Career research is a process of getting in-depth knowledge of yourself and the different opportunities that are out there for the purpose of developing a career strategy. In preparing for a seminar I recently presented, I got to thinking about career research again. I’ve written about career research and important factors in career choice in the past and I want to expand on these ideas now.

So often people get it backwards. They arrive at a time in their lives where they need a job so they immediately start looking for what opportunities are available around them and where they might fit in. I know it seems logical but that is not the most beneficial way to go about it because many of those jobs are just distractions. I want you to flip that process around and begin with yourself!

So the process looks like this instead:

  1. Begin with self-awareness
  2. Study occupations
  3. Then industry trends
  4. Then company culture and job openings.

There are strong advantages to working career research from this angle. First is that you are developing your personal brand along the way. You will be able to strategically network with others knowing what you want them to remember about you. You also gain a deep understanding what makes your heart sing and will be able to zoom in on opportunities that are more likely to work optimally for you. Lastly, you will come from a position of passion in job interviews and will be more convincing and so more likely to win the offer.

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Filed under: Career Choice