One of the keys to creating a fulfilling career is to have an understanding of the social and economic influences on employment opportunities.

Once you have a better understanding of:

1. Who you are?
2. What you like?
3. What you value?
4. What you have to offer?

You are better able to deal with the information and potential opportunities that may exist.

You may gather information on yourself, potential careers and employment from a range of sources:

• Professional vocational guidance counsellor
  (e.g. an INFRONT consultant from Jarrah HR Consulting).
• Internet Resources
• Your careers teacher and other teachers
• Family and friends
• People working in your area of interest
• University students studying in your degrees of interest
• Your own research on chosen industries and employment trends (e.g. industry web sites). Also, most large organisation web sites will have a section devoted to career/job opportunities.
• Work Experience and volunteer work

Useful questions to ask when you are collecting information on yourself and your career are:

• Do I / will I have the secondary school subjects required?
• Does this career satisfy my needs? (For example: do I enjoy working with people? Do I enjoy reading and writing?)
• Would I be happy doing the tasks involved in this job?
• Am I just pleasing my parents/friends/others?
• Will there be good job opportunities in the future?

WORK EXPERIENCE

Having identified a vocational area to explore, seek ways of gaining more exposure to that type of work. Work experience is one obvious means. Ask if this can be arranged via your school. Otherwise, seek opportunities for assistance from outside of school. For example, does your family or the family of your friends have any contacts within a related field or organisation?

GETTING THE MOST FROM WORK EXPERIENCE

You owe it to yourself to get the best value possible out of any work experience opportunity. The following tips will help you in this regard:

1. Do not leave organising a work experience placement until the last minute. By deciding well in advance what you wish to explore, you can increase your chances of going to a place that is closely related to your own interests.
2. Wherever you go, treat the experience as a valuable opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the world of work. Be alert and aware of everything that is going on around you. Notice the general atmosphere and how people dress, how they communicate and how they deal with clients and customers.
3. Respect the people within the host organisation. Be appreciative of any time, information or help they may be willing to give you. Ask questions but be mindful of the fact that they may be busy people who may not always have the time to explain things in great detail.
4. Demonstrate enthusiasm for any task, no matter how trivial. Do not judge the experience on the tasks given.
5. After completion, demonstrate your gratitude by sending a thank you note to the people who gave you the opportunity and looked after you. Remember: this organisation (or any of the people within it) may be a potential future employer!