How to Organize your Occupational Research

Our friends at Cosmic Coaching Centre sent us this great article about organizing your occupational research! Enjoy :)

Job hunting is one of the most difficult tasks a new graduate is about to face, mainly because there are thousands of occupations out there to choose from. In fact, there is said to be over 13,000 new occupations right now in Canada. Many new career fields are emerging and many are also declining. Thus, it is very important for any individual to do some intensive occupational research just to make sure he or she will land a job that will offer security and satisfaction.

There’s no question that it is a daunting task to find information on the many different occupations you are considering, especially if you have no idea where to look and how you should go about the process of gathering information. By doing an extensive research on various occupations as well as the labor market, you may come to a conclusion of whether or not an option is a good one. Here are some points to remember when doing an occupational research:

·         It is important to know the skills, interests, values, and personal traits that are required by a particular occupation. You need to compare this with the result of your Self Assessment to be able to determine if you have what it takes to succeed in such occupation.

·         You can gather relevant information for your occupational research through the internet. It is vital, however, that you choose the websites from which you’re getting the information. The most reliable sites are those sponsored by educational organizations, governments, and even professional associations.

·         The Government of Canada has provided job searchers with a very useful resource for occupational research. You can access the National Occupational Classification both online and in hard copy. What makes this resource very helpful is that it catalogues the many occupations available in Canada and it also includes more than 30,000 occupational titles. Getting information through this is easy as occupations are arranged by a numerical code.

·         Newspapers are also a great tool you can utilize for researching about occupations. The job ads you can find in newspapers can help you learn more about the nature of jobs for different occupations, along with their requirements.

·         You may also take advantage of computer-assisted career guided systems for doing occupational research and self-assessment. Through these systems, you will also have a better idea of the job market and also about the educational institutions that relate to a particular occupation.

·         Local and campus libraries are seldom used for the purpose of conducting an occupational research, but there is a lot of useful information that you can get from the library. You will find various print resources on particular associations, educational institutions, career pathways, and others, which can be of big help to you as you try to figure out which career will suit you the best.