The process of finding your career path is a journey. As with any journey, you will want do a little planning before heading out. Take a look at a map, find the best way to get there and plan your stops along the way. On this journey, the journey to finding your career, you will need to take along a tool kit to ensure a smooth path to your destination.
5 essentials for your tool kit and recommendations to help you develop each tool
1. Your Profile
Your profile consists of what you know about yourself and how it relates to career options. It includes information about your interests, strengths, personality, and values as well information about the many careers out there. To build your profile, you will need to do assessment and exploration.
2. Resume/Cover letter
You will need a resume and cover letter on your journey. A good resume gets you an interview. A bad resume gets you ignored.
3. Brand
Building a professional online brand is necessary in this competitive job market. Your brand showcases your skills, experience and professional reputation. It should be easily found by hiring managers, recruiters and contacts.
4. Pitch
Your pitch is how you communicate your value – your strengths, skills and abilities. Being able to articulate what you do well will be helpful not only in networking situations but in the job interview. The good news about interviewing is that everyone can interview well. It just takes practice and preparation.
5. Strategies
The search for a job or internship requires several strategies such as tapping into the hidden job market, conducting a targeted job search, researching companies and networking.
