INTERESTS

Identifying your Interests is the first step of a five part career planning process.

Many people believe that the best way to plan their career is to see what's available and make choices based on the available options.  It's a very similar approach to walking into an "all-you-can-eat" buffet and selecting from the available options.  But what if you don't like what's on the menu?

Fortunately, there is a better approach to planning your career and understanding your interests is a key component.

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What are your interests?

Your interests are unique to you.  Your interests will be the primary guides to helping you narrow down what types of jobs you may enjoy and are the best fit for you.  What do you enjoy?  How do you spend your spare time?  Are there similarities amongst your interests?

 

What do you want?

As was stated at the onset, you should not limit your career by selecting from what's available in you local job market.  The economy and labour market conditions fluctuate so frequently that the "hot" jobs right now may provide no opportunities in a year's time.  The key to longevity in a career is to focus on what you want and what you are good at. Build your career around those principles.

This is a vital part of your career plan! If you can't articulate what you want, you will not be able to formulate a career goal nor the plan to get you there

Other things you may want to  consider:

In addition to wants and interests, there are other factors that contribute to who you are.

Motivation

What motivates you to pursue your goals? What pushes you to continue in the face of adversity? Understanding and developing motivational supports is key to achieving one's goals.  For more information on keeping motivated and developing a career support team, contact  The Work Room.

Personality

Why are you interested in certain things and not others?  It may have to do with your personality preferences.When choosing a career, you may wonder if you should focus more on your skills or your personality. The answer is, yes to both.  After all, most people are typically good at what they like to do. The most important thing you can do when considering your skills and personality is find the link between the two. Find where your skills and your personal interests overlap. That link will be the key to choosing a career. You do not want to focus too heavily on skills or personality, because one will lead to you being an unhappy employee, while focusing too heavily on personality will lead an unhappy employer.

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