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Finding the right job for you: a step by step
although that's a start. Leadership
roles, fo r exam ple, o fte n req u ire
you to learn how to interrelate with
others, to make presentations, to
co m p lete proposals and re p o rts ,
supervise others.
C a re er planners m ake a bad
m istake to assume that they need
o nly m aster some co n ten t (lik e
m a rk e tin g ,
Shakespeare,
or
engineering) to get a good jo b . In
many cases, the content of a job can
be learned on the job. It is the trans­
ferab le s k ills — ap p lic a b le in any
num ber o f occupations— that w ill
contribute to success or failure.
• Handle responsibility
• D em o n s tra te your interests in
living color
• Gain new interests
• Learn how organizations operate;
• Meet new people and contacts
• Expose yo u rse lf to new role
models.
G ood grades can be im p o rta n t.
But when you enter the employment
market, the second question an em­
ployer asks you (after your name) is,
"W h a t have you done?"
T h e Bureau o f L a b o r Statistics
warns that one out o f fo ur college
graduates w ill not be able to find a
jo b that fits a b ilitie s or expec­
tatio n s . I f y o u 're B lack, figure it
w ill be worse. G raduates w ill have
to w ork harder at career planning
and job hunting.
So where do you start? Instead of
beginning with what's "o u t there,"
begin with who you are. Begin with
an analysis o f your interests, trans­
ferable skills, values, psychological
needs and so on.
I f who you are is in harmony with
w hat you d o , fu lfillm e n t is most
likely.
T w o -th ird s o f the w orking
p o p u la tio n are not happy w ith
" w h a t they d o .” So, begin by
focusing on who you are. One of the
best places to get help w ith this is
your career planning and placement
office.
M ee t w ith career counselors at
your college or university. Take ad­
vantage o f in d iv id u a l and group
career counseling. Ask for recom ­
m ended
readings.
A tte n d
w orkshops, seminars and courses.
Let them help de-mythologize some
o f this career planning business with
you.
H e re are some tips to help
energize your career planning and
job hunting:
Market
yourself
Invest in
your career
2. T a k a so m a couraaa th a t
e n h a n c e yo ur m a r k e ta b ility .
Especially if you are studying liberal
arts, take a few electives to
heighten your chances with a wider
range o f employers Recruiters have
recom m ended courses in acco u n ­
ting , com puter science, statistics,
management, technical writing, and
so on. Even if you are aiming at the
non-profit sector, you will quickly
fin d that these organizations also
use such business tools to get the job
done.
4 D s ts r m ln a to a p a n d m o n a y
a n d t lm a on y o u r c a r a a r p la n ­
ning. The class of I9M4 will retire in
the year 2032 A .D . If you are twen­
ty -tw o at g ra d u a tio n , that leaves
a p p ro x im a te ly 4M years you w ill
spend in the w orkforce, until m an­
datory retirement at age 70! We are
talking about a sizable investment
o f your life and the fulfillin g use of
your talents, so d on 't assume it is
going to be either easy or free.
A good rule of thumb: Figure on
spending about the same amount of
tim e and money on your career as
you w ould fo r one college course
(o u t o f 36 to 40 courses). A t a
private institution, you would spend
about $500 fo r a course. A n d , if
yo u ’ re a sharp student, you would
probably spend about 15 hours per
week on a course, co u n tin g class
lime. Isn’t your own career worth at
least that much attention?
Don't be afraid to invest in career
planning materials, non-paying in ­
ternships, and— especially— travel
to research your chosen career field.
You are worth it!
Learn to
communicate
Develop
your skills
3. S aarch o u t and c o n q u e r
high levait of tranafarabla skills.
T h e re are tw o specific areas that
em ployers fin d most lacking in
prospective jo b hunters: H u m a n
relations skills and comm unication
skills.
Regardless o f the field you enter,
you w ill need to relate w ell to
colleagues, the public and various
constituencies, and your supervisor.
A n d you w ill also be expected to
speak articulately and write clearly
and concisely. T h e re is h ard ly a
judgem ent jo b anyw here that
doesn't revolve around these two
areas. So, id e n tify courses, ac ­
tiv itie s , and experiences that w ill
enhance your human relations and
communication skills. D on’t assume
that they come only from courses.
I . G e t E x p e r ie n c e . W hen e m ­
ployers were surveyed about advice
to college students on how to in ­
crease their employability, they said
em phatically: G et experience. Paid
or volunteer. Part-time or full-time.
W o rk
or intern sh ip s or ex­
tra c u rric u la r a c tiv itie s . T h e suc­
cessful alw ays seem to have some
experiences w hich serve as fo u n ­
dation building-blocks to bigger op­
portunities.
Actively seek our experiences that
will enable you to:
• D evelo p responsible w ork a t ­
titudes and habits;
• Develop leadership skills;
Research
opportunities
5 .P u rs u e
in fo r m a tio n
a g g re s s iv e ly . You c a n ’ t choose
1
something you d o n ’ t know exists!
M ost students who are planning a
career are overwhelmingly ignorant
about
w hat
possibilities
are
av ailab le. Please— d o n 't take this
personally. I t ’ s not your fa u lt. A
good HO*'« of the jobs are not listed
anyw here: T h e y 're not in the
newspapers (did you ever look to see
what you could d o ), they're not in
the employment agencies, and most
are not in the placement offices. Yet
these tend to be the m ore
fascinating, the more m eaningful,
and the m ore lu c ra tiv e job s o f
society. W h y a re n 't they listed?
Because they tend to work through
an o l’ boy network—contacts. M ore
on that later.
" K n o w le d g e is p o w e r ," said
Francis Bacon. Em power yourself
and your career p la n n in g by
becom ing kn o w led g eable about
career possibilities. Research careers
harder than you've ever tackled any
term p ap er— the p a y -o ff is much
greater. Study the trends, the career
inform ation, the files in your career
planning office.
The only other way you w ill ever
find that “ perfect niche" for your­
self is luck. But why take the chance?
In s tea d , pursue career in f o r ­
mation with “ intentionality"— take
charge o f your life or happenstance
will take charge o f it for you.
Make wise
decisions
6 . Learn
how
to
m ake
d a c ia io n a fro n tw a rd a . T h a t's
right, many people make decisions
b ackw ards. L ik e when they let
someone else hand
them
a
d ecis io n — a p a re n t, a teach er, a
counselor, a b o o k , a frie n d . Hut
learn how to m ake decisions and
m ake your own d ecisio n — y o u 're
the one who has to live with the con­
sequences.
Study the decision m aking
process. A g ain , your career coun­
selor can help with this. Realize that
there are some clearly defined steps
to m akin g good choices: G e ttin g
ideas, researching in fo rm a tio n ,
calculating risks, weighing options
and a lte rn a tiv e s , p rio r itiz in g ,
making the choice and living with it,
and co n tin u in g to m o d ify . T h e
alternative: impulse Simply "g ra b ­
bing o n to s o m e th in g " because at
the m om ent, you feel like it, is not
good p la n n in g . F a ilin g to plan is
planning to fail.
Seek out
advice
7. In t e r v ie w p e o p le fo r In fo r-
m o t io n . G o out and in te rvie w
people fo r in fo rm a tio n and a d ­
v ic e - p e o p le w ho are doing w hat
you would like to do someday. It's
dow nright irresponsible to plan on
becoming a biom edical engineer if
you haven’ t ever talked to or seen a
biomedical engineer.
• W hat are some o f the problem s
you encounter?
• What dreams do you have for this
function or department?
• W h a t advice w ou ld you give
someone like me who wants to en­
ter this Field?
• C an you give me the names o f
three o ther people w ho share our
mutual interests?
Once you have started, one inter­
view leads to three more Three lead
to n in e, nine to tw enty-seven
...m ore than enough.
A lo ng the w ay. you w ill make
contacts. In fa c t, w ith o u t even
knowing it, you w ill plug into that
network o f contacts, the " o l ’ boy”
system, and uncover some o f those
"hidden opportunities." That's not
your purpose, o f course. Not now.
You are simply seeking advice and
in fo rm atio n . But as a b y-p ro du ct,
you w ill make contacts that can be
In th e jo b m a rk e t of th e 80's failing
to plan is planning to fail.
D o n ’ t talk to the personnel
people. In te rv ie w the fu n c tio n a l
specialists who are doing what you
are p rep arin g to d o . Pick th eir
b rain s. W hat courses to they
recommend?
H o w can you ever re ally know
w hat a field is lik e i f you h aven't
researched it personally? Personal
info rm ation is so much better than
p rinted in fo rm a tio n . Never settle
for one or two opinions— get at least
a dozen or so. The real inside story.
Why would they bother talking to
you? Human nature People love to
be interviewed about what they are
doin g. T hey en jo y givin g ad vice,
especially about w hat is most
m eaningful to them . Some typical
questions you might ask are:
• How did you get into this?
• W h a t do you lik e about? H a te
about it?
• W h a t is the m ission o f your
organization? Goals and purposes?
helpful later.
T o start, get some ideas, contacts,
and names fro m your career p la n ­
ning and placement o ffic e , alum ni,
o ffice, parents, parents o f friends
and so on. Seek out people you ad­
m ire and fin d out how the em-:
ployment market really works. The
inform ation you receive will be well
worth the investment.
In c id e n tly , a good book to ex­
plain this approach in greater detail
is Go H ire Yourself an Employer by
Richard Irish (N .Y .: Anchor Books,
1978).
Find good
role models
8 D efine criteria and prioritize
w h a t's
im p o rta n t to
yo u.
E veryone has a d iffe re n t set o f
Take it from G eorge. . .
d e s ig n
DO YOU:
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IF SO. CALL
249-1940
For
Appointment
h a ir
d e s ig n
HAIR-A-THON
(Portland s First)
3327 N.E. Broadway
George E. Richardson, |r.
Director of Corporate Budgets and Strategie
Planning for Northwest Naturai Gas Company.
Beginning 9 a m. Saturday June 16 to Sunday 9 a m. June 1 7
We're OPEN 24 HOURS • "A ll Night Long"
"Use your own natural resources.
II yon really want to move ahead,
you tan If you have confidence in
yourself, and you're willing to work,
doors open. All your work expon­
ent e, plus formal education, will
r ontrihute to your reat hing your
goal."
George Ri< hardson knows svhat
he's talking about After servic e in
the U S Navy and several years'
work with sophisticated electronit
equipment for the Navy Depart­
ment. he tam e to Northwest
Natural Gas Company as a pipe-
man helper Three years later he
was promoted to gas control super­
visor Then he became interested
in the administrative side of busi­
ness Studying first by correspon­
dent e, then working nights anti
attending t lasses in the daytime,
he earned a degree in Business
Administration from Portland State
University Since then he has moved
steadily up the corporate ladder
He has held the position of Super-
June 1 6 ,1 9 8 4
Prices will be slashed even more after 12:00 midnight.
Door Prizes every hour after midnight* Grand prize 4:00 a.m.
fill
•
H a ir-A -T h o n " S p ecial
Regular
Special
$65 00
50 00
40.00
• Relaxertand .ra. cvti..........
30.00
•O tlophin»» . . c ..........
1000
• Manicures....................
46.00
•Sculptured Nails..........
• Barber Cuts................ .......... 10 00
•Shaves......................... .......... 7.00
$48 00
40.00
30.00
15.00
8.00
36.00
7.00
5.00
•C u ria .............................
• P e rm a n e n t W a v e
Page 4 Section II Portland Observer, June 6,
A t f r M idnight
$43 00
36 00
26.00
15.00
6.00
30.00
5.00
4.00
visor of Budget ( ontrol and at the
beginning of this year he was
named Diret tor of ( orporate Bud
gets anti Strategit Planning to:
Northwest Natural Gas
the state's
largest gas distribution company
He has been involved in < ivit
activities for many years, having
served on the State of Oregon Tele­
vision and Radio Advisory Board
and the hoards of the O ppor­
tunities and Industrialization ( en­
ter, National Assoc iation ot At t ount
ants, anti N W. Gaseo fetleral
Credit Union He currently serves
on the boards of Blat k Oregonians
for Business Political Action ( om-
mittee and Portland Energy ( on-
servation, Inc He was also one of
the founders of the Senior Adult
Service Center of Near Northeast
Portland and has served as treasur­
er of the ( enter
NORTHWEST NATURAL
GAS COMPANY
1984
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