills including technical skills as well as 'softer'
abilities such as good communication, clear thinking, decision-making abilities
and so on. In the interests area, jot down everything you enjoy, such as travelling,
meeting new people, keeping fit and even climbing mountains. In the personality area,
note whether you are extroverted or introverted, whether you fit in as a team member,
enjoy being under pressure and so on. It may be that you secretly aspire to an impossible
dream job - even so, don't be put off. You might be able to take practical steps
towards your goal.
Your letter, for example, suggests you may be suited to working in more creative
areas, since you so enjoyed your arts-related A-levels. Creative industries can be
competitive to enter, such as media, marketing, advertising, radio and television,
fashion, photography. However, once you choose an area in which you want to work,
you might be able to enter on work experience or on a temporary contract in order
to get a feel for the sector. Visit our 'So you want to be a ...' section
for information on a variety of roles.
The important point is to take positive action. 'It is not good news for your
health to stay in a job you don't like for too long as you may become stressed,
withdrawn and depressed,' says Cary Cooper, professor of organisational
psychology at the University of Manchester. 'The longer you stay, the less control
you will have, as the situation will debilitate you. It is important to gain control.'
According to Cooper, even if you are looking but don't immediately find a new job,
you are at least taking action and therefore gaining control of your working life.
When you have identified the job you would like, take an imaginative approach to
finding work. Look for job adverts in papers and trade magazines, check out job sites
including totaljobs.com, which advertises job vacancies across 28 different industry
categories, and you can also write directly to potential employers (see our Employers
Index for details of many top employers). For more specific advice on how to get
started, visit totaljobs' guide to surviving the job hunt, which offers help on
everything from maintaining your job hunting motivation, to where to find your
perfect job.
Search for jobs with totaljobs.com.
Register for jobs by email.
Register your CV.
Good luck!
Career doctor |
