Page 101 - Encyclopedia of Business and Finance

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Careers: An Overview

CAREERS: AN finding the “perfect” job and make it easier to manage per-
sonal and professional relationships.
OVERVIEW
Along with the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, a per-
The concept of careers ranges from descriptions of jobs, son should consider the following when choosing a career:
occupations, or vocations to the pattern of work and
work-related activities that develop through a lifetime. 1. Skills you currently possess and need to acquire
Career is defined in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dic- 2. Education you have or will need
tionary (1999) as “a field for or pursuit of consecutive pro-
gressive achievement especially in public, professional, or 3. Salary you are willing to accept
business life.” 4. Working conditions in which you would be com-
The perception of a career has various connotations. fortable
A career could be a job. A job, as defined in the Merriam-
5. Working schedule preferred (day or night shift, part-
Webster Collegiate Dictionary (1999), is “a regular remu-
time, or full-time work, etc.)
nerative position; something that has to be done: task.” A
job might be washing dishes or typing reports. In other Anyone searching for a position, whether this is a first
works, a job is a task. job or the next step up the career ladder, needs to go
An occupation, as defined in the Merriam-Webster through the following steps.
Collegiate Dictionary (1999), is “an activity in which one
engages; the principal business of one’s life: vocation.” An Know which jobs are suitable. The information from the
occupation may mean practicing law, teaching school, and Myers-Briggs Personality Test will provide an idea of your
so forth. In other words, an occupation is a vocation. abilities and interests. However, this is not the sole source
Careers are the patterns of work and work-related of information for determining the perfect job(s). School
activities that develop through a lifetime. Having several or public libraries, job counselors, and employment agen-
careers during a lifetime is not uncommon. One may train cies all have information and testing facilities to assist in
to become a business teacher—a satisfying occupation finding the perfect job.
(vocation) for years. After that, one may leave teaching
and train to become a financial planner (a second voca- Prepare a flawless resume. Sales representatives know that
tion). when calling on a potential customer, displaying their
Also, having more than one job within a career is product in the most favorable way enhances the prospect
common. A business teacher might begin teaching middle of a sale. The same principles apply when searching for a
school general business subjects (a first job), then progress job. You are selling yourself based largely on your
to teaching secondary-level business subjects (another resume—education, experience, abilities, and talents that
job). While teaching secondary business subjects, the apply to their company or organization.
same person might supervise the publication of the There are two primary resume formats. One is the
school’s yearbook (still within the career field of educa- traditional hard-copy format. The second is the scanner
tion). ready format meaning that the resume is ready to be
posted on the Internet, distributed via e-mail, or submit-
CHOOSING A CAREER ted to employers with scannable databases. Because a
computer software program will probably read the resume
To be successful in a vocation, it is first necessary to obtain
initially, a keyword paragraph must be included in the
knowledge about choosing a career and then to acquire
resume. Keywords are critical words matching the appli-
the education needed to grow in that career and in the
cant with the required job qualifications. For instance, in
job(s) pursued within that career.
an application for a job as a programmer, the keyword
The Myers-Briggs Personality Test, available at paragraph might look like this:
employment offices, at school career/college centers, or on
the Internet, could be a first step in choosing a career. Keywords: Programmer, Unix, C, C++, Cobol,
Based on the work of Karl Jung, the test was developed by Java, Systems Engineer, and Solaris
Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, to
determine whether someone was primarily extroverted or The keywords are critical if an employer has resume-
introverted, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, judg- tracking software. They should fit the positions for which
ing or perceiving. Combining these traits, they formed you are applying. It is also important that experience and
sixteen distinct personality types, known as the Myers- background match the job.
Briggs Personality Types. Understanding one’s own per- The resume and cover letter are the first documents
sonality type, as well as that of other people, can help in that the potential employer or resume-tracking system

78 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION