Pag® 2, Section li, Portland Observer, May 29, 1965
Finding the right job for you: a step by step
The Bureau o f L abo r Statistics
w arm (hat one out o f four college
graduate* will not be able to find a
jo b that fits abilities or expec
tations. I f yo u ’ re Black, figure it
w ill be worse. Graduates will have
to work harder at career planning
and job hunting.
So where do you start? Instead of
beginning with what's “ out 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 op u la tio n are not happy with
“ what they d o .” So, begin by
focusing on who you are. One of the
best places to get help with this is
your career planning and placement
office.
M eet 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
mended
readings.
A ttend
workshops, seminars and courses.
Let them help de-mythologize some
of this career planning business with
you.
H ere are some tips to help
energize your career planning and
job hunting:
Develop
your skills
I. G a t E x p e rie n c e . W hen em
ployers were surveyed about advice
to college students on how to in
crease their employability, they said
emphatically: Get experience. Pa>d
or volunteer. Part-time or full-time.
W o rk or internships or ex
tra c u rric u la r activities. The suc
cessful always seem to have some
experiences which serve as fo u n
dation building-blocks to bigger op
portunities.
Actively seek our experiences that
will enable you to:
• Develop responsible work a t
titudes and habits;
• Develop leadership skills;
• Handle responsibility
• Dem onstrate your interests in
living color
• Gain new interests
• Learn how organizations operate;
• Meet new people and contacts
• Expose yourself to new role
models.
Good grades can be im portant.
But when you enter the employment
market, the second question an em
ployer asks you (after your name) is,
“ What have you done?”
Market
yourself
2. Taka som e couraaa th a t
enhance your m a rk e ta b ility .
Especially if you are studying liberal
arts, take a few electives to
heighten your chances with a wider
range of employers. Recruiters have
recommended courses in accoun
ting, computer science, statistics,
management, technical writing, and
so on. Even if you are aiming at the
non-profit sector, you will quickly
find that these organizations also
use such business tools to get the job
done.
Learn to
communicate
3. S e a rc h o u t an d c o n q u e r
high level* of tranaferable skills.
There are tw o specific areas that
employers fin d most lacking in
prospective jo b hunters: Hum an
relations skills and communication
skills.
Regardless of the field you enter,
you w ill need to relate well to
colleagues, the public and various
constituencies, and your supervisor.
And you w ill also be expected to
speak articulately and write clearly
and concisely. There is hardly a
judgement jo b anywhere that
doesn't revolve around these two
areas. So, id e n tify courses, ac
tivities, and experiences that w ill
enhance your human relations and
communication skills. Don't assume
that they come only from courses,
although that's a start. Leadership
roles, for exam ple, often require
you to learn how to interrelate with
others, to make presentations, to
complete proposals and reports,
supervise others.
Career planners make a bad
mistake to assume that they need
only master some content (like
m arketing.
Shakespeare,
or
engineering) to get a good job. In
many cases, the content of a job can
be learned on the job. It is the trans
ferable skills— applicable in any
number of occupations— that w ill
contribute to success or failure.
Invest in
your career
4 D e te rm in e to apand m o n ey
an d tlm a on y o u r c a ra a r p la n
ning. The class of I984 will retire in
the year 2032 A .D . If you are twen
ty-tw o at graduation, that leaves
approxim ately 48 years you w ill
spend in the workforce, until man
datory retirement at age 70! We are
talking about a sizable investment
of your life and the fulfilling use of
your talents, so don't assume it is
going to be either easy or free.
A good rule of thumb: Figure on
spending about the same amount of
time and money on your career as
you would for one college course
(out o f 36 to 40 courses). At a
private institution, you would spend
about $500 for a course. A nd, if
you're a sharp student, you would
probably spend about 15 hours per
week on a course, counting class
time. 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!
Research
opportunities
5 .P u rs u e
In f o r m a t io n
a g g re s s iv e ly . You can’ t choose
something you don't know exists!
Most students who are planning a
career are overwhelmingly ignorant
about what possibilities are
available. Please— don’ t take this
personally. It's not your fau lt. A
good 80% of the jobs are not listed
anywhere: T h e y 're not in the
newspapers (did you ever look to see
what you could do), they’re not in
the employment agencies, and most
are not in the placement offices. Yet
these tend to be the more
fascinating, the more meaningful,
and the more lucrative jobs o f
society. W hy are n 't they listed?
Because they tend to work through
an ol’ boy network—contacts. More
on that later.
“ Knowledge is p o w e r," said
Francis Bacon. Empower yourself
and your career planning by
becoming knowledgeable about
career possibilities. Research careers
harder than you've ever tackled any
term paper— the p a y -o ff is much
greater. Study the trends, the career
information, the files in your career
planning office.
The only other way you will ever
find that “ perfect niche” for your
self is luck. But why take the chance?
Instead, pursue career in fo r
mation with "intentionality“ — take
charge of your life or happenstance
will take charge of it for you.
Make wise
decisions
6 . L earn
bow
to
m ake
d e c is io n s fr o n t w a r d * . T hat's
right, many people make decisions
backwards. Like when they let
someone else hand them a
decision— a parent, a teacher, a
counselor, a book, a frien d. But
learn how to make decisions and
make your own decision— yo u ’ re
the one who has to live with the con
sequences.
Study the decision making
process. Again, your career coun
selor can help with this. Realize that
there are some clearly defined steps
to m aking good choices: Getting
ideas, researching in fo rm a tio n ,
calculating risks, weighing options
and alternatives, p rio ritizin g ,
making the choice and living with it,
and continuing to m o d ify . The
alternative: impulse. Simply “ grab
bing onto som ething" because at
the moment, you feel like it, is not
good planning. F ailin g to plan is
planning to fail.
• W hat are some o f the problems
you encounter?
• What dreams do you have for this
function or department?
• W hat advice would you give
someone like me who wants to en
ter this field?
• Can you give me the names o f
three other people who share our
mutual interests?
Seek out
advice
Once you have started, one inter
view leads to three more. Three lead
to nine, nine to twenty-seven
...more than enough.
A long the way, you w ill make
contacts. In fa c t, w ithout even
knowing it, you will plug into that
network of contacts, the “ o l’ boy"
system, and uncover some of those
“ hidden opportunities " That’s not
your purpose, of course. Not now.
You are simply seeking advice and
inform ation. But as a by-product,
you will make contacts that can be
1. In tarv la w paopla for In fo r
m a tio n . Go out and interview
people fo r in fo rm a tio n and a d
v ic e -p e o p le who are doing what
you would like to do someday. It's
downright irresponsible to plan on
becoming a biomedical engineer if
you haven't ever talked to or seen a
biomedical engineer.
In the job m arket of the 80's failing
to plan is planning to fail.
D o n 't talk to the personnel
people. Interview the functional
specialists who are doing what you
are preparing to do. Pick their
brains. W hat courses to they
recommend?
H ow can you ever really know
what a field is like if you haven’ t
researched it personally? Personal
inform ation is so much better than
printed in fo rm atio 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
doing. They enjoy giving advice,
especially about what is most
meaningful to them. Some typical
questions you might ask are:
• How did you get into this?
• W hat do you like about? H ale
about it?
• W hat is the mission o f your
organization? Goals and purposes?
helpful later.
To start, get some ideas, contatt»,
and names from your career plan
ning and placement office, alumni
office, parents, parents of friends
and so on. Seek out people you ad
mire and find out how the em
ployment market really works. The
information you receive will be well
worth the investment.
In ciden tly, a good book to ex
plain this approach in greater detail
is Go Hire Yourself an Employer by
Richard Irish (N .Y .: Anchor Books,
1978).
Find good
role models
8 Define criteria and prioritize
w h a t's im p o rta n t to you.
Everyone has a d iffe re n t set o f
Take it from George. . .
“Education is one
o f the keys which
unlocks the door
to a life full o f
quality and
meaning.
y y
X ncro
O ' i j
associcfes me
520 S.W. Sixth Avenue, Suite 1120
Portland, Oregon 97204
(503) 223-4150
George E. Richardson, Jr.
Director of Corporate Budgets and Strategic
Planning for Northwest Natural Gas Company.
''Use your own natural resources.
If you really want to move ahead,
you can. If you have confidence in
yourself, and you're willing to work,
doors open. All your work experi
ence, plus formal education, will
contribute to your reaching your
goal."
George Richardson knows what
he's talking about. After service in
the US. Navy and several years'
work with sophisticated electronic
equipm ent for the Navy Depart
ment, he came 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
dence, then working nights and
attending classes 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-
visor of Budget Control and at the
beginning of this year he was
named Director of Corporate Bud
gets and Strategic Planning for
Northwest Natural Gas — the state s
largest gas distribution company.
He has been involved in civic
activities for many years, having
served on the State of Oregon Tele
vision and Radio Advisory Board
and the boards of the O ppor
tunities and Industrialization ( en
ter, National Association of Account
ants, and N.W. C.asco Federal
Credit Union He currently serves
on the boards of Black Oregonians
for Business Political Action Com
m ittee and Portland Energy Con
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 Center
NORTHWEST NATURAL
GAS COMPANY