Take Hold of You Future

Career Planning Guide

 

JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey & Ruth S. Lisanski

http://www.careerguide.org

 

 

 

Chapter 7

 

Values and Occupations

 

 

The purpose of this chapter is to assist you to identify a list of occupations that are really feasible for you and to place them in priority order. This will be a three-step process: (1) identifying your important work-related values, (2) identifying occupational titles, and (3) prioritizing occupations related to your values.

 

Your Values

 

Some values are so important that they could cause you to remove some occupations related to your interests or abilities because they do not satisfy these values. Think carefully about each of the following values as they relate to work. Indicate how important each is to you by making a check mark under Very Important, Somewhat Important, or Not Important on the chart that follows their definitions. Remember that you are rating these related to your role as a Worker, that is, paid employment. The value may be very important to you, but you may choose to satisfy it in other life roles, such as Citizen, Parent, or Leisurite.

 

Helping Others - being able to help people through your work in some way. This may be through counseling, teaching, or improvement of physical, mental, or spiritual well-being.

 

Influencing or Leading Others - being effective through your work in getting people to follow your lead, work together toward a common goal, or buy a product or idea that you are promoting.

 

Orderliness - being able in your work to organize things such as records, to put processes or operations into a logical structure.

 

Tangible Results - being able to see a task through to its end, to see a finished product.

 

Abstract Thinking/Problem Solving - being able to use your mind and creativity to solve a problem, create a plan or design, or test a theory.

 

Creativity- being able to put into reality something which did not previously exist —a work of art, a new product or program.

 

Money - making significantly more money than the average worker; getting a salary that is at least in the top 25% of salaries.

 

Minimal Schooling - being able to enter a job without having to complete any formal education beyond high school.

 

Bright Job Opportunity - entering a field where demand for workers is so high that there is a very slim chance of ever being out of work.

 

Time for Family & Leisure - entering a job that can be confined to 40 hours per week or less; being sure that taking work home and/or working unusual hours does not interfere with personal time.

 

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Importance of Values in the Worker Role

                                                                                     

 

		Very Important	Somewhat Important	Not Important
Helping Others
Influencing or Leading Others
Orderliness
Tangible Results
Abstract Thinking/Problem Solving
Creativity
Money
Minimal Schooling
Bright Job Opportunity
Time for Family & Leisure
	(write in)
	(write in)

 

 

 

Identifying Occupations

Now, using (1) Appendix A (master alphabetical list of occupations with their World-of-Work Map regions and job families) or Appendix B (occupations organized by World-of- Work Map clusters, regions, and families) and (2) regions marked on the World-of-Work Map on page 6-16, make a list of up to fifteen occupations on the worksheet titled Activity 7-1: List of Occupations for Exploration.

 

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Activity 7-1 List of Occupations for Exploration

 

Name Of Occupation		World-Of-Work Map Region	World-Of-Work Map Family
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

 

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Now that you have made a list of high-priority occupations, you must learn more about each in at least two of the following ways:

 

• Use print materials in a library. All libraries have the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Department of Labor. Most libraries have many other sources of printed information as well. This book is also on a website at http://stats.bIs.gov:80/0cohome.htm.

 

• Use a computer-based system such as your state's career information delivery system, DISCOVER, CHOICES, or SIGI Plus.

 

• Use the Internet. Website addresses change with some frequency, but try these:

 

Ø    America's Job Bank - http://www.ajb.dni.us

Ø      . The Black Collegian - http://www.black-collegian.comlindex.html

Ø      Careers OnLine Virtual Careers Show ­http://www.careersonline.comau/show/menu.html

Ø      Job Smart Career Information - http://iobsmart.org

Ø    Princeton Review Online's Career Find-O-Rama­http://www.review.comlcareer/find/index.cfm

Ø       America's Career InfoNet - http://www.acinet.org

Ø      Find Your Career: U.S. News­http://www4.usnews.com/usnews/edujbeyondlbccguide.htm

Ø      Catapult Career Planning Information­ http://www.jobweb.org/catapult/careerj}fo.htm

 

• Find someone who is working in the occupation, and have an information interview. Activity 7-2 includes a list of suggested questions.

 

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• Contact a professional association or trade union associated with the occupation. You can find these in a reference book titled National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States, Washington, D.C.: Columbia Books, Inc. (updated annually). Phone: 888/265-0600, website: http://www.d-net.com/columbia/

 

As you col1f_ct information about each occupation, be sure to learn whether or not each satisfies the values you have noted as Very Important. If you have rated two values that conflict with each other (such as Helping Others and Money) as Very Important, you will have to determine through your investigation whether the occupation can possibly sustain both or whether you will have to compromise in some way.

 

Record the information you collect about each occupation on the worksheet provided as Activity 7-3. Complete one worksheet for each occupation. At the end of the worksheet there is a priority line. You will complete this line after all of the worksheets are finished. If you are doing this activity in a class, the instructor will provide multiple copies of Activity 7-3. If you are doing this on your own, you may make multiple copies of Activity 7-3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Activity 7-2: The Information Interview

 

Find someone who works in an occupation in which you are very interested. Set an appointment with that person, and ask the following questions. You may, of course, add other questions which you may want to ask.

 

Occupation Title:___________________ Date of Interview: ___________

 

1.      What are the kinds of activities which you do in a typical day?

 

 

 

 

2.         When you perform these activities, how much supervision do you have from your boss?

 

 

 

 

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3.                  What are the things which you like most about this occupation?

 

 

 

4.                  What are the things which you dislike about this occupation?

 

 

 

5.                  What kind of training or work experience did you have in order to enter this occupation?

 

 

 

 

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6. What do you wish you had known about the occupation before you entered it?

 

 

7. What kinds of opportunities do you have to enrich your career or to be promoted?

 

 

8. Does it appear that there is high demand for people in this occupation?

 

 

9. What is the range of what your company pays for those who come in at the entry level of your occupation?

 

 

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Activity 7-3: Occupation Worksheet

 

 

1.      My most important values (rated Very Important on page 7-3):

 

 

2.      Occupational title:

 

 

3.      Short description of this occupation:

 

 

4.      Capability of this occupation to satisfy my most important work values:

 

 

5.      Implications for amount of education needed:

 

 

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6. Implications for choice of major or program of study:

 

 

7. What I need to learn more about:

 

 

8. Where I can get more information:

 

 

 

Priority, based on information gathered (circle one): 1 (high) 2 (medium) 3 (low)

 

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Shortening You List

You have completed the Occupation Worksheet (Activity 7-3) for up to fifteen occupations. Now it is time to begin to shorten this list based upon what you have learned about these occupations. Go back through the worksheets that you have completed and circle (I) high, (2) medium, or (3) low at the bottom of each worksheet, assessing the occupation’s priority based upon these factors:

 

·    Skill and amount of education required (Does the requirement fit with your aspirations, plans, and achievements?)

 

·     Career ladder (After you enter the occupation, do you have an opportunity to “grow” in the occupation through upward movement, a broader sphere of influence, or some other way?)

 

·    Capability to use your interests (Do the work tasks as you have identified them for this occupation appear to be the kinds of tasks that really interest you?)

 

·    Capability to attain your values (Do the work tasks hold promise of allowing you to attain your most important values?)

 

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Now, list the titles of the occupations that you have rated 1 (high priority).

If there are fewer than three occupations, also list those which you have rated

2 (medium priority).

 

 

Selecting Your Major or Program of Study

 

If you are reading this book as a part of the requirement for a career planning course m a community or four-year college, you are probably trying to identify a college major. Identifying one or more occupational choices and selecting a major are very important steps. Research indicates that those who have vocational goals are more likely to stay in college and complete the degree they are pursuing. This is really important since those who drop out of college will be least prepared for the competitive job market of the _21st century.

 

There are two ways you can identify a college major or combination of majors. The first is to look at the Occupation Worksheets (Activity 7-3) for the occupations you have marked “high priority.” What are the majors recommended for those occupations? Are you fortunate enough to have the same major recommended for two or more occupations that are on your list? Or, might you combine a major in one area with a very strong minor in another in order to be as flexible as possible? Based on the occupational information you have collected for your highest-priority occupations, what are your best choices? Please list them in the spaces that follow.

 

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Desirable College Majors Related to High-Priority Occupations:

 

 

A second way to identify college majors is to look at the list in Appendix C and to identify those which are related to your regions and job families on the World-of-Work Map (see p. 6-16). What majors did you find by this approach?

 

 

You have narrowed your occupational alternatives to not more than three, and you have identified majors or programs of study related to these occupations. If you are currently in college, you need to (1) confirm that the college you are attending has the major that you need or (2) to plan to transfer to a college which does have that major. In the latter event you will want to use one of the following resources to identify another college:

 

·    Software available at your college, such as the state career information delivery systems (may have a variety of names), DISCOVER, CHOICES, or a similar system.

 

·    Websites that provide a college search capability, such as

 

 

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Ø      Peterson’s Education Center - http://www.petersons.com

Ø      College Net - http://www.colle2enet.com

Ø      Yahoo - Higher Education - http://www.vahoo.com/education/higher_education/

Ø      Go College - http://www.gocollege.com/

Ø      United States Universities and Community Colleges - http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/

 

If you are not currently in college but need to take additional training, the following website will provide a link to America’s Learning Exchange, which will help you identify both the site and the mode of training (je. instruction via the Internet, distance learning, or selection of a local school):

http://www.noicc.nov .

 

Now summarize your plans by completing the Action Plan Worksheet, Activity 7-4.

 

References

 

Katz, M. R. (1963). Decisions and Values: A Rationale for Secondary School Guidance. New York, NY: College Entrance Examination Board.

 

Super, D. E., et. al. (1992). Developmental Career Assessment and Counseling & The C-DAC. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 74-80.

 

 

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Activity 7-4: Action Plan Worksheet

 

NAME: ________________________________________________

 

Highest priority occupations:

 

 

Major(s) or program(s) of study which I need:

 

 

 

Next steps I need to take:

 

o    Find out if my school has this major.

o    Declare the major.

o    Change my current major to the one needed.

o    Find school(s) that have the major I need.

o    Find a way to get this training in an alternate mode (other than attending all classes face to face)

o    Other. Please describe:

 

 

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Chapter 8

 

Job-Seeking Skills

 

and Tools

 

 

Whenever you are ready to find your first full-time job or make a job change, you will need to apply job seeking skills. There are at least five of these, each of which will be treated individually. These are

 

·    deciding what you want in a job.

·    representing yourself in a resume and cover letter.

·    finding possible job openings.

·    representing yourself in a job interview.

·    following through after an interview.

 

Each of these will be discussed in sequence.

 

Deciding What You Want in a Job

 

By now you have presumably selected an occupation and a major or program of study. Now you are considering where to practice that occupation as you plan a move to the full-time workforce. As you think about that move, you will need to decide about the following:

 

 

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1.      The type of organization you want to work for - This step involves a decision about whether you would prefer to work for a for-profit company, work for a not-for-profit organization, work for a government organization, or establish your own business.. For-profit companies are primarily motivated by the desire to make money through the development and sale of a product or service so that the value of their stocks can grow. Not-for-profit organizations are primarily motivated to provide products or services for the educational, mental, or physical well-being of the clients they serve. Such organizations must, however, have sufficient revenue to continue to provide their services in a quality fashion as well as continue to invest in new development. Government agencies, the nation’s largest employer, are motivated by the need to meet legislated requirements for the provision of services to the general public or to the administration of government. Establishing your own business implies that you want to be responsible for yourself and requires some investment capital and business savvy.

 

2.      Reputation or prestige of the organization - Your own self-concept will be enhanced or diminished by how you feel about the quality of the organization for which you work. Further, if you work for an organization which is well-managed and provides high quality goods or services, you are less likely to suffer down-sizing and more likely to have opportunities for career growth. This step involves a conscious choice as to whether to confine your job search to companies which, when researched, show strong evidence of high quality in management, customer service, and product or service quality.

 

3.      Minimum salary - As you face the job search, you are likely to determine the minimum level of salary that you are willing to accept, given your education and experience and the job market for persons with your skills. Determining this figure will take some research in computer-basedinformation systems that provide recent data about salaries or Internet sites, such as America’s Job Bank (http://www.aib.dni.us). You will want to be careful about how you reveal this minimum in a job interview.

 

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4.      Fringe benefits - A good fringe benefit package may be worth as much as an additional 30% in salary or even more. If you are married and have a family, it is likely that such a fringe benefit package will be very valuable to you. If you are single and not anticipating having a family soon, you may prefer to identify companies that pay higher salaries but do not offer a maximum-level fringe benefit package.

 

5.      Career ladder or opportunity for job growth - In order to keep your Worker role interesting, you may want to be careful to enter a position which has potential for growth. This growth may be in the form of promotion (“going up the career ladder”) or in the form of expanded responsibility, opportunity for new assignments, or opportunity for continued skill development through training.

 

6.      Distance from home - As you approach the job search and/or the possibility of a geographic move, you will need to determine how far you are willing to commute each day to and from the work site by car or public transportation. The amount of commuting time affects both your personal stress level and the amount of time available for leisure and for being with the family.

 

7.      Travel requirement - Some jobs never require travel some require occasional or frequent short-distance travel; and some require occasional or frequent long-distance travel. This may not be a variable in your selected occupation; but if it is, you will need to determine how much you are willing to travel.

 

 

 

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8.      Makiiig use of education and training - Some jobs make maximal use of the educational background and specific training we have had; others simply use that background as a springboard for a different or more expansive set of job duties. You will need to determine, based on your interests and perceived skills, how close you want to stay to your field of education or training.

 

9.      Time for family and leisure - Jobs vary widely in their demand on time beyond the usual 40-hour work week. Depending upon your desire to confine work to 9-5 on weekdays, you will have a variable amount of time left over for pursuits in other life roles.

 

 

Besides thinking about each of the above topics and making some conclusions about them, you may also want to use your personal results from the Myers­Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), a personality test available to qualified professionals from Consulting Psychologists Press (Palo Alto, CA). You may have taken this instrument if you are using this book in a career planning course or workshop. If you have taken it, use the interpretive materials which you have received to list some characteristics that you should look for in the workplace you choose. The activity at the end of this chapter provides space for these. The same results will also help you to generate good questions to ask during job interviews.

 

Representing Yourself in a Resume

 

One of the early steps in preparing for a job search is the development of a high-quality resume which represents your skills, experience, and educational attainments. Your resume, usually a concise one-pager, is the document that will either attract an employer to call you in for an interview or will block you from having an opportunity for an interview. Without an interview, of course, there is no possibility that you will get a job.

 

                                                             8-4

Your resume may be reviewed as one in a heap of 100 or more for a specific position. Thus there must be something in it that attracts the employer or Human Resources Director to pull yours out for an interview. Besides the fact that it must represent strong skills and experience for the position, it should have the following characteristics:

 

1.It must look attractive and be totally accurate in spelling, punctuation, and format. Have one or more persons who are good in English to review your resume and help you improve it.

 

2.It must adequately state your skills (not just the courses you have taken or degrees earned) and experience and how these relate to the position for which you are applying. Summarize your skills in a concise way; it is perfectly acceptable to use bullets and phrases.

 

3.If possible, it should indicate positive results that the organization will have as a result of your use of your skills and experience on its behalf.

 

4.Avoid use of the pronoun “I.”

 

5.Omit information that might exclude you from an interview or raise unwanted questions.

 

6.Give it some characteristics that will set it apart from other resumes. If it is a print resume, you might use high-quality paper, perhaps light beige, grey, or blue. Or the resume may stand out because of the good use of formatting, fonts, and other special effects. For some types of jobs a multimedia presentation on CD-ROM may be appropriate. For others, having a personal website which provides interactive information may be an option.

 

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7.It should never be more than two pages in length and usually only one.

 

8. It should be laid out with left-justified topic headings which are easy to read. Education and experience should be summarized in backward chronological order and may include only the last three to five jobs.

 

9.Print your resume on a laser printer, using high quality bond paper. Use the same quality and color of paper for your cover letter and envelope.

 

10.  List your references on a separate sheet on matching paper. Provide this list, which includes names, phone numbers, addresses, and perhaps e-mail addresses, only when asked for it.

 

Before beginning your resume, review your education, work experience, interests, extracurricular activities, travel, foreign language ability, military service, memberships, and community service in order to determine what to include. Carefully consider what you have accomplished and what skills you have developed through your experience. Employers are particularly interested in examples of leadership, self-motivation, and communication skills. Think about career objectives and what direction you would like your life to take in the next five to ten years. Although you will not include all of this information on your resume, you will find the evaluative process very helpful in increasing your self-awareness, preparing for your interviews, and filling out job applications, as well as developing a good resume. Figure 8-1 provides a format for summarizing information that you may want to use in your resume and job interview.

 

 

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Resume Formats

 

Since a resume reflects the person writing it, there is no one correct form. It can be arranged chronologically, functionally, or in a combination of these standard formats. Only you can decide which style is best for you.

 

The chronological resume stresses continuity of employment. It is especially effective if your work history is related to your career goals and you can show increasing responsibility. Items under each heading are presented in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent dates or the most relevant experience. Include dates of employment, names and addresses of employers, job titles, and brief descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments in each instance. Figures 8-2 and 8-3 provide examples. Many other examples are available on a website titled About Work (htty://www.aboutwork.com) and on Job Smart (http://www.iobsmart.org).

 

The functional resume is arranged according to skills and/or job function experience (such as Organization, Research, Management, Communications, etc.). All experiences that show proficiency in a specific skill are grouped together, minimizing or not mentioning names of past employers or dates. This format can be useful for persons with considerable volunteer (rather than paid) experience, career changers, and recent graduates with limited employment who wish to emphasize skills they have acquired in schooling. Figures 8-4 and 8-5 provide examples. Many other examples are available on a website titled About Work (http://www.aboutwork.com) and on Job Smart (http://www.iobsmart.org).

 

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Figure 8-1

Preparing a Chronological Resume

 

 

8-8

 

Figure 8-1 (Cont’d)

Preparing a Chronological Resume

 

9-8

 

Figure 8-2

Sample Chronological Resume

 

8-10

 

Figure 8-3

Sample Chronological Resume

 

8-11

 

Figure 8-4

Sample Functional Resume

 

8 - 12

 

Figure 8-5 Sample Functional Resume

 

 

8 - 13

 

Figure 8-5 (Cont’d)

Sample Functional Resume

 

 

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The electronic resume may be a modified version of either of the above types or a combination of these. It is increasingly important that you know how t9 represent your skills, training, and experience in an electronic resume as well as in a traditional printed one. An electronic resume may take two forms: (1) the entry of a resume into an Internet “talent bank” and (2) the submission of a resume on diskette or paper which will be placed in a database from which candidates are electronically identified.

 

In the first case you would complete an on-line form and put it into a computer database, such as America’s Talent Bank (http://www.aib.dni.us). Other resume-posting opportunities of this type can be found at the following websites:

 

Career Mosaic - http://www.careermosaic.com

Career Path.com - http://www.careeroath.com

Online Career Center - http://www.occ.com

 

In preparing a resume to be sent via e-mail on the internet, consider the following steps:

 

1.   Develop your standard chronological or functional resume first.

 

2.   After printing a copy, save the document as text only (that is, plain text, ASCII, or DOS text).

 

3.   Edit the resume to resemble the printed one as much as possible. For example, the section headings should be put in all capitals, and the margins should be altered to about 70 characters and spaces per line.

 

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4.   E-mail your resume to a friend, and ask him or her to print it out for you. This will allow you to see exactly how it will look in that format so that you can improve it if needed.

 

5.   Save a copy on diskette so that you can update it or send it to another potential employer.

 

6.   Inform yourself about what will happen to your resume when posted electronically — that is, will it be removed from the database after a certain period of time? Will you be informed by e-mail when a job profile fitting yours appears in a job database? Will you have an opportunity to update it?

 

Since a resume sent to an employer via the Internet must be provided as “plain” text rather than “rich” text which contains bolding, special fonts and underlines, you need to try to think of ways to make it attractive. Provide topic headings which are left-justified and in all capital letters since no other kind of special treatment is possible. Consider using bullets to summarize information under the main headings. Remember that the resume will be read as a series of screens. You may want to organize its topics by logical screen displays, and it is essential that you catch the reader’s attention in the first of these! Figure 8-6 is a sample of a resume sent by e-mail.

 

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Figure 8-6 Sample Electronic Resume

 

8 - 17

 

Figure 8-6 (Cont’d)

Sample Electronic Resume

 

8 - 18

Many companies are requesting a resume that can be scanned into a database of applicants which is searchable by key words that identify skills. When your resume is used in this manner, the key words which you place at the top (indicating your skills) are critical. If your skills are not well-defined by search words, your resume may never be found. If your resume is identified through the keyword search, you may be contacted by e-mail if you have provided that address. You may even be interviewed by e-mail.

 

When preparing a resume that is likely to be scanned, remember the following guidelines:

 

1.      Capture the reader in the first 20 lines.

 

2.      Do not use bullets, graphics, boxes, columns, italics, or other design highlights.

 

3.      Use standard fonts, 12-14 points, such as Helvetica, courier, and Times Roman.

 

4.      Use all capital letters for section headings.

 

5.      Place your name on its own line at the top of each page.

 

6.      Make margins of at least ½ inch on each side.

 

7.      Prepare your resume on 8 ½” x 11” white paper, laser printed, using black ink.

 

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8.      Use as many words as possible which describe your skills, work experience, and training. These may be included in a summary paragraph (called “Qualifications Summary” or “Summary of Qualifications”) at the top of the resume or listed as a series of key words at the top of t6he resume.

 

9.      Do not staple or fold the resume. Send it in an 8 ½” x 11” envelope.

 

Figure 8-7 provides a sample of a good resume that is likely to be found by an employer. Notice the fact that the listed search words identify skills frequently needed by employers.

 

Regardless of the type of resume you do, you should modify it slightly for each position for which you apply, making the experience and skills you list as tightly applicable as possible to the job for which you are applying. Use of word-processing software makes this very easy. In addition, there are many different software products which offer blank templates you can fill in, making the task even easier. Some examples of this kind of software are as follows:

 

·    Microsoft Works (includes a resume package)

·    WinWay Resume 3.0 - WinWay Corporation, Inc.

·    Resume Maker Deluxe- Individual Software, Inc.

·    Perfect Resume - Davidson, Inc.

 

 

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