In a world where education is practically an even playing field, university and college graduates are abundant. As such, how do we define ourselves and stay one step ahead of the pack, so as to land that job as soon as we graduate?
Year after year, employment criteria get more and more competitive. The pandemic did not help either, wiping out a huge part of the workforce and fresh graduates alike. Where survival of the fittest holds true, students nowadays cannot afford to have no direction or skills in order to strive.
So how does Harvard prepare their students for such a dog eat dog world? Today, we are looking at some guidance from a career planning workshop given by a Harvard professor. Make sure to read till the end!
#1 : Developing A Working Identity
Before stepping into a career or industry, it is crucial to be clear about our personal intentions and missions, arm ourselves with the right knowledge and skills, and really ponder about the culture and life we are seeking for. Here are the four parts to develop our working identity:
(a) Mission Alignment
What goals do you bring into your career? Having a mission provides you with a sense of fulfilment while working towards it. It provides the drive to do better and achieve more. For example, as a teacher, it is one's mission to have their students achieve incredible results, whether academically or morally as a person. With that, the job becomes so much more meaningful and motivating.
(b) Skills
To excel in what you do, it is important to not only have some knowledge and skills, but the right ones, the applicable ones. Not only will this smoothen your career path, but it'll make it easier to hone those skills to another level.
- Knowledge
Knowledge is what you've learned. An engineer would have to master the laws of physics and know how to use the knowledge practically.
- Qualification
Professional qualification such as a Vocational Diploma, Bachelor's Degree or Doctorate is crucial to give a sense of trustworthiness. It is a symbol of recognition of your knowledge and skillset that will convince those that do not know you personally.
- Other Skills
Besides having sufficient knowledge and skills, it is helpful to arm yourself with other relevant skills. Soft skills such as communication and leadership can be picked up through self-help practices.
(c) Work Culture
After establishing your mission and skillset, it is time to identify your preferred work culture. There is no one size fits all as everyone's preferences differ. For example, would you prefer an intense working environment that will constantly push you to do better, or a more laxed culture that focuses on productivity and efficiency?
(d) Life Needs
The final piece of the puzzle is determining your life needs. Again, this is highly distinct from person to person. For example, how much would you need to earn to maintain your current lifestyle? What sort of lifestyle are you working towards? These along with your expenses should be checked on from time to time.
#2: Matching Your Working Identity To A Role And Sector
With the basics of your career planning laid out in part 1, you should now match your working identity to a job or industry in reality. Here's how:
(a) Examining Roles That Match With Your Skills
Do your skills help you become a professional in your desired industry? What roles require the current combination of skills, qualifications and knowledge that you have? For example, if you wanted to be an actuary, do you have the relevant business and mathematical skills. Another way to think of it, if you possess business and mathematical skills, what are the available options for you?
(b) Analyze Sectors That Employ These Roles
Investigate different industries and their required skills and qualifications to see which of them involves the skillset that you have or which has a high demand of the roles you have examined in the previous step. For example, besides banking, what other industries hire an actuary?
(c) Examine Work Cultures of the Sectors and Organizations.
Every sector has a distinct work culture. Doing adequate research about the types of working culture your preferred industry will have can help you align your expectations and make it easier to cope with any stress and pressure in the future. Ask yourself, as an actuary, are you able to thrive in a more demanding work environment?
(d) Identify the Gaps You Have to Obtain Your Career
After examining the industries and roles, it is time to examine one self. Set a realistic and achievable goal and determine how far away you are from the goal post. For example, you are already studying for an actuarial science degree, what else might you need to prepare to enter your dream company? (Maybe a professional license, or a certain amount of work experience.)
#3: Perform A Gap Analysis to Identify Areas You Need to Develop
There is always room for improvements between your current abilities and your career goals. Hence, it is important to have proper plans to elevate your skills and improve your knowledge. For example, if you aspire to be a professional accountant, you might want to include taking your ACCA certification into your life planning.
All the above should be more than enough to help you stand out among a sea of graduates when the time comes. Keep this bookmarked and come back to it every now and then to check if you're still on the right course!
