Bringing Assessments Together and Researching Occupations
Now that you have got you have taken time to self-reflect and identify occupations, it is time to learn more about jobs
Here are some of my favorite resources:
1. Occupational Information - Pop-culture and individuals frequently shape our conception of jobs. This can be helpful in getting people excited about work but frequently misinforms us about the realities the occupations. The first step to learning about occupations is to read from sources with minimal bias – typically in the form of government pages and associations (they are more interesting than you think, I promise!
Here are my go-to guides for different countries:
Canada:
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) Canada’s encyclopedia of 30,000+ occupations. It is listed by category and includes general knowledge about occupations as well as employment/education requirements though sometimes they are vague and can vary by province.
Alberta’s occupational library (Alis) provides quite a bit of detail about jobs as well as salary information (remember that this is for Alberta).
Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) provides details on the qualifications by province for occupations
University of Manitoba’s Occupational Library is a comprehensive open-source library of occupational information starting with resources specific to Manitoba and expanding to Canada, then internationally.
Red Seal Canada and the Manitoba Government provides detailed information on the Trades.
U.S.A:
O*Net OnLine is provided by the U.S Department of Labour and provides detailed information on occupations. They also provide the Interest assessment in Assessments Part 1.
U.K
Prospects has an extensive library of career profiles with a focus on University graduates
2. Job Boards - When researching jobs, I find that looking at job postings is one of the easiest ways to learn about the requirements as employers are usually explicit about what they want. However, be sure to look at more than one posting as sometimes you will get an odd one. Additionally, bear in mind that requirements change geographically. The job requirements in Manitoba may be different than they are in Ontario just as the requirements in North Dakota and Silicon Valley can differ for the same job.
I usually start my job search using different examples of the job title in a broad search engine such as Indeed. To learn alternative titles, use the aforementioned National Occupational Classification and when you have selected a job, press “index of titles” to learn more.
You can also use job boards that are more targeted to specific jobs such as those found in Eco Canada, a hospital/health care authority, etc. Another option for finding targeted job boards is in a professional association for a specific type of work. Try typing into google your country or state/province and your profession with the word “association” or “chapter” and see what comes up. You can find associations for many professions in the University of Manitoba’s occupational library.
Another option is to go to a company’s website directly and looking at their “careers/jobs/employment” section. Most companies have this and larger companies (such as a Bank, environmental non-profit, AAA video game studio, car manufacturer) often have a very large database. The next time you hear about a company that you would like to work for, check out their website and see what you find!
3. Informational Interviews – Contact people who do the job you are interested in an ask them if they have 30 minutes to chat about their job. People typically don’t mind talking about themselves. Starting with friends of friends/family is perfect, but you would be surprised how open people are to speaking to strangers about their work if asked.
In preparation for the meeting, I recommend reviewing your values and preparing questions in advance. Review the University of Manitoba’s Career Mentor Program page has several links to reviewing values and formulating questions, especially around questions that are a bit tricky such as salary.
In preparing questions, ensure you ask the most important questions first as you never know how long people the response will be. It could be short and concise or, if you happen to be the people who met with my dad to learn about working as a Plant Scientist, 20-30 minute stories going back to childhood.
4. Job Shadowing – If you can swing it, a job shadow can be helpful to observe a day in the life. This is harder to ask someone out of the blue, but with an informational interview or a personal connection, this can help better understand the work by seeing it happen
Now that you know the next steps, let’s discuss how to apply what you have learned to the climate-crisis and the Truth about Green Jobs!
Tanya’s Story: Tanya researches her 5 occupation from her MyNextMove Assessment:
Journalist
Policy Analyst
Lawyer
Forester
Environmental Economist
In researching the occupations and speaking with professionals in the field, she narrows down her options:
Journalism - Tanya loves the idea of learning more and the variety of the work, but the idea of interviewing others constantly seems exhausting. The work-life balance is also concerning with tight deadlines and publication schedules not abiding by 9-5 schedules.
Lawyer - Learning and having a high attention to detail and opportunity to persuade others appealed to her. However, the work-life balance of the environmental lawyers that she met did not line up with what she had in mind.
Environmental Economist - Her desire for Intellectual Stimulation was met with the job of an economist. Obtaining a Masters or PhD appealed to her and she enjoyed the thought of teaching occasionally as a contract instructor. The amount of mathematics required, however, turned her off and she was concerned with maintaining work-life while completing a PhD for 4+ years.
Forester - The idea of spending her life protecting and promoting tress was close her heart and she volunteered for a forestry non-profit since she was a child. A Masters degree appealed to her, but the need for extensive study of Biology and Chemistry concerned her and she did not enjoy the thought of being outside all day.
Policy Analyst - Though she had not heard about the job before, her research made this job more and more appealing. She would be working indoors, constantly learning new topics and would be able to have influence with legislators and policy makers. A graduate degree would be recommended but not a PhD and from her interviews with environmental analysts, work-life balance was generally good. Occasionally they would need to work late for a deadline, but typically left at 5pm, were often unionized, and prioritized a strong attention to detail.
Tanya asked several policy analysts during her informational Interviews what they would recommend for someone starting in the field. They suggested several internships and even applying to a environmental think-tank as an office clerk. Tanya did and due to her past office experience, obtained the job. Though not a policy analyst, she shared a workspace with them and as they got to know her and see her enthusiasm, began to give her small policy tasks, allowing her to expand her resume and build her network to assist in her job search once she finished her Masters. They also offered her a research coordinator position if she decided to not to go to graduate school due to her organizational abilities.