Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Assessing your skills and interests
• Part 2 of 3: Shift your view
• Part 3 of 3: Taking the next step
• Tips

If you have completed your education and are ready for the real world, or you have worked in a certain field and you want something different, it can be a daunting task to discover what you really want. However, with a little self-knowledge and some research, you can easily choose a career that gives you satisfaction.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Assessing your skills and interests

1. List all your skills and strengths. Take the time to think carefully about what you are good at. Think of physical, practical and creative skills. Maybe you are a great artist, a hero with numbers, an excellent salesman or a great soccer player. Or you have in-depth knowledge of historical events, are very good at managing your time, are a gifted speaker or have a natural sense of technology. List all the skills you can think of.
2. Explore your interests and passions. Think about what you enjoy doing. Those are not necessarily the things you are good at. Add the things you like to do to your list. You may enjoy being in nature, going to parties, learning about other cultures, building model airplanes, or traveling the world. Or you might enjoy reading, listening to music, swimming, doing chemistry experiments, playing with animals, cooking, volunteering, knitting, fishing, or building sandcastles.
3. Think about what you want people to remember about you when you retire. Look to the future and ask yourself what you want your life's work to be. When you hear your farewell speech, what do you want in it? The answer to this is often not easy. Take your time. Maybe you want to run a global business, make a difference in children's lives, design new technology or promote sustainable living. Identifying what you want people to know about will help you choose your career path.
4. Focus on your own ambitions, rather than what is expected of you. It is normal to feel pressure from family, friends, teachers and society to choose a particular direction. Giving in to that might make them happy, but it probably won't make you. Ignore the expectations of others and think about what you really want. Choosing a career should be a personal decision based on a solid understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, interests and values.
   • For example, if your father wants you to take over his law firm, but you'd rather be a teacher than a lawyer, follow your heart. Your dad may not like that at first, but when he sees how happy you are teaching teaching, chances are he sees that a career as a lawyer was not the right choice for you.
5. Take a career test. Dozens of career tests can be found online with questions that help you discover what kind of work suits you best. These tests analyze your strengths, your weaknesses, your interests and your personality, and help you narrow down the number of choices. Search the Internet for "career test" or "career choice test" and take several so you can compare the results.
   • For example, look at https://www.werksite.nl/beroepskeuzetest or https://www.123test.nl/beroepskeuzetest/

Part 2 of 3: Shift your view

1. Realize that fields of work are broad. A work field is more than a single job. It is an area where many types of functions are possible. As soon as you know (roughly) in which field you would like to work, look at all the possibilities in that field. For example, if you want to work in healthcare, you can of course become a doctor or nurse, but also a dental assistant, secretary in a hospital or administrative assistant at a health insurance company.
   • Or if you study law, you can, for example, become a personal injury lawyer or legal policy advisor at a healthcare institution.
2. Research the responsibilities of multiple jobs in the field. Some jobs sound great, but it's important to know what a job is before you dive in. Consider the day-to-day responsibilities of multiple jobs in the field to help narrow down your choices. You can find many job descriptions on vacancy websites. Although these are not always as detailed, they can give you a good idea of ​​what a job entails. Do you see yourself performing those tasks and does it make you happy? Or does it all sound too complex or boring?
   • For example, if you are crazy about animals, but cannot tolerate blood or needles, then a job as a veterinarian or veterinary assistant is less suitable for you. A dog walker or owner of a grooming salon is a better choice.
3. Link your strengths and skills to possible jobs. It is important to choose a career that suits your personality. For example, think about how your social skills. Do you enjoy working together in a group or do you prefer to work alone? Are you a leader or are you good at carrying out assignments? Do you like to plan everything in detail or do you all see how it goes? Also think about how well you organize your time, whether you have an eye for detail or keep the broader picture in mind, and whether you like to come up with new ideas. Focus on jobs that match your qualities.
   • For example, if you enjoy working with technology but don't like hanging out with strangers, you might be better off working in a development department than in the sales department.
4. Look beyond the boundaries of the professional field. You can apply many skills in multiple fields or disciplines. Consider whether you can work in another area with your education or work experience. For example, if you are now a teacher of Dutch, then with your feeling for the Dutch language you can probably also become an editor of a magazine or website.
   • Or if you are extremely athletic and love sports, you might also be suitable as a coach or sports reporter.
5. Sign up for an internship to see if a job is right for you. One of the best ways to find out if a job is right for you is to just do it. With an internship you can see what it is like to work in a certain job on a daily basis. Moreover, in this way you get to know people in the sector where you want to work. Vacancies for internships can be found online on vacancy websites or directly on company websites.
6. Try to ensure that future salary is not the deciding factor. Although you want to have a financially stable future, salary should not be the deciding factor in your decision. Of course you can check the expected income of the jobs you find interesting, but try to choose the job that suits you best, instead of just choosing the highest paid job. You will then get more satisfaction from your career.

Part 3 of 3: Taking the next step

1. Find out what requirements are set in the field you have chosen. Talk to people who already work in the field and find out what their background is. You can also look in vacancy texts to see what requirements are placed on applicants. Once you know what the requirements are, you can make sure you meet them.
   • Look carefully in vacancy texts to see whether certain conditions are strict requirements or wishes. For example, if "higher professional education work and thinking level" is required, this does not mean that you necessarily have to have a higher professional education diploma. If you can demonstrate with your experience that you can work at higher vocational education level, that is good too.
2. If necessary, follow further training. Some jobs require specific training. For example, a master's degree in law to become a lawyer. If you want a certain job, but you do not meet the requirements, make sure you meet the requirements. You can follow many courses part-time in addition to your job.
3. Apply for jobs you think you are suitable for. As soon as you know what you want, find suitable vacancies and apply. For each application, make sure you have a suitable resume detailing your education, work experience and other relevant skills. For each application, write a new cover letter explaining why you are interested in the job and the value you add to the team or company. Make sure your documents are neatly formatted and that there are no spelling errors.
4. Choose a company whose values ​​match yours. A career is most fulfilling when the company you work for has the same values ​​as you. Think about what is really important to you and what is less important. Maybe you want to work for a company that values ​​sustainability, or that wants to deliver the highest quality, or that helps people in need.
   • For example, if you are a vegetarian because you think that eating meat is barbaric, it is better to work as an accountant for a clothing brand than for a butcher company.

Tips

• If you are looking for jobs in the field of your choice, also look for information about your future manager. You want to know if they click. An interview is a two-way street; you are very good at asking questions about the culture within the company and within the team.
• Joining a professional association in the field of your choice is a good way to network. You can participate in online discussions, attend network meetings, or read the newsletter of the professional association.