SA Career Focus is aimed at all those in need of career advice and guidance, from Grade 9 learners, to those making a mid-life career change! Read on to find out what that job is really like, expected salary, where to study and so much more!
It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The assignments aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all the studying you need to do and you still have to make money for petrol.
We would all love to be rowing on a flat pond and feel like we have everything under control. However, we all go through periods of turbulent waters, especially in the new world of work, and we need strategies to manage our stress in these times.
Managing your stress
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment and the way you deal with problems.
Steps:
1. Identify your current sources of stress. Be very specific as you want to be managing the real issue.
2. Notice how you normally deal with this stress and the impact it has on you and your studies.
3. Create new strategies for dealing with stressful situations.
Consider some of the suggestions listed below:
- Avoid unnecessary stress by learning to say “no” or avoiding people who stress you out
- Take control of your environment so you can study and complete your assignments
- Create a reasonable to-do list and prioritise your studies
- Have realistic expectations of what you can achieve in the time you have
- Manage your time better
- Stop procrastinating and start your work
- Accept what is and don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Move on and deal with what you can.
- Reframe problems:
For example: Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favourite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.
- Connect with others in a similar situation
- Keep your sense of humour
- Look at the bigger picture to see that your current stress will be outweighed by the longer term benefit
- Set aside relaxation time and adopt a healthy lifestyle by exercising, eating a healthy diet and minimising intake of alcohol and caffeine.
- GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.
Q: I just don’t know what to do. I am thinking about doing a diploma in marketing but I’m not sure if this will help me. I am also thinking about getting a job as I really need the money. I have thought about it so much and I still don’t know. Please can you help me?
A:
I suggest to students facing career dilemmas to follow a simple strategy:
1 Look inward and see if the answers are there
You have said that you have thought about this decision and you don’t know what to do. Stop thinking for now as it’s only causing you stress and move on to point two.
2 Look outward and see what appeals to you
You have looked outward and found that a diploma in marketing is one option for you. You need to look for more options.
PUT IN SOME EFFORT AND GOOGLE. READ SA CAREER FOCUS. COME UP WITH MORE OPTIONS.
I notice that students spend more time and effort on their social schedule or planning their next holiday than they do on their career choice. Finding career success takes time and effort from you.
Now once you have more options, you need to go and get a feel for each of these options and find out more information about each option.
ACTION, ACTION, ACTION
- Find someone who has completed their studies in this chosen field (or who is still studying) and review their books and courses and see if it interests you.
- Find a job shadow opportunity even if it is only for an afternoon to feel what it feels like to work, for example, in marketing.
- Apply and secure an internship or learnership to get some work experience as you study.
- Speak to your friends and your friends’ friends to hear what options they are taking and see if any of them appeal to you.
- Secure a part-time job to provide you with money while you obtain the skills you need.
- Look at www.nsfas.co.za and see if you qualify for financial aid.
3 Make a commitment
Your objective is simple, you need to acquire SKILLS. There are many ways to achieve career success but the starting point for all ways is to acquire skills either through on-the-job experience or studying. Make a commitment to an initial small step based on skill acquisition to help you move forward.
Q: What is the difference between a formal and an informal mentorship?
A:
Some mentor relationships are formally established, for example, where a mentor is allocated to a mentee in a corporate development programme or in a buddy system in a school. Many mentor relationships are never formalised (and you don’t even refer to the person as a mentor). However the more experienced person shares knowledge, experience and contacts with you for the purposes of your growth. The mentoring relationship doesn’t have to be formalised to be effective.
A mentor facilitates personal and professional growth in an individual by sharing the knowledge and insights that they have learnt.
For example: You may be starting at university or at your first job and you are very unsure what to do or what to expect. A person who has been through it will be able to share information, guide and support you. That person may also be able to give you some tips and introductions that can make it easier for you. If you admire and trust that person they may become (formally or informally) your mentor.
Q: I want to be the best that I can be. What steps or actions do you think I need to take?
A:
Step 1 - Understand yourself
It would be so nice if God had given our parents an instruction manual or at least a product description when we were born.
The product description could have read something like this:
“She will be an extrovert, rely on feeling more than logic to make her decisions and she will be very planned and organised. She will love to draw and could be very capable with computers. She will be talented in arranging, coming up with ideas, able to focus on a task, love harmony and will resolve problems.”
Sadly you will not have one of these descriptions until you create it for yourself. In order to create it, you need to gather together from test results, opinions of others and your own awareness, everything you know about yourself. Find a way to summarise this information so you can refer to it when you need to make a career decision.
Step 2 - Understand your work preferences
When a recruitment company or a possible employer asks you, “What do you want to do?” you need to be able to answer with conviction. Work preferences include preferred work environment, preferred colleagues, preferred role, preferred work hours, preferred location, preferred pay, preferred job activities.
Step 3 - Create options for yourself
You want to be able to generate options for yourself using online and offline networking techniques. A group of people who had recently changed jobs were asked:
“Prior to switching employers, how often did you see the person who helped you to get the new job?” 17 percent answered often, 55 percent occasionally, 28 percent rarely. Most workers got their new jobs via old university or college friends, past workmates, previous employers. It’s remarkable that people receive crucial info from individuals whose very existence they have forgotten. People find jobs by searching the network beyond their immediate ties.
Step 4 - Continuously learn and develop
The new world of work requires you to improve your skills and knowledge continuously in order to remain relevant. Seek career enhancing opportunities, develop transferable skills and practise using all your current skills.
Q: Hi guys and gals
We receive so many letters from readers that are struggling to find a job they enjoy and in some cases to find any job. Below we have highlighted the six main reasons why you may not be securing the job of your dreams (based on a recent article from Brazen Careerist). You may want to identify where you are falling short.
A:
1 Your idea of “job searching” is applying online… and only that
Your strategy for securing a job needs to be a multi-pronged approach of applying online, reaching out to your network, making new connections, doing informational interviews, using social media in your job search, and more.
2 No one knows you’re job searching
When you’re looking for a job, the majority of your close contacts in your network should know it. You may want to be careful about letting your current employer know but you do need to use your network to secure a job.
3 You’re looking for the wrong job
Are you looking for a job that motivates and interests you? Maybe you are looking for a job that is actually rather boring to you and you are battling to motivate yourself to put much effort into the search.
4 Your résumé is boring
Give life to yourself! Use both words and design to create a great impression. Does your résumé entice a person to meet you? It needs to be more than a series of job descriptions. Does your résumé show that you can add value to a potential employer? Be imaginative and attract attention.
5 You have no social media presence - or a horrible one
It’s critical that you don’t allow your social media presence to drag you down. Review your social media presence regularly. Go about building a social media presence that supports your efforts to attract attention and secure a job.
6 You don’t know how to use an informational interview to your advantage
An informational interview is an informal chat with a person who has a similar job to the one you want, works at a company you want to work for, or simply has great connections in your industry.
Informational interviews are a great way to obtain information, make contacts and spread the word that you are looking for an opportunity. Make them work for you!
Kerry Dawkins is a Career Advisor for Potential At Work. She holds an MBA, is a trained career coach and has tons of experience in helping people just like you to choose a suitable career. For more information visit www.patwork.co.za. If you’d like to book a consultation with Kerry, give her a call on 011 465 4727.
- A person who is ahead of you in your chosen career preferably two to five years. They will still recall their emotions and challenges when they were in your situation and may have quality contacts OR
- A wise, loyal advisor or coach
Seek a mentor. It is a great way to gain knowledge and LEARN about your environment. The mentor can help you to get ahead.
As you enter tertiary education or the world of work, you are looking to increase your knowledge, experience, self-awareness and quality contacts. A mentor can help. Why not ask someone who has been through it already so that you can progress faster and more effectively?
A mentor provides you with many benefits:
- Better preparation for your studies and job
- More realistic expectations of your study and work thereafter
- Quality contacts who may assist you with opportunities such as job shadowing, internships or promotions
- An independent support, guide and a sounding board
- Knowledge and understanding of your chosen career. Our parents and friends may not be knowledgeable in your chosen career.
- Opportunity for collaboration, goal achievement and problem-solving
“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” - John C. Crosby
Q: I hear people speaking about the future world of work. How does it affect my career decision?
A:
You may be aware that the world of work has changed significantly in the last ten years. Some jobs have disappeared and new ones have been created. And this trend is predicted to continue. This means that many of the jobs that you’ll do in the future don’t presently exist. The US Department of Education estimates that 60 percent of all new jobs in the 21st century will require skills that only 20 percent of the current employees possess. As a result, we will need to be adaptable and continuously learn new skills to keep up with the changing world of work. Your career is no longer a destination, as it was in your parents’ day, but rather a portfolio of projects that teach you new skills, gain your expertise and develop your capabilities.
Key points from the new approach to managing your career include:
The future world of work requires you to obtain transferable, in-demand skills. This will ensure your lifetime employability
You’ll need to continuously update these skills to remain relevant
You want to secure career-enhancing opportunities and identify career-enhancing companies that will provide you with learning and growth experiences
Employers will want to know what value you can add and what contributions you can make to the company or team. They’ll be employing on the basis of competencies and skills.
You may prefer to obtain a theoretical foundation through a university or college and then build on this with practical experience through an internship or trainee programme. Or obtain skills through a learnership or skills development programme and practise those skills in the workplace. The key criteria is to ensure that you’ve developed competencies and skills that are valuable to an employer and that you can communicate your value proposition very clearly.
When you’re making a career decision, you still need to find the intersection between your capabilities and the world of work. The major difference in the future world of work is that you’ll be required to continuously improve and communicate your capabilities in an effort to remain relevant in the changing world of work. You’ll want to build a set of skills and be able to demonstrate your competence in these skills to potential employers.
Below is a list of the top ten skills that employers are currently looking for (taken from Manpower August 2011).
Verbal and written communication skills
Honesty and integrity
Interpersonal skills
Teamwork skills
Strong work ethic
Motivation and initiative
Flexibility and adaptability
Computer skills
Analytical skills
Organizational skills
So when you make your career decision, ensure that you’re choosing an option that will open up many opportunities for you and allow you to build over time on this base as you further develop your competencies and skills.
Interested in engineering studies (N2-N6), business studies (N4-N6), skills courses, learnerships and national certificates? Bursaries available! Visit www.tsc.edu.za
Leaving school? Unsure what career to pursue? Our genetic brain profile toolkit helps you take the guesswork out of building a successful and fulfilling career.
