COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH-15CP01E CHAPTER-1: CAREER PLANNING NOTES

COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH-15CP01E

CHAPTER-1: CAREER PLANNING

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COMPREHENSION: I Answers:

1. Career is the work a person does. It is the sequence of jobs that an individual has held throughout his or her working life.

2. ‘Career planning’ is the life-long process a person goes through to learn about himself, develop a self-concept, learn about careers, and work situations and then make a career choice based on information gathered. It also includes the skills a person employs in finding and keeping the job that is right for him or her.

3. The major focus of Career Planning should be on matching personal goals and opportunities that are realistically available.

4. Career planning has a lot of benefits and helps us to:

a. Realize the many career choices available to us

b. Have an increased sense of self-awareness

c. Develop a well targeted resume

d. Be prepared for the interviews and

e. Develop relationships with human resource professionals

5. According to the author we can follow the following guidelines for choosing a career:

We have to:

i. Evaluate ourselves

ii. Research our options

iii. Make connections

iv. Get experience

v. See a counselor and

vi. Make decisions

6. In searching for a suitable job, connections help us to gain valuable inside information from talking to someone in our field of interest, which includes learning about the day-to-day responsibilities of a position, getting insights into industry trends, or leaning about required training or education for career success. This approach to information gathering lets us to make connections with people who are in the position to help us find a place of our own in that field.

7. The role of a career counselor in charting out a career path is very important. A career counselor helps us to:

i. Discuss career options of interest and employers who offer jobs in those fields

ii. Identify our interests and strengths

iii. Understand and utilize successful job search strategies

iv. Review our resume and cover letter, work on interviewing skills and other job search skills

v. Develop a personal plan of action for the job search

8. Following are the factors influencing career decisions:

i. Information factors

ii. Decision-making experience

iii. Personal factors

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COMPREHENSION: II ANSWERS

1. According to the author K. Alex there are six guidelines for choosing a career.

a. Evaluate yourself: We need to evaluate our strengths, interests, skills and values. Having self awareness about these attributes will help you choose a career that will bring a sense of satisfaction.

b. Research your options: To plan our future we need do some basic research into the career options in the chosen field considering typical job duties, training and educational requirements, salary ranges etc.

c. Make connections: one can gain valuable inside information from talking to someone in our field of interest, which includes learning about the day-to-day responsibilities of a position, getting insights into industry trends, or learning about required training or education for career success.

d. Get experience: We can get experience by taking an internship or work part-time to get hands-on experience and have better exposure to the chosen field.

e. See a Counselor: It is advisable to consult a counselor for better planning. In the absence of counselors you can look for help from your teachers who know you fairly well.

f. Make decisions: And finally make decision considering three factors viz., information factor, decision-making experience and personal factors.

2. Career indecision, and a lack of career planning, often results in costly consequences in terms of time and money. But career planning helps us to:

a. Realize the many career choices available to us.

b. It enables us to have an increased sense of self-awareness.

c. It prepares us to develop a well-targeted resume and

d. Be prepared for the interviews.

e. It helps us to develop relationships with (HR) human resource professionals.

In this way, Career Planning plays a major role in making career choices.

3. Following are the frequently asked questions about the career field:

a. What entry-level jobs are available in this field?

b. What other career areas do we feel are related to our work?

c. What career paths are generally available?

d. What is the profile of the person most recently hired at my level?

e. What are some of the current issues and trends in the field?

4. The following are the sample questions about a particular job title:

1. What do you do as a ________?

2. How did you begin your career?

3. What is a typical day like for you?

4. How does your job affect your general lifestyle?

5. How does your position fit within the organization/industry/career field?

6. What are the rewards/challenges/frustrations of your work?

7. What are the major qualifications for success in this particular occupation?

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