Make internet your best friend. Institutions offering higher education in Bangladesh are still far away from offering quality career counseling services. You may have come across fancy names such as Career Office, Career Counseling Center and the like at various universities, but admittedly they have a long way to go. My recommendation on this? Go to the internet and especially visit these sites for a detailed self-assessment—the first step in your dream career:
www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca,
www.assessment.com,
www.personalitytype.com. Sadly, there aren’t many teachers, parents or career coaches out there to help you; so, make the best use of the online reliable personality tests.
Look for information interviews. This is one of the best kept secrets of career exploration. Suppose you are interested in working for a reputed bank. Find someone in the banking industry or better still find someone who already works in the bank of your choice. With a little bit of social skills, set up an information interview. This is a short interview (10-20 minutes) where you ask questions about what this career is like and how to enter into this career in terms of grades, majors and such. It's crucial for you to be polite and follow up with a thank you note. Information interviews also are a great networking opportunity, and sometimes they can lead to internships or employment.
Conduct research, research, research. Having completed your personality test, you might get some ideas about where you are more likely to succeed. For instance, if you are an extrovert person, you may do better in a sales and marketing career as opposed to a high-flying career in accounting or finance. Now surf the web in search of information about industries and companies that interest you. You'll want to research types of jobs, the availability of jobs, job requirements, and even salary ranges. Visiting job sites such as
www.prothom-alojobs.com or
www.bdjobs.com or
www.jobsbd.com may give you powerful insights about career trends.
www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca www.assessment.comwww.personalitytype.comwww.jobsbd.com
