KICKSTART YOUR CAREER!
- Want to build a dream career but don’t know where to begin?
- Had a career gap and wanted to get back on track?
- Confused about the right requirements and path to switch to your desired profession?
If the answer to either of these questions was a YES, then this is for you!
A career is a job or an occupation that is undertaken for a major period of a person’s life and therefore, making a career choice often becomes a difficult one. Everyone is confused now or then when it comes to their career, be it the kickoff point, the right skills to progress on your career path, or the right set of requirements & actions to switch to a profession you always aspired to have.
“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”
Not everyone gets the right career guidance and this is the stage of life when everyone needs proper guidance for a bright future and amazing life! The blog will provide you with the element that you are missing to go on the right track.
HOW TO OPT FOR A JOB/CAREER WHEN CONFUSED
“Finding the passion is key to Success”
- Analyse your personality
Analyzing yourself is an important factor that will guide you toward a specific career you always dreamed about. Consider several aspects of your personality as you reflect on your future, to start with :
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- What hobbies do I enjoy?
- What activities would I miss the most if I could no longer do them?
- Gain skills that are required for your desired career
Right now, even at starting blocks, you possess many skills that can help you build your career. You should start by making a list of skills you have right now and how they make you more effective. Research on current trending skills that the industry requires. There can also be some skills which will be essential for your career but you are not that much interested in them. But you must always try to explore and acquire them because you’ll either gain the skills or gain some more learnings for the future!
You can use the various online learning portals to gain these skills. Keep learning the new ones and aim to achieve the status of an expert for the skills you already possess. Collect valid and recognised certifications for these skills and work on projects that have real-life applications.
Theoretical aspects help students gain conceptual clarity and understanding. Implementing those theoretical skills in real life will make your face out of the book challenges and will provide you with different kinds of possibilities. Anyone can apply for industrial training, internships, and workshops and can also deep-dive through the internet to get case studies for actual projects.
- A Perfect Resume!
Prepare a job-winning resume with these tips:-
- Keep your resume clear and concise. Limit it to under 2 pages.
- Contact information must be up to date.
- Quantify your achievements: Use numbers to make employers understand your worth & impact.
- Be honest and professional.
- Don’t hesitate to showcase your unpaid work that depicts your skills.
- Use impressive templates available online to create your resume. The good part is, that there is no shortage of free resume templates on the internet.
- Always modify your resume according to the job description of the role you’re applying for.
- Create Network
Are you hesitant to network out of fear of being seen as pushy, annoying, or self-serving? Don’t be. Networking is about building relationships and connecting with others: People you know or people you have never met. This may sound intimidating, but it will be rewarding and fun!
Firstly, build a network preferably on sites like LinkedIn, then start interacting with them. Focus on building relationships. Explain your situation, your current standings, and your doubts, and ask for advice & guidance instead of a job. Be clear & specific with your request.
There are chances that not all people will revert and help you out, but you will be surprised with how cooperative & supportive some could be! So, don’t be shy and always find ways to reciprocate.
- Almost final stage – Interviews
The first and foremost thing is to Be Confident! Employers get a first impression from your confidence, body language and communication skills. Good communication skills and a will to learn can sometimes help employers to see beyond any of the employees’ shortcomings during an interview. Draw their attention more towards your strengths. If you don’t know about something, just be calm & honest about it as random guesswork will not benefit you. Never give in to the demotivation that comes with rejections. Right after the interview, always implore and pick up the best as well as the lowest points of the interview and it will help you to improve holistically over time.
One bonus tip! give as many interviews as possible. Take them as real-life mock tests. It will help you to overcome the fear of interviews and you will be able to assess and work over your shortcomings more effectively.
IMP SKILLS FOR EVERYONE
“Skills pay the bills”
- Google Search or any other search engine Hacks – for better research and feeds
- Search Engine Optimization
- Excel (& MS Office Suite)
- Finance Management / Investments
- Communication Skills & learning different languages
- Basic coding language – Python or C++
- How to Research – With the right research one can have so much right information to process which will help them to make well-informed decisions.
- NOTE: Beware of viruses and other cyber attacks when you use any website or online source that you do not trust.
- Resume writing
- Effective Negotiation – Negotiation of salary and other benefits is something people are hesitant about. Asking a company what your expectations are is not wrong at all and one should be quite transparent & professional about it. Learning how to trade, make an offer, and be comfortable while asking for a better deal can save/make you more money.
TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOU IN LONG RUN:
- Never hesitate to ask for advice at any point in life. It will save plenty of time and you will always learn something new from everyone.
- Success stories motivate everyone, but the real experience lies in failure. From anyone’s experience, one can always learn what to do and what not to do. Rightly Said by Chanakya,
“Learn from other’s mistakes, you can’t live long enough to make them all on your own”
- Friendship matters! Good things happen when you are surrounded by the best people. Right friends will always motivate you and guide you in the right direction when you get deflected from your path.
- Always be open to learning and don’t consider any job as a lesser one. Every job will teach you something.
- Read job descriptions and their requirements thoroughly. Structure your Resume according to that. Add your skills that are in sync with the company/role’s needs.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
For college going individuals:
- Graphic Designing
- Teaching online – Ex. Byju’s, Unacademy
- Content writing as Social Media Managers of reputed people & organisations
- Photography
- Graphic Design – Ex. Logo designing
- Hospitality
- Search Engine Optimization
- Digital Marketing
- Data Entry
- Blogging/Vlogging/Podcast
- Social Media Marketing/Online Marketing
- Freelance Proofreader
- Stock Market/Finance/Investments
- Research programs affiliated with colleges
After Graduation:
- IT Company Placements – In-Campus or Mass Placement Drives
- Networking and Network Engineering
- Field Survey – for Marketing etc.
- Banking Sector
- Engineering Field – Not limited to Developers or Quality Analysts, but roles like DevOps, Technical Support, Systems Engineering, etc.
Women must be extra vigilant & careful. There will be fake jobs with fake websites as well. Please check the physical location of the office area at least twice with someone before finalising.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Internship websites (Valid)
- Internshala: https://internshala.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/
To Gain Skills (Mostly Free of cost – But can also apply for Scholarship)
- Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/in
- Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/
- Edx: https://www.edx.org/
- MIT: https://ocw.mit.edu/
- Udacity: https://www.udacity.com/
- Telegram channels
SEARCH ENGINES/WEBSITES FOR STUDENTS:
- Google Scholarly: https://scholar.google.com/
- Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/
- Educational Resources Information Center: https://eric.ed.gov/
CERTIFICATIONS:
- Google: https://skillshop.withgoogle.com/
- Learning portals also provide Certificate of completion
