Unit 4 Career Planning (to students).doc

Unit 4 Career PlanningFirst Listening: Listen and fill in the blanks:Adele: Hi Im Adele Merrison and Im a Careers _. _ the right career, course or training route for you is often called the career planning process.This can be divided into four parts and its important that you work through all of these so you can research and _ the options open to you in an informed, methodical and realistic manner.Know yourselfStart by asking yourself Where am I now? Where do I want to get to? and How do I get there?To answer these key questions its helpful to start thinking about yourself what you enjoy doingwhat interests and _ youwhat skills you want to use and can offer an employer.This can be really difficult to do but its so important that you know what youre looking for _ how will you know when youve found it?How else can you make sure you _ your energy in the right direction and are _ about what you are going for?There are loads of useful activities a careers adviser can suggest you use, to help you with this there are work books like the OUs career planning and job hunting packcomputer-based career interest _ like Adult Directions and Prospects Planneror self-help exercises your careers adviser can suggest you try.In my experience, OU students and graduates often have _ on what they can do. They may be tied to a particular location because of family _. They may need to earn a certain amount of money because theyve a _ to pay. They may be unable to travel too far or to work unsocial hours because they have children to take to school and collect. Sometimes plans need to be adjusted to take these limitations into _ this can mean _ some options difficult to do if youve set your heart on it but you do have to be realistic to achieve your goals.Explore opportunitiesThis is the key to successful career _. In my experience people can often spend a lot of time identifying what skills they want to use and where their interests lie but they dont put nearly as much _ into researching how they can use them. For example is there a market for them? And are their plans realistic for their particular situation? You have to be sure that someone will pay you to use the skills and interests youve identified.Theres loads of careers information _ to tell you about the training and _ youll need, where _ are advertised and lists of contacts such as professional bodies and trade associations that can provide additional advice and information.Decide what to doAs soon as youve some idea of what you might want to do, look at real vacancies. These are _ because they give you a feel for what employers are actually looking for and how you can make yourself into a really good _. Talk to people doing the jobs youre _ visit them in their workplace if possible, to find out more about what they do ask them to answer any outstanding queries you may have about their work the highs and the lowshow they qualifiedwhat experience successful applicants are expected to have. All of this will help you plan what you need to do next.If you are able to spare the time, see if you can _ some unpaid work experience or work _. This will allow you to gain an even greater _ into these work rolesand show evidence of _ and commitment in any applications you make.Remember you may need to build a career. You might not get the ideal job straight away and so youll have to plan how you are going to reach your goal. You may have to be prepared to gain experience at a lower levelor in a _ capacity - and possibly in a variety of situations - before actually getting the job you want.Often the people I advise are looking for their dream job. Its important to recognise that for most of us the perfect job probably doesnt exist. Talk to anyone about their job and youll find most of them dislike something about what they do. So try to be realistic in your _. dont expect to enjoy your job 100% of the time. Instead look for something that meets most of your _most of the time.Take actionSo often the students I see dont realize the value of work experience. For some careers, such as _, educational or forensic psychology, social work and teaching - its a requirement. For others its a distinct advantage as it sets you apart from those who havent done it. Equally importantly, you get the chance to see if working in that settingwith those types of peoplein that kind of role actually _ you. You can also make useful contacts for the future people prepared to write you a referencelet you know when vacancies arise help you with applications maybe even practice interviews.Finally you need to familiarize yourself with the general and graduate job market. Keep an eye on the local and national pressuse job siteslook at the careers websites of your local universities and look at the websites of professional bodies For more advice on this, or anything else Ive mentioned please look at the OU Careers website.Second Listening: Watch the video and check the answersMore Questions: 1. Have you made any plans of your future career life? 2. What should we do now?Additional Reading:十招成為搶手人才The current economy has made job-hunting a vital skill set for increasing numbers of people. But even in the best of economic times, it pays to understand what you can do to make yourself more appealing in the marketplace。Current career trends suggest that an individual will change careers at least 7 times during a lifetime. This reality presents the opportunity to fulfill several of our aspirations. No longer do we have to choose only one road. Instead, we can visualize a broader map, and believe that we will likely come across those other roads somewhere down the line。Increasing marketability is a sure way of being more prepared for a career change. The following are ten strategies for sharpening skills and increasing marketability:1. Visualize. 想象Set aside some time to think about where you are in life, and where you want to be. Are you happy? What parts of your career excite you, and what frustrates you? Where do you want to be in five years? In ten? Give yourself permission to dream。2. Take Inventory. 制作清單What activities are you currently doing, both on the job and in your leisure time? What skills do they require? How would you rate your skills? Which ones need improving? How could you sharpen them? Which skills do you enjoy using, and which skills do you wish you used more often?3. Update your resume. 更新你的簡歷Regularly update your resume. Visiting a local career center or scanning current resume books can keep your resume looking polished. You also may want to have resumes that highlight different skills. For example, you might have one specifically for management positions, and another for advertising positions. Also, keep hard copies of your resume close at hand and give it out freely。4. Attend Workshops. 參加培訓(xùn)Take advantage of workshops offered by your employer. Dare to go to a training session that doesnt exactly fit your job. For example, if your job requires computer skills, in addition to computer-related workshops, consider attending a workshop on leadership. If your organization doesnt offer workshops, consider taking a course at a local community college。5. Cross-train. 交叉性訓(xùn)練Make your current job more interesting and enhance your skills at the same time by varying your job responsibilities. Continuously hone your skills that are transferable to other positions, corporations, and even career fields. Always be quick to volunteer for opportunities to learn different skills。6. Join committees. 參加協(xié)會(huì)Committees are a great way to network and to improve skills. Vary the committees on which you serve. Chair (成為領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者) a committee. Choose to be on a committee that will challenge you intellectually, emotionally, skill-wise, etc. In other words, make a decision to grow。7. Do something different. 做些不同尋常的事情Been doing the same thing for years? Maybe now is the time for change. Try something youve always wanted to do, but for whatever reason, havent yet. Youll learn more about yourself, enhance skills, make contacts, and feel alive again。8. Make new contacts, strengthen the old. 結(jié)識新朋友，不忘老朋友Networking is the primary way people get interviews. View every opportunity as a networking one. The goal isnt to determine, What can this person do for me, but finding out what you and the other person have to offer each other. Form and maintain relationships at work, through your family, in social organizations, and in your community. Remem