City : Careers Advice Centre : Finding Your Ideal Career

Working out what job you want can be really difficult...

...but if you ask yourself the right questions then you can find a career that will suit you and make you happy!

Start by asking yourself some simple questions; you can then apply these questions to specific job types, and then check the skills needed for those jobs.

   
(If you're 13+ and living in England you can chat online to a careers adviser using the National Careers Service webchat service, available 8am - 10pm everyday!)

For the first step there are three key types of questions to ask yourself. We've listed lots of specific questions under these question types below...

• What do I like doing?

  • What are my hobbies?
  • What do I enjoy doing at the weekend?
  • Do I enjoy exercise, sport, or dance?
  • Do I like spending time outdoors?
  • Do I like helping other people?

   

  There are also some more work-related questions that you can ask yourself...

  • Do I like working with people, in a team, or on my own?
  • Do I like working with children?
  • Do I like working with animals?
  • Do I like to have a set routine or do I like being flexible?

• What am I good at?

  • Am I creative?
  • Am I good at working with my hands and doing practical tasks?
  • Am I good at understanding numbers and figures?
  • Am I good at talking to people, helping in difficult situations, or cheering people up?
  • Am I good at being on time?
  • Am I particularly good at a certain sport or hobby?

• What skills do I have?

  • What qualifications do I have?
  • What experience do I have? (This could be anything from helping a younger sibling with homework to writing your own stories! )
  • Do I have any work experience? What did I do for work experience and did I enjoy it?
  • Do I have any specific or unique skills?
  • Am I good with technology?

• What career is right for me?

  Online apptitude tests are a fun way to see what careers you might be suited to! Here are some good ones to try:

   Barclays LifeSkills: Wheel of Strengths
  

   Career Test: Which Career Suits Your Personality?

   Team Technology: What Career is Right for Me?

   The Guardian: What Job Would Make You Happiest?

  The NHS also have a career aptitude test focused on what healthcare roles might suit you:

   Step Into the NHS.

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