Introduction
The origin of the term ‘Career’ is derived from a Latin word, ‘Carrus’ which means chariot. Chariot can represent progress and growth or a journey.
A career (also known as an occupation, job, or work) is a significant part of life. It is an important aspect/element of an individual’s identity. A career serves as a motivating factor in one’s life. People often set goals to create a sense of purpose and to set a direction towards which they can work. Occupations give a person exposure and experiences that can enable their growth and development.
According to Career Counseling in India, in Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchy needs, a career is a necessity to fulfill the basic physiological requirements (food, shelter). Finance plays a crucial role in an individual’s life. It determines their lifestyle, quality and routine of life, and the economical status of their family.
While a good work environment and career success (task completions and goal attainments) contribute to social, esteem, and self-actualization.
There are hundreds of career options that individuals can choose from based on their aptitude, preference, and personality. Most common and well-known job profiles are doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, business administrators, and entrepreneurs.
Occupations often require a certain skill set and educational qualifications that an aspirant of the field must develop or enhance. The preference for having a specific career can be innate or acquired throughout the lifetime and there are usually no time limits or restraints for pursuing a career.
The benefits of having a right career
i) They provide a sense of purpose
The motivation and productivity of a person increases when they have a proper job. They are able to contribute to the organization which creates a sense of belongingness and a great reason. Acknowledgment, rewards, and bonuses are psychological boosts and incentives.
ii) Jobs provide a routine
Psychologically, human beings enjoy fixed daily routines or habitual activities. And work is able to bestow routines in life through work timings and responsibility. Not necessarily all jobs have proper patterns or schedules. These careers lean more towards experience and exposure to different scenarios and give job satisfaction to the employee.
iii) They improve mental health
Performance and mental health are correlated and have an impact on each other. The imbalance of work and life, poor working conditions, and stressful occupations can make people develop negative and unhealthy stress coping mechanisms and damage their mental and physical health.
On the other hand, the Best Career Counselling in Coimbatore finds that a job with comfortable routines, rewards, work-life balance and a healthy environment can improve concentration, creativity, productivity and enhance health. Aligned purpose, value, and interest impact the person and their surroundings positively.
iv) Personal growth and development
A good career provides learning and experience that develops an individual’s skill set, aptitude, and even intelligence. It helps a person grow holistically in career and other life aspects. Supportive mentors and bosses serve as guides and role models to their workers.
v) Occupations help build social circles and networks
Our workplaces are actually great places to make acquaintances, connections and even friends. Different individuals with similar mindsets working together can lead to creation of ideas and projects. And offices are places where individuals with unfamiliar networks can overlap and form new professional contacts.
Popular and useful career tools and techniques
These are some of the top tools for individuals to plan, grow, and develop their career life in the right direction and time:
i) Self assessment ~ Introspections
A person must introspect themselves, understand and identify their strengths, weaknesses (aptitude) and where their passions lie. This is a crucial stage which will guide the individuals to make a suitable decision and choose a right career. This helps them grow their potential and enhance their skills for the required profession
ii) SWOT Analysis
This technique stands for:
Strengths,
Weaknesses,
Opportunities,
Threats.
Before choosing a field or a job offer, individuals can apply this tool and consider all domains before giving a response. SWOT results in optimized performance and actions in the right direction.
iii) Psychometric Assessments
Psychometric Test For Career – Scientific instruments that can give individuals an overview of their interests, passions, personality traits, values, and potential career paths that will suit them. Psychometric Assessments are standardized and give accurate results for the individual. They can be self-administered as well.
iv) Certification Courses
The Best Career Counselor in Chennai says that Certification courses and programs are great ways to enhance your knowledge. The certificates are also useful to build a resume and increase the qualifications and value of an employee.
v) Resume and Interview preparation
Many times, qualified individuals fail to attain employment. The answer lies in their resumes, cover letters and interview presentation. There are many sample resumes with essential formats that can help people create an attractive Curriculum vitae.
Preparing for interviews with communication building and spoken english courses that train candidates to successfully clear all rounds of interviews. They give possible questions and suitable customizable answering tips and techniques to appear confident.
vi) Job fairs, e-recruitment, and webinars
Various job fairs and online webinars are conducted by job focused agencies and organizations in collaboration with experts from particular fields. These experienced professionals give presentations and explain about their specializations and tips for other aspirants.
Career Counseling in India says that job fairs are useful events for individuals looking for employment and where recruiters can meet talented aspirants for their company.
vii) Internships, apprenticeships, and training programs
Theoretical knowledge and practical exposure to a career and working conditions can be vastly different experiences. Before officially entering a specific field of work and committing to an organization, internships, apprenticeships and training programs act as excellent tools to explore an occupation.
The best part is that even students can apply for internships to understand the job and its responsibilities from an internal point of view and figure out if they are suitable for the role.
viii) Career Counseling
It is a process where individuals can take the help and guidance of career counselors to choose, develop, or change their occupation. Multiple educational based organizations provide career counseling for their clients and help them with their career queries and give a right direction.
