PRCC Unit 5 Career Planning

Unit 5

Career Planning

Career

Career can be defined as an individual’s growth in the his work experience in due course of time and involves numerous activities based on his work which gives a sense of stability, discipline, and significance to his existence.

According to Hall “ A career can be defined as the individually perceived sequence of work related experiences and activities over the span of the person’s life”

Career Planning

The process that enables individuals to choose their career and the way through which he can achieve those goals is called career planning.

According to Schermerhorn” career planning is a process of systematic matching career goals and individuals capabilities with opportunities for their fulfilment.

Career planning is the systematic determination of the career prospects, career development and career growth of the individual employees in advance for a given future period. According to Edwin B. Flippo, “ a career is define as a sequence of separate but related work activities that provides continuity , order and meaning in a persons life”.

Process of career Planning

Step 1: Self assessment

Self assessment is knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, what are your interests and what you are good at. This can be done through many self assessment tests which are available online and offline .They assist you in discovering your true self. Your friends and family can also help in assessing yourself

Step 2: Awareness of Career Options

This step is about exploring the various occupations, career opportunities and learning areas which you are interested at and then researching the specific skills and qualifications required for those occupations.Ask yourself how your skills and interests match up with these occupations and what options do you have to gain these skills or qualify for these occupations.

Step 3: Making Decisions

This step involves comparing your options, narrowing down your choices and thinking about what suits you best at this point in time. At the end of this step you will have narrowed down your options and have more of an idea of what you need to do next to help you achieve your goals.

Step 4: Taking Action

Here you plan the steps you need to take to put your plan into action. Make a concrete plan setting out the various goals and also including deadlines for acquiring the qualifications you will require to work in the option you have selected

Advantages of career planning:

(i) Career planning helps the individuals to have the knowledge of various career opportunities, his/her priorities etc.

(ii) It helps him/her select the career which is suitable to their life style, preference, family environment, scope for self-development.

(iii) It helps the organisation identify talented employees who can be promoted.

(iv) Internal promotions, up gradations and transfers, motivate the employees, boost up their morale and also result in increased job satisfactions.

(v) Each employee will a wait his turn of promotion rather than changing to another organisation. This would lower employee turnover.

(vi) Increased job satisfaction enhances employee commitment and creates a sense of belongingness and loyalty to the organisation.

(vii) An organisation with well-designed career plans is able to have a better image in the employment market and it will attract and retain competent people.

Awareness of Different Careers ( For Ex: In Commerce, In Management Education)

Due to competition and challenging job profiles, there is enormous demand for managerial cadre in corporate.In the field of commerce and management, one is taught to work with a team, in order to achieve some predefined goals and targets of the particular organization.

Some career opportunities in commerce –

Chartered accounting, company secretaryship, banking and financial institutions based careers, accounting jobs and so on.

Some career opportunities in management – careers in supply chain management, logistics, brand management,disaster management, operations management, promotion and selling, market research, materials management,quality assurance, industrial management, real estate management, production management, construction management.

Sources of Information

The individuals must find out more ways to find a job that enhances the greater opportunities to succeed. The sources of job information are:

i)Online job portals – the job vacancies are listed online through various job portals. Few job portals list vacancies for a variety of jobs, while others have job in specific industries, such as IT. This saves money, time, effort, as well as provide a lot of choices.

ii)College placement cells- college placement services in today‟s scenario provide opportunities for college students in resume and interview preparation and tools to practice and improve skills. They also arrange for interviews in college campus and help employers in fulfilling their recruitment needs.

iii)Newspaper advertisements and articles - many companies prefer to give the advertisements in the newspapers. Newspapers have broader reach and this can be a tool for job search.

iv)Libraries - it helps to provide the knowledge regarding the job opportunities through many magazines, journals, newspapers, etc. people can make use of the resources available in the libraries to gain knowledge of different job opportunities in the market.

Recruitment agencies - Often advertise vacancies in newspapers, on their own websites on behalf of employers etc. the candidate normally needs to register with an agency before they can apply for the vacancy. Recruitment agencies will contact the candidates about the job if the candidate fulfils the basic criteria. It is an effective way to access jobs that are not publicly advertised.

v)Career expos / fairs – many recruitment agencies, universities and industries hold job expos. In career expos, we find many companies. The employers provide information about job opportunities at their companies and list vacancies. The candidates have the opportunities to apply in many companies at once. The candidate must take a few copies of their resume and they should be well prepared for interviews.

vi)Personal reference – the individuals must talk to everyone they know and develop connections with people who can either give them the information about potential job openings or introduce them to others who have this information.

vii)Contact employers – contacting employers directly allows the candidate to tap into the large number of jobs that are not advertised. Many of these jobs are filled by people who have friends, relatives or other contacts through the organization. They are also filled by people who have taken the time to contact the employer or sent an application. The candidate can get the contact details through the company websites.

Choosing a career

Some information considerations while choosing a career are as follows

1.Perform a self-assessment-In this step, you’ll reflect on what kind of work environment you want to be in, what type of work you enjoy, who you want to work with, and more.

2.Identify your must-haves-take some time to identify your must-haves in a job. These can range from anything like salary or travel to benefits and location.Personal interests are of paramount importance when it comes to choosing a career after else. If one chooses a profession of his interest not only would be do well professionally but would also be happy and satisfied.

3.Make a list of jobs to explore.-After understanding a bit more about yourself and your needs in a job, start looking for jobs that sound interesting or desirable to you.

4.Research jobs and employers.After you’ve explored jobs that seem interesting, start researching each one to create a short -list of serious career possibilities. The goal is to arrive at one or two career paths that you’re excited about.

5.Get training (if you need it) and update your resume.you’ll need to assess whether you need additional training or credentials. While some employers are willing to provide on-the-job training, others will look for candidates who already possess their requirements.Once you’ve determined that you are qualified for this career path, update your resume to reflect your relevant strengths and skills.

6.Find and apply for jobs.-You can begin looking for opportunities

7.Continue growing and learning. it can take time to adjust to your new career. During this transition time, pay attention to the parts of your job that you’re enjoying. You’ll continue growing, learning and changing as you understand more about yourself, your industry and what works best for you.

8. Education and training : Every individual must also care fully understand the educational and skill requirements of a career before deciding upon it

Career Counselling

Career counselling consists of services that help people successfully manage their career development. It can be offered to individuals or groups. It is to support an individual though his/her entire career.

Career Counsellors are those professionals who provide career guidance include career counsellors and career development facilitators. Professional career counsellors through their expertise in career development and labour markets can put a person‟s qualification, experience, strengths and weakness in a broad perspective taking into consideration their desired salary, personal hobbies and interests, location, job market and education.

Through their counselling and teaching abilities they can additionally support people in gaining a better understanding of what really matters for them personally, how they can plan their careers autonomously or help them in making tough decisions and getting through times of crisis. Finally career counsellors are often capable of supporting their clients in finding suitable placements or jobs.

Benefits of Career Counselling

The candidates are under a pressure to make a good life. The candidates are in need of suitable job opportunity in order to fulfil their dreams. The career counsellors play a vital role in achieving these dreams. The benefits of career counselling are

1. Testing to determine one's strengths and weaknesses

2. Goal Setting for Greater Results

3. Identifying Choices in Careers

4. Educational Support and Guidance

5. Job Search Support

6. Helps in determining a student’s true potential

7. Clear doubts 8. Support and motivation

9. Discard confusion

10. students can identify choices in careers as per their interest

11. testing to determine strengths and weaknesses

12. educational guidance and support

PRCC Unit 4 Communication Skills