Dated October 27, 2004
In one of the interviews I attended, the panel asked me to define my career goals. I answered but found the response not satisfactory myself. How does one answer this question?
Ajay Sahoo
Cuttack
Any job search should first begin with definition of your goals. Simply put, this means looking at "What do I want to be?" and "What am I qualified to do?" The closer these two are to each other, the greater are the chances of getting the job you want. This calls for carrying out the requisite groundwork and self-evaluation to understand what type of job is a good fit in terms of your interests and experience. Having well defined goals will enable you to adopt a focused approach to your job search and not waste time attending interviews for jobs that don't suit you.
Firstly, you would have to do the skill assessment of an area to list your greatest strengths and abilities, such as mathematical ability, communication skills, computer expertise, or creative projects completed, etc. Skills can range from technical to physical, and will vary with a person's individual experiences.
Secondly, you should assess your values/interests. List the values that are important to you personally, including your ideal working conditions and your "dream job".
You must decide on specific areas of work you like to do. Do not state that you are in search of "an opportunity for advancement" or "a challenging position," but rather that you are interested in becoming a sales representative, a public accountant, a teacher, a high school principal, etc. Be as specific as possible. Don't give the impression that you will take whatever is available. Be prepared to discuss career goals, future plans and eventual areas of interest, additional education, geographical preferences, transfers and relocation.
Once your career goals are defined, you can go to the next step, narrowing your search to specific companies and beginning the process of preparing for interviews.
What according to you are the similarities and differences between your previous job and your present job? How do I answer this?
Prasad
Via email
The interviewer is trying to visualise how well you could fit into the position so try to focus more on the similarities rather than the differences. Coming to the point of differences, it will help you if you can demonstrate that you have done similar task before or you could pick up the new skill quickly.
The FAQ column deals with career concerns addressed to The C&K Management LTD. PO Box 2178, Secunderabad 500003 or emailed to faqs@cnkonline.com
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