Normal turnover in the employment market creates opportunities at every level. New positions become available through technological changes and the expansion and development of new industries. Many multi national firms are expanding their operations and facilities, thus increasing their need for people in a variety of occupations.
Determining Your Objective
Let us assume that you have a general idea of the career you wish to pursue. You have devoted your time from one to six or more years-specializing in subjects related to the vocation you have chosen, or gaining experience. You have acquired the necessary skills and the basic knowledge of international traffic, market analysis and related subjects; and you have familiarized yourself with many of the diplomatic techniques required for the foreign-operations executive. You have learned the principles of advertising and editing in order to pursue a career in public relations or technical writing. Or you know the various employment procedures, the problems of labor relations, and the systems of job-evaluation necessary to the specialist in personnel management. Perhaps you have attended a school of engineering, of scientific management, of design or of nursing.
It is advisable to find out as much as possible about the field you have chosen. Having done this you can ask yourself; where are the best opportunities? What phases of the work am I best qualified for?
There are a number of ways in which the information can be obtained: You can learn from actual experience. You can talk to faculty members or occupational consultants who are familiar with your vocational interests. You can consult a placement director who, being in constant touch with employment opportunities, may be able to advise you as to the type of opening best suited to your present ability and experience. Or you can talk to persons who are already doing similar work-those who, as graduates, have preceded you, or those who have already attained eminence in the field. Be sure to check your library for books on the particular subject that interests you.
Your research will give you an overall idea of the opportunities that are available in your field. It will not, however, tell you just what to do. This you must determine for yourself.
It is wise to set a long-term goal. Know what you eventually hope to become, and strive in all possible ways toward that goal. You must realize that it is only in rare instances that your first job will provide all the challenge, inspiration and satisfaction that you hope to attain. It will, however, offer experience that may later be used to good advantage in securing a position that is in accord with your ideal.
If you are among those who, possessing many interests and general abilities, can't decide how to use them to best advantage, aptitude tests or personal interviews with experts can help you. But do not allow yourself to be lured into paying large sums of money for aptitude tests before you have assured yourself that the organization providing the tests, such as the National Vocational Guidance Association, has an approved reputation.
If you have access to business or professional leaders who understand your shortcomings as well as your strong points, by all means consult them. Perhaps the position you want requires additional training, such as a degree or some specialized courses. It is for you to decide the road to follow: Should you accept another position and attend night school, or would it be better to take a correspondence course? Should you enroll in a school or college that offers a cooperative plan under which you can study part-time and work part-time?
Whatever you decide, see to it that you master the fundamentals required for the work you want to do. It is very difficult to find employment when you are only partly trained for the work you want to do.
While it is advisable in many instances to specialize (and specialization usually pays good financial dividends), it is wise to have some other vocational abilities, as a sort of backlog, in case of an economic slump or depression. For example, a person who can type or take dictation might be able to find a job on that basis alone when conditions are not favorable for a job as a foreign-trade specialist or a public-relations consultant.
Decide what you really want to do by means of acquiring as much information as you can about your particular job interest. Set an eventual goal and work toward that goal. At the same time, be prepared for an adverse situation by developing different skills on which you can rely in an emergency.
