Career Ready

Module 1

Career Planning & Decision Making

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Welcome to the Career Ready Program

• Five career modules delivered via seminars and the LMS

1. Career planning and decision making

2. Developing my employability skills

3. Job search methods

4. Applying for work

5. Managing my career

• Career options sessions specific to your faculty

• Online learning activities and resources

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Seminar Overview

• Career planning

• Self-assessment of skills, values and interests

• Researching career information

• Options with your degree

• Career decision making

• Career Action Plans

Career Planning

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A definition of ‘career’

“The sum total of paid and unpaid work, learning and life roles you undertake throughout your life”

Work experience / Employment Education Extra-curricular activities Community involvement Volunteer work Life roles Cultural activities Training Interests and hobbies

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Why should you plan your career?

1. ‘Career planning’ is really about knowing when you have to make a decision.

2. Planning helps you make successful career decisions.

3. Being aware of timeframes and deadlines for career decisions prevents feeling overwhelmed (or missing out).

4. It’s your career! Be willing to take responsibility for your career and life.

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How often will you need to plan?

• Career planning is not a one-off activity

• Career change is inevitable

• There’s always an element of chance

• We can’t always predict what career opportunities we will be presented with

• People will make multiple job, industry and occupation changes throughout their working life

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When do you need to plan your career?

Decisions before you start your university course Course application and admission Subjects: fixed curriculum or flexible electives

Decisions during your course before graduation Major and minor sequences; electives; full-time/part-time;

summer/winter semesters; extra-curricular options; changing course?

Decisions related to after your graduation Postgraduate study options; employment - graduate programs,

entry-level employment, unrelated work; overseas work / study / travel; volunteer work

Self-Assessment of Skills, Values and Interests

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Self-awareness

• You need to know yourself

• Identify your own skills, values and interests

• Recognise where work fits into your life, your personal values, interests, personality traits, skills, and desired life style

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Learning about your interests

• What do you enjoy doing?

• What are you good at?

• What knowledge and skills do you have?

• How do you like to learn?

• What really matters to you?

• What do you want to achieve and how motivated are you to achieve those goals?

• Do you have a preference for a type of work setting or location?

• Do you like to work independently or with others?

• What sort of personality do you have?

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Career values

Values are:

• The things you consider important

• The reason why you work

• What motivates you to study and work

• What you want work to provide you

We are all different – there are no “right” or “wrong” values

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Assessing your skills

• Employability skills are the non-technical skills and knowledge required to gain employment. 

• Self-assessment tools include:

MyGuideAccess a personalised and integrated career decision making tool, as well as facts about courses and occupations www.myfuture.edu.au

You and Your CareerSelf-assessment guide designed to assist students and graduates gain a clear understanding of their skills and attributes www.graduatecareers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/YourCareerYou-2012_web.pdf

Options With Your Degree

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Researching career information

Research and find out what’s out there for you

Explore…• Your potential career pathways

• Your further study options

• Your employability skills

As you know more about yourself and your options a career plan becomes easier to construct

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Where do you find career information?

• Using the Internet

• Career Expos and employer seminars

• Industry and professional associations

• Career Development Centre

• Friends and family

• Part-time and volunteer work

• Placements and work experience

• Relevant publications (e.g. newspapers, journals, websites)

• Job advertisements

• Contact with people in the industry

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Researching career pathways

• Conduct desktop research to uncover options related to your degree

• www.latrobe.edu.au/students/careers/career-planning/what-can-i-do

• www.graduatecareers.com.au/CareerPlanningandResources/careerprofiles/index.htm

• www.prospects.ac.uk/options_with_your_subject.htm

• http://deewr.gov.au/career-bullseye-posters

• Use LinkedIn to research companies, industries and opportunities

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Exploring occupations and industries

My Future http://myfuture.edu.au/

Graduate Careerswww.graduatecareers.com.au/CareerPlanningandResources/careerprofiles/index.htm

Graduate Opportunitieshttp://www.graduateopportunities.com/dates-info/industry-profiles/

Career FAQswww.careerfaqs.com.au/

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Informational interviewing

• Talk to those working in your industry to learn more about a job, organisation or industry.

• Used to:

P Gather information about your profession

P Learn what skills are needed in the job

P Gain insight into how people feel about their work and what they do in a typical day

P Find employment leads

P Expand your professional network

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Informational interviewing

What can you ask for?• Information• Advice, ideas and feedback• Referrals• Assistance

How to prepare:• Plan what you will discuss• Prepare some questions• Research the person being interviewed• Think through what insights they can offer you

Career Decision Making

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Career decision making

Discussion:• What career decisions have you made in the past?

• How did you reach those decisions?

• What information did you use to help you?

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Career decisions can be difficult because…

• The information available to us is rarely perfect or complete• Very difficult to predict the consequences of our choices until

we actually make them. • Impact of:

o family factorso social factors – e.g. networks, role models, gender,

ethnicity, disabilityo economic factors – e.g. state of labour market, personal

financeso organisational factors – e.g. size of employer, job stability

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Bad decisions can happen if you….

• get stressed

• are fearful of making a wrong decision

• make decisions at the last minute

• use a dartboard

• toss a coin

• avoid making any decision until it’s too late

• focus only on the immediate

• only listen to the last person you talked to

• delegate control of the decision to someone else

• follow the pack without thinking for yourself

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Qualities of good career decision making

• Aware you need to make a decision that could impact on your career

• Honestly reflect on your own values, interests and skills

• Motivated to explore, find out about options

• Aware of your own personal style of decision making

• Aware of how your own thoughts and feelings influence your behaviour

• Willing to assume responsibility

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Effective Decision Making

1. Recognise that you need to make a decision, and that it’s your responsibility

2. Define the problem – what are your needs & goals?

3. Gather information – research and explore widely

4. Analyse the information, looking at all possible alternatives

5. Develop a prioritised short list – narrow the field

6. Choose the alternative that best meets most of your needs & goals

7. Make the decision and follow through!

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Decision making

• Review the careers that appear to fit with your personality, skills and values

• List the pros and cons of each and try to prioritise them

• Weigh up the likelihood of finding work in your chosen field

• Speak to people whose opinion you value

• Decide whether you need (or want) to undertake further study

• Make an appointment with a Careers Consultant

Career Readiness Plans

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Career readiness plans

• Navigation tools that give you a sense of direction.

• Outline WHAT you to achieve and HOW to get there.

• Help you to stay focused and motivated.

• Can help you prepare contingency plans.

• Broad vs specific goals.

• Long, medium and short-term.

• Can be used in other aspects of your life: fitness, work, personal, etc.

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Developing a career readiness plan

1. Prioritise.

2. Break down goals into mini-steps.

3. Identify STRATEGIES you need to use in order achieve your goals (how can I get there?),

4. List RESOURCES you can use to help you (what will I need or who could help me?)

5. Remember to plan for potential BARRIERS (what could go wrong?).

6. List DATES when you will check back on your progress.

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Timing – Start Planning Now!

Write some personal and professional goals Don’t leave career planning until the end of your course My main goals in life are…

(write down as many as you like!)

A goal I want to achieve by the end of this Semester

A goal I want to achieve by the end of 2013

In the next 2 years I want to achieve these goals…

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Career planning

Career planning is not a one-off activity

Career change is inevitable

Most people make several job, industry and occupation changes throughout their working life

Career planning will happen on regular basis

START NOW!

Don’t leave career planning until the end of your course

You will need a lot of time and the involvement of many people

Summary & Next Steps

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Effective career management habits

• Be a problem solver

• Be confident, do not underestimate yourself

• Identify and bring out the best in others

• Be adaptable to change

• Show flexibility

• Seize and/or create opportunities

• Learn from your mistakes and failures (we all have them!)

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You are central to the learning process

YouLa Trobe University

Placement

supervisor

Co-workers

Fellow students

University supervisor

Thank you

Connect with us via:

Web: latrobe.edu.au/students/careers

Facebook: facebook.com/LaTrobeCareers

Twitter: @LTUcareers

Email: careers@latrobe.edu.au