How to Try and Find a Suitable Professional Career for Yourself

Choosing a career for yourself can seem like an incredibly intimidating proposition. What if you start a career and decide you don’t like it? What if it’s not at all what you expected? Well, these are all risks that we take when starting to choose a career. But, it’s never too late to try something new.

Whether you’re just leaving school or looking to switch up your career later in life, there are a few things you can do to try and effectively find yourself a suitable professional career. In this article, you’ll be guided step by step towards finding the new career that you never knew you always wanted! So, if you’re looking for a new career, read on to find out everything you need to know about career hunting.

What Do You Want From a Career?

First, you need to get to know yourself, your goals, and your ambitions. What is it that you actually want from a new career? Believe it or not, not everyone’s goals and ambitions are the same. For you, it may be simple: more money. For others, it may be flexible hours, working from home, or something that helps them travel more. Only you can decide what exactly it is you want from life.

If you’re not 100% sure what you want, that’s fine too. Just try to be honest with yourself. Make notes about things you definitely do or don’t want. You may know for sure that you never want to work 9-5 or work in a big city, and if that’s the case, write it down. You should keep a copy of all your goals and notes, so you can refer back to them at a later date when further down the line in the decision-making process.

Take a Career Quiz

Another handy tool you could use at this point would be one of many various online quizzes based on career choices. These quizzes are often free and use a variety of methods to test your preferences, rather than your abilities. What this means is that these quizzes are designed to test your personality and ideals, rather than your aptitude for certain skills. You may get some unexpected results, but it’s worth considering them. From this point, you can start to do some research and move forward with potential career planning.

Try Online Courses

One of the best ways to learn about a particular career or subject is to try online courses. Find a website that provides online courses and browse subjects similar to those you have noted down thus far. You will be able to find courses of all lengths and at a variety of prices.

Let’s say one of the potential career matches you have found by taking quizzes is event planning. Does this match your personal goals and attributes? Could planning and attending events that you have organized be a fulfilling career that matches your personality? If so, try an online course that’s based on this subject. You will be able to find a course in just about anything. Some will be short and give you a brief taster of how that profession is. Others will be far more in-depth, giving you a certification in your chosen subject.

Make a Shortlist

At this point, it’s worth making a shortlist of potential career choices. You’ve done some quizzes, some soul-searching, and maybe you’ve already taken a short course in something. You don’t have to commit just yet, even if something is really grabbing your attention. Instead, write down a shortlist of things that have been thrown up as potential suitable careers.

Dig deeper into each of them. Do some research. Think long and hard about the pros and cons of each of these potential careers. Is there anything that is starting to seem like a really strong choice?

Discuss With Experienced People

Once you have a clear vision of one or two particular career moves, it’s a great idea to sit down with someone who works in that field. Firstly, you’ll be able to ask them plenty of questions about their career. They will hopefully share with you an honest opinion on what their career is like, how much they earn, and how many hours they work. Ask them what the work-life balance is like and how their job makes them feel.

On top of this, they may give you a gentle grilling, almost like a mini-interview. They might ask you questions about why you think this has been suggested to you and whether you think you could succeed in any given field. Having an honest chat with a few different people in each career could help you make your final decision.

Practice and Study

Got something in mind? Great! It’s time to start working towards that goal. Whatever career path has got you excited, start to learn everything about it. You will never learn everything about any particular field, but you can certainly start to educate yourself to a high level.

Again, online courses are a great way to start. At this point, you should find an advanced course that offers professional certification. Employers and interviewers love to see that you have taken steps to educate yourself in your own time. It shows a real passion and energy that other candidates may not show.

Consider Recruiters

Finally, it’s always worth reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn or other professional platforms. Explain your situation and the journey you have been on thus far. Explain why you think you’re right for this sort of role and how you’ve been learning in your spare time. A recruiter will give you that final information about the career and help prepare you for interviews and potentially an amazing career move.

Following these steps will help you reach your goal of a new, professional career. You will have taken into account what it is you think you want from life, as well as considering whether you are right for any particular job. On top of that, some home study will show recruiters that you are serious and ready to leap into a new career. Whatever you choose, good luck on your job hunt and enjoy your new career!