Have you ever heard the saying that if you find a job you love you’ll never work a day in your life? It is a nice thought, but it works out about as often as finding, “love at first sight.” Very few people are born knowing what career path will be perfect for them. Looking for the right career can sometimes be like looking for love. You’ve got to put yourself out there (and you may need to try dating a few jobs before you marry one). This Valentine’s Day season, you owe it to yourself to find the right career. If you still haven’t found what you are looking for (jobwise, that is) here are four things you can do to help you find a career that will be right for you.
1. Volunteer.
Volunteering is a great way of trying out new types of work without making long-term commitments to any one job. When you volunteer, you can feel good about helping people in your community while learning new job skills and gaining new kinds of work experience to put on your resume. Volunteering can actually help you transition to a new kind of work. If you’ve been waiting tables for years, but are interested in switching to an office job, it may be difficult to get your foot in the door without relevant experience. Find a volunteer opportunity that allows you to work as a receptionist to build your clerical skills and show employers you’ve got what it takes to succeed in this type of job.
No matter what type of position you plan on applying for, volunteering can give you an edge. Recent research conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service has shown that volunteers are more likely to get hired over non-volunteers.
2. Research Careers Online.
There are several helpful online resources you can use to discover and research new careers. One of the best we have found is O*Net OnLine, a website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Employment & Training Administration. You can use this site to research occupations in any type of industry and learn about the skills and knowledge you will need to get to succeed in those careers.
O*Net also offers projections of job growth so you can see how many job opportunities you might find in the future. This is very helpful if you have to commit to going back to go to school, and want to make sure you’ll be able to get a job when you are finished. For instance O*Net projects that there are expected to be many jobs openings for CNC Machine Operators in the future, as employer demand for that occupation is growing at a very fast rate. If you start now to earn a CNC programming certificate or your associates degree or diploma in computer-integrated machining, your chances of getting a good job when you graduate are very high.
3. Take Classes.
School can do more than give you the education you’ll need to qualify for a new job. Taking a class can be a way of finding out if you really want to commit to a career in a new field. Luckily, Western North Carolina is home to lots of great schools. The continuing education programs at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Blue Ridge Community College, Western Piedmont Community College, and Haywood Community College all offer occupational training classes, many of which are low cost or even free.
Some community college courses are designed to give students an overview of many occupations available in a single field. For instance, the Medical Office Pathways class at AB Tech will give you an introduction to several types of clerical jobs available in medical offices. If you take that class and discover you are interested in electronic medical record software, you can enroll in a follow up class to be come a certified Electronic Health Record Specialist.
4. We Can Help Put You on the Right Career Path
At Friday Services, we’ve been helping people find jobs they love in Western North Carolina for 35 years. Our mission has always been to bring the right people to the right job every time. Our staffing experts know the job market and what local employers are looking for. We get to know our applicants and try to place each person in jobs that are suited for their skills and abilities. We will be happy to share our expertise with you, and help place you in a job on the career path you want to be on. Read our job listings to see an overview of the opportunities available in Asheville, Hendersonville, Morganton, Fletcher, Arden and all surrounding areas. If you see a job you are interested in, apply online. If you are looking for a job you can love this Valentine’s Day season, we can help.
