Drop-out theory of career development
In a career development process if a student does not get admission in a program of his interest because of low marks, or lack of financial resources, then s(he) drop-out of competition and rely on the remaining educational options on a career ladder. Occupations on these career ladders are defined by actual or perceived demand of particular occupation.
Every students aims for the highest paying and reputable professions. To get into those occupations students either need to have a degree from a reputable university or program of studies. But no one ever did a statistics of how many people are in those profession and how many of them are earning highest salaries.
This drop down effect happens only when students does not look inside and ask what they really want, instead they look outside and ask what others are doing. In this process they lost the opportunity to define themselves, their career and success in life.
Opt-in theory of career development
On the other hand opt-in theory define thing inside out. In this situation student ask the right question i.e. who am I, what I want to do, where I want to go, how I could reach there? Additionally what is important for me, what interests me, does it matches to my personality. They does not follow other VIP's (Value, Interests and Personality) rather they define and follow their own VIP's Value, Interests and Personality. They opt in for occupations for which they find themselves suitable, capable and passionate. They does not follow the gold rather goal, which is well defined, refined for career success.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Presenting decent employment for youth through career development.
An inability to find employment create sense of uncertainty, uselessness and idleness in young people. One way of addressing this issue is to prepare students/youths for the changing need of market and economic trends. This preparation process can be achieved one, by continuously updating curriculum and two, by identifying students interests and informing/guiding them toward possible career options available to them.
We briefly review second strategy for preparing students to ever changing labour market trends.
There are different strategies available to identify interest and guide students to growing and developing occupational/career options. Interest of students could be identified by looking at academic performance in different subjects, non-academic interests and extracurricular activities, exposing them to different occupational fields and lastly using different interest assessment instruments. Occupational and Labour Market Information can be collected by surveying and analyzing economic trends and presenting that information to students so they could see what each occupation looks like, what is its outlook, earning potential and qualification required. And at the end could make an informed career decision.
By harnessing internal potential and external trends would increase employment prospect and leads to stable labour behaviour among young people.
We briefly review second strategy for preparing students to ever changing labour market trends.
There are different strategies available to identify interest and guide students to growing and developing occupational/career options. Interest of students could be identified by looking at academic performance in different subjects, non-academic interests and extracurricular activities, exposing them to different occupational fields and lastly using different interest assessment instruments. Occupational and Labour Market Information can be collected by surveying and analyzing economic trends and presenting that information to students so they could see what each occupation looks like, what is its outlook, earning potential and qualification required. And at the end could make an informed career decision.
By harnessing internal potential and external trends would increase employment prospect and leads to stable labour behaviour among young people.
Create a professional career brand using social media
How career practitioner or any professional can use social media to brand/market themselves
In today’s fast paced and interactive world of work branding and marketing yourself is the key to career success. In the past branding was limited to products and corporate sectors and it was a domain of marketing companies with large budgets (and it was an expensive exercise.) In today's present information and digital age branding moves from products to persons and every citizen of the world can benefit from it - thanks to the Internet and the World Wide Web. With a little bit of indigenous touch any individual can define, create and promote their brand without paying a cent to marketers.
For the marketer, word of mouth is world of mouth and therefore any person can brand themselves through word of mouth using social media on the Internet. It provides them an opportunity to tell the world who they are and what difference they can make in the world. This applies to all career development practitioners as well. Every career practitioner has unique talents, skills and experience, which they can promote through their unique brand to the right audience. "What makes you unique, makes you successful" - William Arruda. To tap the power of social media you need a very simple and well thought out strategy.
There are four steps to this strategy, which any career professional can use to define, design, communicate and refine their online and offline brand.
In the first step you need to define your unique offerings, talents, skills and experiences, and how you can create value in people's lives. This is your unique promise of value that you have to offer to others. For this you need to define your vision - ideally what value you can offer to people; your purpose - how you can add value to yourself; your goals - how you can reach your vision and purpose by asking what, where, when, who and how questions; your values - what is important for you; and your passion - what makes you jump out of bed in the morning.
In the second step you design your brand by working on social networking tools that will help you in creating a positive and desirable image of yourself in people's mind. This includes developing your online bio, resume, portfolio, professional presentations, videos; writing blog, posting comments, photos and news about/by you. For off-line branding you can join professional associations and attend conferences. Be mindful of consistency and clarity in your message and image. Once you develop and establish all the necessary social media tools in the next step you need to communicate them to the world.
In the third step you are going to communicate your brand to the world using social media, one of the most powerful and effective tools of networking. This does not mean that you underestimate the power of in-person networking but compliment it by building your on-line brand. The third step includes developing, writing, updating and maintaining good relations and reinforcing and communicating your unique image to the world by using different social media tools. At this step you need lots of energy and motivation to establish your presence. It is similar to an airplane, which needs extra energy and thrust to take off from the ground, once it is in the air it flies with less energy and help.
In the fourth step you refine your brand by continuously improving your brand on the basis of the feedback you get from your audience/customers. This step includes regular refining, aligning, adding and changing your purpose and goals and communication strategies to keep your brand in-line with who you are and what value you offer to others that makes a difference to all the people you serve.
"Building your personal brand online gets you noticed in the real world". Kirsten Dixson
By following these simple four step you will begin your marketing strategy of branding yourself by who you are and what you can offer, which allows you to deliver your unique promise of value.
Remember your brand creates your demand, and commands your success in career and life.
For additional help on branding refer to:
www.paulcopcutt.typepad.com
www.thepersonalbrandingblog.com
www.personalbrandingblog.com
In today’s fast paced and interactive world of work branding and marketing yourself is the key to career success. In the past branding was limited to products and corporate sectors and it was a domain of marketing companies with large budgets (and it was an expensive exercise.) In today's present information and digital age branding moves from products to persons and every citizen of the world can benefit from it - thanks to the Internet and the World Wide Web. With a little bit of indigenous touch any individual can define, create and promote their brand without paying a cent to marketers.
For the marketer, word of mouth is world of mouth and therefore any person can brand themselves through word of mouth using social media on the Internet. It provides them an opportunity to tell the world who they are and what difference they can make in the world. This applies to all career development practitioners as well. Every career practitioner has unique talents, skills and experience, which they can promote through their unique brand to the right audience. "What makes you unique, makes you successful" - William Arruda. To tap the power of social media you need a very simple and well thought out strategy.
There are four steps to this strategy, which any career professional can use to define, design, communicate and refine their online and offline brand.
In the first step you need to define your unique offerings, talents, skills and experiences, and how you can create value in people's lives. This is your unique promise of value that you have to offer to others. For this you need to define your vision - ideally what value you can offer to people; your purpose - how you can add value to yourself; your goals - how you can reach your vision and purpose by asking what, where, when, who and how questions; your values - what is important for you; and your passion - what makes you jump out of bed in the morning.
In the second step you design your brand by working on social networking tools that will help you in creating a positive and desirable image of yourself in people's mind. This includes developing your online bio, resume, portfolio, professional presentations, videos; writing blog, posting comments, photos and news about/by you. For off-line branding you can join professional associations and attend conferences. Be mindful of consistency and clarity in your message and image. Once you develop and establish all the necessary social media tools in the next step you need to communicate them to the world.
In the third step you are going to communicate your brand to the world using social media, one of the most powerful and effective tools of networking. This does not mean that you underestimate the power of in-person networking but compliment it by building your on-line brand. The third step includes developing, writing, updating and maintaining good relations and reinforcing and communicating your unique image to the world by using different social media tools. At this step you need lots of energy and motivation to establish your presence. It is similar to an airplane, which needs extra energy and thrust to take off from the ground, once it is in the air it flies with less energy and help.
In the fourth step you refine your brand by continuously improving your brand on the basis of the feedback you get from your audience/customers. This step includes regular refining, aligning, adding and changing your purpose and goals and communication strategies to keep your brand in-line with who you are and what value you offer to others that makes a difference to all the people you serve.
"Building your personal brand online gets you noticed in the real world". Kirsten Dixson
By following these simple four step you will begin your marketing strategy of branding yourself by who you are and what you can offer, which allows you to deliver your unique promise of value.
Remember your brand creates your demand, and commands your success in career and life.
For additional help on branding refer to:
www.paulcopcutt.typepad.com
www.thepersonalbrandingblog.com
www.personalbrandingblog.com
ABCDE and F of Social Media
Are you new to social media? Learn the ABCDE and F with us and the rest will follow.
Add value to conversation, talk something new and relevant, don't talk about yourself only. Every person has unique, therefore talk from your unique perspective, experience and knowledge.
Build relations, networking is a two way street, not only thing of what I can get also think of what I can give. build relations with a genuine attitude of 'how can I help you'
Communicate, that's how people know you, don't thing that adding your profile on social networking site will bring results (whatever your goals are) Communicate your presence by sharing ideas, knowledge and best practices in your field.
Differentiate yourself from other by communicating your unique value in the form of your accomplishments, contributions and what other people say about you. Your personal brand is not what you say about yourself, it is how others perceive you.
Engage people in a meaningful conversation ask relevant questions, answer right questions. Be consistent, be present and be engaging.
Failure in social media is caused by the absence of personal brand. People fail to promote their personal brand by
Add value to conversation, talk something new and relevant, don't talk about yourself only. Every person has unique, therefore talk from your unique perspective, experience and knowledge.
Build relations, networking is a two way street, not only thing of what I can get also think of what I can give. build relations with a genuine attitude of 'how can I help you'
Communicate, that's how people know you, don't thing that adding your profile on social networking site will bring results (whatever your goals are) Communicate your presence by sharing ideas, knowledge and best practices in your field.
Differentiate yourself from other by communicating your unique value in the form of your accomplishments, contributions and what other people say about you. Your personal brand is not what you say about yourself, it is how others perceive you.
Engage people in a meaningful conversation ask relevant questions, answer right questions. Be consistent, be present and be engaging.
Failure in social media is caused by the absence of personal brand. People fail to promote their personal brand by
- Not promoting themselves even with a simple use of business cards, email signatures, and personal websites.
- Incomplete LinkedIn and other social media profiles
- Lack of consistency in communicating
- Fail to engage their audience or reader
- Attitude of getting in and not giving out
- Following marketer rather then subject experts
Expectations from the Pakistani Students in 21st Century.
Pakistani colleges and universities are doing a poor job of preparing graduates for today's workplace. The biggest weakness, in the secondary and post-secondary education sector, is the lack of experience, knowledge and willingness to know how today's workplace works.
Educational policy makers and administrators could not relate to the challenges graduates are facing in finding work and trying to make their living from contract, temporary, part-time and unrelated employment.
The main challenge for colleges and universities is how to bring out students with an entrepreneurial attitude and approach in doing business and finding work.
At present, our graduates expect that someone is going to offer them a job or they will apply for a job and will get it. When this does not happen, many hopeful graduates give up and end up in doing low paying jobs in the careers that has nothing to do with their qualifications and interests.
If our talented young people who have the brains and determination to graduate can't find meaningful work, then we need to address this issue seriously and now!
Graduates could not afford to wait for the colleges and universities to enter into the 21st century. They need to learn how to package, market and sell themselves effectively to employers and businesses; find hidden work opportunities and create their own jobs as well as their destination.
Educational policy makers and administrators could not relate to the challenges graduates are facing in finding work and trying to make their living from contract, temporary, part-time and unrelated employment.
The main challenge for colleges and universities is how to bring out students with an entrepreneurial attitude and approach in doing business and finding work.
At present, our graduates expect that someone is going to offer them a job or they will apply for a job and will get it. When this does not happen, many hopeful graduates give up and end up in doing low paying jobs in the careers that has nothing to do with their qualifications and interests.
If our talented young people who have the brains and determination to graduate can't find meaningful work, then we need to address this issue seriously and now!
Graduates could not afford to wait for the colleges and universities to enter into the 21st century. They need to learn how to package, market and sell themselves effectively to employers and businesses; find hidden work opportunities and create their own jobs as well as their destination.
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