LIFE AFTER GRADUATION… The Job Search

This series was borne out of the need to ease the challenges or bridge the gap facing fresh graduates in the quest of applying, securing, sustaining and excelling on the job, and in life, generally.
As a fresh university graduate, you will need to ask yourself several questions, to determine what next? It is expected that the individual will commence work (career) immediately to start fending for himself or herself in some instances; establish own business, or return to school for a post-graduate course, if a desirous of this path.
If the choice is to start a career, it is also expected that the individual would already have an idea of what career to go into. This may have been inspired by family/friends, of the family, observations from the environment, the mass media, etc while growing up; so, that is a good place to start.
Furthermore, an aspiring career individual needs to consider the following issues just as any organisation would the same:
Personal Objectives, Mission, Vision and Core Values
Your objectives, similar to your mission, answer the question, what do you want to be? What do you want to do? What makes you fulfilled, as an individual?
Your vision is futuristic, comprises your goals/objectives/mission and arrives at where you plan to see yourself in several years. The individual is required to also begin to develop principles and core values, Individual Strengths, capacity and competences. For instance, a vivacious, extroverted person would do very well in a sales/marketing role. Someone good with numbers will do well in a finance role. An organized person would do well in a customer service role. Patience is a fantastic trait for a teacher or someone who provides care.
Careerkey.com advises the individual: know yourself – your strengths, values, personality, and skills. This will help you decide which choice best fits you.
Armed with the knowledge of your strengths, the individual would look for a fit with his career choice.
Industry of choice and relevance
The individual needs to research the various industries he or she would like to be a part of. There is a need to identify the companies that operate in the industry of choice and enquire about vacancies or openings that align with identified strengths, personal goals and beliefs. For instance, an individual that doesn’t believe in alcohol consumption would avoid working in the alcohol industry.
Career expectations
The individual needs to identify expectations. Questions such as will I be allowed to work in various departments, over time, to enable me to realize the best fit? And thus specialize in that career path? Does the company support further studies in specialized areas? At whose cost? What about the company’s compensation and reward system? How old is the company? Is it a stable and profitable company? Does the company have a robust health insurance policy? What is the retirement policy of the company?
Careerkey.com lists the following as top ten job expectations:
Type of work: the kind of work that makes the best use of one’s abilities and gives one a feeling of accomplishment. Security: having a job that provides steady employment.
Company: working for a company that has a good reputation, that one can be proud of working for.
Advancement: being able to progress in one’s job or career, having the chance to advance in the company.
Pay: being paid at least enough to meet one’s needs, and being paid fairly in comparison to others.
Supervision: having an immediate supervisor who is competent, considerate, and fair. One that is fairly knowledgeable and can add value to one’s life.
Hours: having working hours that allow one enough time with family and/or time to pursue other strong interests and live one’s preferred lifestyle.
Benefits: having benefits that meet one’s needs and compare well with those of others.
Working conditions: having physical working conditions that are safe, not injurious to health, not stressful, and even comfortable.
Growth Opportunities in the Environment
The individual needs to visualize where one could be in say the next 5 or 10 years? How long on the average, does it take to get to the managerial level? Are there growth opportunities in the firm? Does it have a young population in the majority or mid-aged to old? Or is it evenly spread amongst all categories? A mostly young population should create room for quick advancement. Whilst a mid-aged to the old workforce may cause the individual to be on the same spot for long, as may be found in universities or public service.
The reality is that one will not have all the answers to these questions, but the above will get you thinking, exploring/prioritising choices, and help to chart a course for professional life, now and in the future.