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Kent Rural Careers is an initiative to help young people explore and follow careers in the rural sector.
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Kent Rural Careers is an initiative to help young people explore and follow careers in the rural sector.
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There are lots of people around that don’t know what sort of career path they want to take. If you’re one of them ask yourself these simple questions to help you find the perfect job for you…
When looking for a job it can be a good idea to write a list of all your main character traits before you start thinking about jobs. Are you creative? Are you someone who’s good with numbers? Are you a natural-born organiser? Or are you the complete opposite of all that.
Of course it makes sense to look for a job that matches your relevant qualifications, as it stands a good chance that you did the course for that reason in the first place. But, you can take this even further and really drill down to what you enjoyed about your course. For instance, say you did an English Literature degree. You may have enjoyed the writing essays part, but hated giving presentations – or vice versa. If you think you don’t have the exact right qualification for the job you want, see if you can find elements within it which match it more appropriately. If you see a job in advertising, but did a History degree, talk about essays helped with your writing skills, while your dissertation showed you could work on a long-term project.
It’s pretty much everyone’s dream to have a job which involves their hobby. It doesn’t have to just be a dream though, if you want it badly enough. Start by writing a list of all the things that you love to do, and then look for jobs which match that hobby. When applying for the job, if it’s your main hobby, boost the “hobbies and interests” box usually found languishing at the bottom of a CV to a more prominent position. If you can’t find a job which exactly matches your hobby, look for something which includes elements of it. For instance, if you’re into drawing, a marketing job with elements of graphic design could be your thing.
4. What kind of career progression and challenges do i want to face?
Are you someone that thrives on challenges and hard work, and wants to go far in their career? When looking for jobs, always look for those which offer a good career progression – and don’t be afraid to ask about this in interviews. Look for jobs which have a lot of varied tasks, as this is bound to help you feel challenged. If on the other hand, you prefer a routine, focus your energies on finding a job which plays on a particular key strength of yours.
5. What are my preferred working patterns?
We tend to fall into the working pattern of 9-5 without much thought, but it could be that you’re more inclined to work better later in the day, first thing in the morning, or maybe even weekends. If you’re a night owl, you might find the morning grind particularly hard to get to grips with. Although there are fewer of these kind of jobs around, if you’re willing to show your flexibility to work outside the usual hours, this can also help you stand out from other candidates. Don’t forget, there are sometimes financial benefits to working “unsociable hours” too.
