Career Exploration

Written By Dawn Bowes

Here is a list of questions you can ask yourself as you explore this next phase in your career.

The most important steps:

Job titles and the work they entail can vary by industry and by company. The most impactful action items you can do parallel to this self discovery is:

  1. Informational Interviewing. This will give you much better insight on the industry, company, and job than any career assessment can. if anything is calling to you, reach out to folks in that field or industry for an "informational interview" (that's the term to google). My fav how-to resource for that is the 2-Hour Job Search. You'll essentially ask them how they got into their career, what it's like, any advice they may have for you including areas you may need to upskill, and importantly if they know anyone else who would be great to talk to.
    Landing a job isn't as much about what you know but who you know so this will help you (1) see if you might like the field (2) how to qualify or better articulate your qualifications by listening to how they describe their work and adopting that language in your application materials and (3) if y'all really get along they may offer to put your resume in front of the hiring manager and you can bypass the applicant tracking system.

  2. Volunteer. Next, when you find a job/field you think you like, and if you have the time and resources to do so, I highly recommend volunteering. This will help you literally try on the field/ job/ company to make sure, as well as create the opportunity to have tangible accomplishments in the field that you can speak to during your application process. You'll also have access to their network. They'll assume you have another job or are looking for one, so they'll be delighted to connect you with other people they know who might be hiring. And nothing is better than that type of recommendation!

And now, the questions!

Some questions to ask yourself:

What skills do you bring to the table?

  1. Job functionality skills: What are the things you’re good at doing that help you achieve your core responsibilities at work

  2. Technical skills: What tools do you know how to use that help you do your job even better?

  3. Soft skills: What are personal attributes that help you do your job even better?

What responsibilities do you want?

  1. Daily responsibilities: What are things from your previous roles that you would be happy to keep doing or what to do more of

  2. Growth opportunities: What are things that you haven’t done in the past but would like to start doing or grow into?

  3. Responsibilities to avoid: What are tasks that you would prefer to never do again or want less of if your next job

What kind of company do you want to work for?

  1. Location:

  2. Benefits:

  3. Industries:

  4. Size:

  5. Values:

Assessing opportunities to find the right fit:

The role:

  • The day-to-day responsibilities align with what I want to be doing

  • The role would help me grow in ways I’m excited about

  • The role doesn’t involve too many things I’d like to avoid

  • The goals of the role sound interesting

The company:

  • You’re excited about the mission

  • The location is on my list

  • You’re interested in the industry

  • The size is right

  • The company offers a majority of the benefits I’m looking for

  • People like working there (glassdoor reviews)

  • The company culture aligns with the values I care about

  • The company seems to be doing well financially

Your skills:

  • You feel confident you can do that job

  • You’ve exhibited most of the job functionality skills they’re looking for

  • technical skills

  • You have most of the soft skills they’re looking for OR your soft skills make you an even stronger candidate

  • Based on what you’ve done in the past, you think you can help the company reach its goals

Gut feeling:

  • You’re truly excited about this role

  • You would be proud to work for this company

  • You think you can help them succeed.

  • Whole Body Yes (how-to guide)

Source: Glassdoor - Beginning Your Seach

⭐ Put these into your favorite ai and ask for job titles or industries that meet your interests and start reaching out via LinkedIn and your alumni network. Having an alumni email address is really helpful here! You may want to reach out to your school to see if they can provide one for you.

Tools and resources:

Dawn Bowes
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