Choosing a Career Path in 2004
(Part 2 of 3)
by Beverly Baskin

Career Paths
Now, getting back to the question of "How do I choose a career?"

Today the answer is, 'people do not choose one career.' They choose career paths that can twist and turn to meet the changing economy. Statistics show that in recent years people change careers at least three to four times in their lifetimes, and they hold an average of seven jobs. Remember, when we say average, that also means that 50 per cent of the people hold more than seven jobs.

Building career paths and practicing the art of personal marketing will be an invaluable tool in choosing flexible career options in the 21st Century. In addition, becoming a generalist in one's field, keeping a flexible outlook regarding the workplace, and taking advantage of the continuing learning opportunities will be critical to one's survival in the workforce.

Marketing Transferable Skills
A common barrier facing the recent high school or college graduate is that many times the person is not aware of his or her own strengths and abilities that translate into marketable skills. The key to a successful job search is marketing transferable skills to prospective employers and contacts. A wide variety of jobs do exist in today's marketplace for general and liberal arts graduates in such fields as sales, management, and government.

In order to be hired into these positions, recent graduates must be able to communicate their transferable skills developed through college courses, internships, professional organizations, work study programs, and part-time jobs. If the job seeker expresses his or her skills in terms of specific achievements, he or she becomes more credible in the eyes of an employer, and it will make a significant difference in procuring employment.

The key transferable skill for the 21st Century is the ability to work as part of a team. There will be cross-functional teams and flexible work centers organized around projects and processes. The United States has become a service economy with emphasis on quality customer service. Those graduates seeking professional employment will need the ability to work in a variety of organizations with many types of employees. American industry is outsourcing many of its services that were previously performed internally, so flexibility in work styles will be important for recent college graduates.

New work styles include telecommuting (working out of one's home) and serving as a temporary and contingency employee. Thinking creatively and globally, as well as demonstrating the value of the experiences gained in studying abroad are definite advantages in securing employment. Other transferable skills cited by human resource professionals as being highly desirable include:

• Budget Management: Managing how funds are dispersed.
• Supervising: Taking responsibility for the work of others.
• Public Relations: Meeting or relating to the public.
• Coping with Deadline Pressure: Producing work under external deadlines.
• Negotiating/Arbitrating: Dealing effectively with people in ambiguous situations.
• Speaking: Speaking publicly to get your ideas across to others.
• Writing: Experience with newsletters, class term papers, yearbook copyrighting, and writing school newspaper articles.
• Organizing/Managing/Coordinating: Taking charge of an event or project.
• Interviewing: Acquiring information from other people by asking appropriate questions.
• Teaching/Instruction: Explaining things to others in an accurate and easily understood way.
• Computers: Word Processing, Spread Sheets, Data Bases.

*****end of part 2 of 3*****

About the Author: Beverly Baskin