Determining Your Work Interests

Many of us are restricted in our career planning by our limited knowledge of the jobs that exist. There are occupations that we may not even consider pursuing, just because we don't know anything about them. So how do we start thinking about jobs?

A useful starting point is to look at jobs in terms of what they primarily involve working with: people, things, data or ideas. Of course, many types of work combine these four elements in varying proportions. They can be grouped together into the following six broad families of jobs:

1. Social - dealing with people.

This includes activities found in social and personal services work, such as:

• Looking after and caring for people
• Building relationships with people
• Helping people with their problems
• Teaching people
• Meeting and talking to people

Jobs may include: social worker, counsellor, teacher, prison officer, lecturer, hotel receptionist, air steward and beauty therapist.

2. Practical - dealing with things.

This includes activities found in technical and practical work, such as:

• Developing practical skills
• Repairing and fixing things
• Good hand-eye coordination
• Working outside
• Working with tools and machinery

Jobs may include: occupations which work with different materials and technologies and at a wide range of levels, from labourers to nuclear engineers, jobs in construction, building trades and surveyors.

3. Administrative - dealing with data and things.

This includes activities found in administrative and organisational work, such as:

• Clear structure and routine
• Getting all the details right
• Organising a filing system
• Using a computer
• Working with figures

Jobs may include: clerical, secretarial and administrative jobs, jobs in finance, actuaries, tax consultants, management accountants.

4. Entrepreneurial - dealing with data and people.

This includes activities found in business and management work, such as:

• Getting people interested and involved in a project
• Making business decisions
• Leading and managing people
• Influencing and persuading other people
• Taking financial and business risks

Jobs may include: jobs in marketing and selling, business and management, estate agent, marketing manager, retail manager, buyer and personnel manager.

5. Creative - dealing with people and ideas.

This includes activities found in artistic and creative work, such as:

• Designing and making things
• Performing or taking part in artistic activities
• Using your imagination and expressing your ideas
• Watching films, plays or listening to music
• Working alongside creative people

Jobs may include: music, dance, theatre and the visual arts, photography, fashion work, journalist, director, producer, advertising, architecture and design.

6. Intellectual - dealing with ideas and things.

This includes activities found in scientific and research work, such as:

• Asking questions
• Learning about things
• Researching and analysing information
• Solving problems
• Understanding and being curious

Jobs may include: medicine and social sciences, research, science, laboratory technician, geologist, surgeon, radiographer, nutritionist, statistician and economist.

Many jobs consist of elements of more than one family. For example, jobs that combine personal and scientific or research skills, such as barrister or doctor. Some jobs may combine creative with technical skills, such as technical jobs in the arts - like a lighting technician.

As you read through the list, try to identify areas that interest you - the kind of work you would enjoy. You may find that your interests lie firmly in one area, or they may be spread across two, or even more. If you have clearly identified a preference for one or two areas of interest you should find it easier to make career decisions because you have well-formed preferences about the sort of work that will interest you.

You may be able to identify a type of work that satisfies your strongest area of interest but choose to practise it in an environment that will satisfy another area of interest. For example, someone whose main interest was Administrative, with a secondary interest of Creative, might choose to work as an administrator in a theatre or film company, whereas if their secondary interest was Social, then they might consider doing the same job, but in a school or University.

Determining your work interests will also help you when you get to the stage of attending interviews - one of the favourite questions of job interviewers is, "Why are you interested in this job?"