Beginning a new career path is such an exciting journey to undertake. The choice can seem daunting at first and you may be turning to friends or family to help you decide which way to go. However, this decision is one that can only be made by you – remember that. If you’re feeling a little bit lost in the search, and you need some inspiration, I’ve listed some key questions to ask yourself to help you make the right one.

1. What are your interests?

Whether you’re looking for full time, part time, temp or contract work, you’ll be spending a large portion of your week at the office, so it makes a lot of sense to look for something that you’re actually interested in. Not a fan of physical activity? You’re probably not destined to work at a gym. Despise budgets and numbers? Accounting probably just isn’t for you. What’s something you’re passionate about? Try to tie in your passion to your career. It’s important to note however, that although it’s definitely possible to get your dream career, there will always be parts of a job that we’re not overly enthusiastic about – it won’t be 100% perfect.

2. What kind of hours are you looking for?

This is a major question you need to be asking yourself as it can really impact on your ultimate decision. It’s something that you can only decide for yourself after you’ve weighed up the pros and cons. Are you happy or prepared to work weekends? If you really want to keep your weekends free, this is probably something to consider. Are you looking for a 9.00-5.00 job or are you interested in shift work? There’s no shame in what you decide – it’s entirely up to you and you have the right to your own preferences.

3. What are your strengths?

What skills do you have? What would you describe as your strengths? If you have trouble answering my first question, you may be able to answer it using this one. Most people tend to enjoy things that they are good at. After all, how many people do you know pursue a hobby that they don’t actually enjoy? We improve through practise. It’s highly likely that you’re going to enjoy a job or career path that utilises those strengths. So, back to my question; what are you good at?

4. What is your experience?

If you don’t have a great deal of qualifications to get you onto your dream career path, your experience may just help. Previous work experience is a great starting point. It most likely won’t get you to the top straight away – we all have to work our way up – but, it might get you a foot in the door. Is there anywhere where you can volunteer or gain work experience? How can you utilise your experience in your job? If you’re interested in one of our ten specialisations , please don’t hesitate to contact us at people2people to see if we can help! We’d love to be a part of your journey!