Achievements
Think about how you perform at school.
Not every job requires perfect grades, but all employers will look at your academic achievements.
Why?
Because they say a lot about your basic qualities. Success in school means that you have already demonstrated commitment, loyalty, flexibility, honesty, and teamwork.
Your achievements are also a guide to your future careers.
Consider the subjects you鈥檙e best at, and the topics you enjoy. Which careers will allow you to continue to explore these areas? Don鈥檛 forget your extra-curricular activities either.
Your personal qualities
Your attitudes are all about your emotions and how you deal with them. This is difficult to assess for ourselves as our emotions can be hard to describe.
A good way to do this is to ask how your friends might describe you to someone else. They might say that you鈥檙e confident, considerate, calm under pressure, organised, or good with people.
They could say negative things too. Do you lose your temper easily? Are you shy around new people? This exercise will help you imagine how other people see you, which is important when you鈥檙e going for an interview.
Looking for work
Now that you have assessed your skills, qualities, achievements and attitudes, it鈥檚 time to start looking for work.
Where to start?
- Speak to your careers teacher, Learning for Life and Work teacher, or your form teacher.
- Speak to a local careers advisor at the Careers Service of Northern Ireland.
- Look at university and college courses.
- Browse careers websites, or look for careers books in the library.