The new reality of job security places responsibility for the attainment of this value with the individual instead of the company or institution. That is, individuals must now take every measure to ensure their own job security by making themselves as marketable as possible. Imagine yourself as a small business. What (skills) can you line your shelves with that will entice and convince potential customers (i.e., employers) to buy from you? The more unique and well-developed products you have to offer the more customers you will attract and keep. The main message is: Job security in the new economy is obtained through the continual maintenance, enhancement and development of an individual's skills by that individual.
How do you begin working toward having job security in the new economy? A good place to begin is through an extensive examination of your skills, both those you have and those yuou do not have. Knowing your skills allows you to more effectively market yourself (i.e., you will be able to tell potential employers what you have to offer) and more accurately identify weak skills areas.
There are two broad categories of skills: specialized and employability. Specialized skills are those skills which are unique to a particular occupation or career. For example, to be employed as a pharmacist, you will need to have good pharmacy skills. Your understanding of chemistry will have to be excellent as will your ability to understand the effects of medication on the human body. You do not need such specialized skills if you were planning to work as a chartered accountant. Each career will require different specialized skills and you will need to develop expertise in these skills to optimize your employment opportunities.
Employability skills are generic, basic work skills that are useful in every career. Having good employability skills makes you a good employee. What makes a good employee? Research has indicated that employers are looking for the following attributes from their employees (not an inclusive list):
There are several ways to begin identifying both the specialized and employability skills you presently have and those you still need to develop. Begin by researching the career that you are working toward (remember that career choices are best made by considering your interests, personality, values and skills). Read all the information you can find on a career and talk with people working in that career area. Ask them about the specialized and employability skills needed and keep a record of what you discover. It is probably that you will need to develop a very thorough set of employability skills.
Next, begin assessing yourself. I recommend contacting the Career Resource Centre in the Student Counselling and Career Centre (Room 474 University Centre building) and requesting a copy of Canada Prospects (1996, Human Resources Development Canada). The Canada Prospects publication contains excellent information on assessing your specilaized and employability skills. You can use this publication to begin your skills assessment. Alternatively, you could meet with a career counsellor at the Student Counselling and Career Centre to begin discussing your skills. It is important to conduct a very thorough assessment of your skills regardless of the strategy you use (i.e., examine all your work, volunteer, academic and recreational experiences).
Finally, examine which specialized and employability skills you have yet to develop and construct a plan to begin acquiring thses skills. Keep a record of the skills you develop and use this record to market yourself to potential employers. Remember to continually monitor your skills and constantly identify skills to further enhance and/or develop.
What is it?
According to the University of California Campus Personnel Office, informational interviewing or talking to people about their careers can be used to:
How Do I Get Started?
Some preparation is required before you begin your investigation and make your contact. First, focus on you. What do you hope to gain from talking to someone in your field of interest? Because you will want to make satisfying career choices, you should first identify how you derive satisfaction. For example, what are your strongest skills? What do you value as a person? What type of work environment do you enjoy? Does the work interest you? If you are unsure of your goals, consider attending a Career Services Orientation offered through the Student Counselling and Career Centre.
Identifying specific occupations or jobs that fit your criteria is the second step. A visit to the Career Resource Centre would be beneficial at this point. The CRC is a one-stop career shop housing the combined resources of the Student Employment Services and the Student Counselling and Career Centre. Information on thousands of occupations as well as postings of actual positions are available. The CRC staff can direct you to resources that will help you expand your list of possible occupational choices.
The third step is to locate organizations and contacts in the fields you intend to investigate. Start by asking professors, friends, relatives and past employers if they can make a recommendation. The telephone book, professional and trade directories and current job postings may be helpful tools. Using the information gleaned, contact staff at the organization and ask for the person in charge of the appropriate department. For instance, if you are interested in agricultural engineering, locate an agricultural equipment manufacturing firm and ask to speak to someone in the engineering or human resource department. Does this task seem daunting? The Career Mentor Program, a service offered through the Student Counselling and Career Centre, makes it easy by matching you with a U. of Manitoba alumnus.
Once you have contacted a willing interviewee, it is time to prepare questions. This step is necessary to ensure that the interview is productive and informative. Make sure that you develop "open-ended" questions that can't be answered with a simple yes or no. Sample questions may include:
The next step is the actual interview. Try developing an "interview kit" for your investigation. Include the person's name, job title, address, phone number and your list of questions. The "inquiring reporter" will be sure to include a note pad to jot down details of the answers and the names of any referrals provided.
Perhaps the most important step in your investigation is to send a thank you note to your contact as quickly as possible. Explain how the talk helped you to better understand the occupation and what you found most interesting. This note may help leave the door open for future contact.
Informational interviewing can help you explore the world of work while meeting some interesting people. Become an "inquiring reporter!" Why not start your investigation today?
Career counselling for professional health students? You may think that Dental Hygienists, Dentists, Doctors, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, and graduate students have already made their career choices and are past counselling. However, there are a significant number of career changers within those faculties, and all of the students are faced with additional decisions within their profession. Medical students in particular must choose their area of specialization in their third year, which then defines the kind of work they do throughout their career. Many of these students would benefit from having structure and support in expanding their self-knowledge, researching the alternatives, and making decisions. Other students may benefit from our connection with the services of the Student Employment Services as they prepare to "sell themselves" into the residency or practice of their choice.
No matter what concern brings students to our service, we maintain a high degree of confidentiality in all of our dealings with them. If you are a student at Bannatyne Campus, we welcome you to use our services. Stop by S207 in the Faculty of Medicine, or phone 789-3857.