Planning for a job


Job application tips for jobs

Now is the time to start moving towards your goals by making a plan. This will detail the steps you should take in attaining your goals. It will be your road map of where you want to go.

For example, you may want to be a computer programmer. So ask yourself, how you will I get from where I am now, to where I want to be?

Consider the following questions for a computer programming job.

  • Do I need any qualifications?
     
  • What skills will I need, can I teach myself?
     
  • How long will I need to train for, is it expensive?
     
  • Will I need work experience before getting a job?

It’s a good idea to detail as many questions as possible. Some may be unusual such as: “can I work with computers if I’m not good with numbers?”

The questions are easy to come-up with; the answers are the difficult part. It may help to break-up your main goal into mini-goals which you can tick-off your list when done.

Consider the answers to the previous questions for a computer programming job.

  • Using the Internet I will visit the websites of some of the largest IT companies and look at what qualifications their recruitment pages ask for. My newspaper may list some programming jobs; I can look there for any qualifications I may need.
  • I will visit the library and research the skills needed. This will give me an idea of skills and whether I could learn them myself. Plus I will look for any teaching material.
  • My career advice centre will be able to provide details of the training I may need.
  • Jobs will be listed on the Internet through employment agencies.