Identifying Your Work Interests
Many of us are restricted in our career planning by our limited knowledge of the jobs that exist. There are occupations that we may not even consider pursuing, just because we don't know anything about them. So how do we start thinking about jobs?
Job Families
A useful starting point is to look at jobs in terms of what they primarily involve working with: people, things, data or ideas. Of course, many types of work combine these four elements in varying proportions. They can be grouped together into the following six broad families of jobs:
1. Practical: Dealing with Things
This includes activities found in technical and practical work, such as:
- Developing practical skills
- Good hand-eye coordination
- Repairing and fixing things
- Working with tools and machinery
- Working outside
Jobs may include: occupations which work with different materials and technologies and at a wide range of levels, from labourers to nuclear engineers, jobs in construction, building trades and surveyors.
2. Social: Dealing with People
This includes activities found in social and personal services work, such as:
- Helping people with their problems
- Looking after and caring for people
- Building relationships with people
- Meeting and talking to people
- Teaching people
Jobs may include: social worker, counsellor, prison officer, lecturer, teacher, hotel receptionist, air steward and beauty therapist.
3. Entrepreneurial: Dealing with People and Data
This includes activities found in business and management work, such as:
- Leading and managing people
- Getting people interested and involved in a project
- Making business decisions
- Taking financial and business risks
- Influencing and persuading other people
Jobs may include: jobs in marketing and selling, business and management, retail manager, estate agent, marketing manager, buyer and personnel manager.
4. Administrative: Dealing with Things and Data
This includes activities found in administrative and organisational work, such as:
- Organising a filing system
- Clear structure and routine
- Getting all the details right
- Working with figures
- Using a computer
Jobs may include: clerical, secretarial and administrative jobs, jobs in finance, tax consultants, management accountants and actuaries.
5. Intellectual: Dealing with Things and Ideas
This includes activities found in scientific and research work, such as:
- Researching and analysing information
- Asking questions
- Learning about things
- Understanding and being curious
- Solving problems
Jobs may include: medicine and social sciences, laboratory technician, geologist, research, science, radiographer, nutritionist, surgeon, statistician and economist.
6. Creative: Dealing with Ideas and People
This includes activities found in artistic and creative work, such as:
- Using your imagination and expressing your ideas
- Designing and making things
- Performing or taking part in artistic activities
- Working alongside creative people
- Watching films, plays or listening to music
Jobs may include: music, dance, theatre and the visual arts, director, producer, advertising, photography, fashion work, journalist, architecture and design.
Determining your work interests will also help you when you get to the stage of attending interviews - one of the favourite questions of job interviewers is, "Why are you interested in this job?"
Combining Elements
Many jobs consist of elements of more than one family. For example, jobs that combine creative with technical skills, such as technical jobs in the arts - like a lighting technician. Some jobs may combine personal and scientific or research skills, such as barrister or doctor.
Identifying Areas of Interest
As you read through the list, try to identify areas that interest you - the kind of work you would enjoy. You may find that your interests lie firmly in one area, or they may be spread across two, or even more. If you have clearly identified a preference for one or two areas of interest you should find it easier to make career decisions because you have well-formed preferences about the sort of work that will interest you.
You may be able to identify a type of work that satisfies your strongest area of interest but choose to practise it in an environment that will satisfy another area of interest. For example, someone whose main interest was Administrative, with a secondary interest ofSocial, might choose to work as an administrator in a school or University, whereas if their secondary interest was Creative, then they might consider doing the same job, but in a theatre or film company.
