BEGINNERS’ GUIDE TO

CAREER ENRICHMENT Career Guidance Book for the youth The author has provided career guidance to thousands of students and executives over the last two decades. This guide is a summary of the main themes of career guidance that is based on observations and understanding of experiences of over two decades. The author can be contacted at jain.tk@gmail.com or at 0091-9414430763 for providing career guidance to the students.

2013

Dr. Trilok Kumar Jain Dean, Suresh Gyan Vihar University Jaipur

11/25/2013

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO CAREER ENRICHMENT

What is it?

Who should Read

this??

Why should you read

this??? You want to know about career enrichment.

You are confused about your own career.

You are a career consultant and wish to grow further in your

sector.

You are a teacher and wish to help your students in their

career.

You wish to organise some career guidance session and invite

Career Consultant Prof. T.K. Jain

You wish to guide your juniors and mentor them for better

career.

Career Enrichment means additing jobs, activities, and interests

in your work schedule that add to more sense of

accomlishment, satisfaction, enjoyment, meaning and enable

further development of the person to be able to contribute

more towards society at large through increased skills and

capabilities.

Career enrichment can be seen as a continuous process, with

the ultimate goal of taking an individual to highest level of

accomplished visualised by that individual. Take Sachin

Tendulkar for example, the great Indian cricketer improvised in

all aspects of sports and personality - which ultimately took him

to the highest level of accomplishment, large number of world

record and the highest national honour - Bharat Ratna.

Myths about Career: -

We cant get what we dream! - wrong, dream it, visualise it and

you will get it, but be patient.

We cant get great career without jack and cheque! wrong, be

firm, build your capabilities and the world will have to

recognise you.

We must follow great persons! Wrong. Follow yourself. Listen

to your soul. You are a unique person in this world. You have

come to this world for some unique work. You have your own

dreams, aspirations, vision and beliefs. You have your own

preferences for social development. Bring the best out of

yourself and find that you are really different from others. Put

your best initiatives before the world and bring the best out of

you to the world.

Career Consultant can’t help you if you are not motivated!

Wrong – the career consultant is a motivator. He is only trying

to motivate you and let you realise that you can achieve what

you wish to achieve. He makes you aware of the opportunities

are available here and guides you for them. He mentors you,

guides you, motivates you and prepares you for the future.

When you are in confusions, the career consultant helps you in

evaluating different options. You are incharge of actions, but

the career consultant is a source of help for you. If you wish to

help others, become a career consultant yourself. I have

enjoyed this role for over two decades and therefore I suggest

you to take up this role as a part time hobby and as a source of

diet for your soul that you are doing something good in this

world.

Try for 20 jobs, you will get one! Wrong – visualise yourself in

a role in the future and prepare for that role. Practice, practice,

practice the role in your mind, soul and in your actions. Acquire

skills, and capabilities for the role and see that one day you will

be performing the role of your dream.

We should not change jobs! wrong - but change jobs only to

add more skills and capabilities to your profile and to build

further credentials to what you are. Don’t just change a job for

the sake of change.

Job satisfaction is impossible! wrong most people are not

satisfied with their job, but there are people who are able to

find an extremely enriching career and are experiencing a very

high sense of job satisfaction. It depends on the level of

planning and ground work done by a person.

No body helps these days! wrong - we take help of others and

we extend our help to others. The people who are more

helping, are able to get more help also and therefore they are

able to rise faster and achieve their career goals faster.

Success if for a few persons only! wrong - the world has so

many varieties that everyone can become a winner without

forcing others to be looser. Everyone can become successful

and achieve the pinnacle of his satisfaction by being able to

contribute a great deal in some or other field.

There are no opportunities for the youngsters! Wrong – today,

we are having increasingly more and more opportunities in

varied fields. There are more possibilities for learning, growth

and development. Technology has come as an aide to us.

Search out, Explore and Grab the opportunities

Career is not a straight line. It is a journey that passes through

ups and downs but has many connecting elements that enable

an individual to relate his past to the future. Plan, predict and

prepare for the future and identify your role in the changing

times. You can prepare a great career by focussing on the

changing role of the technology, social relations and changing

scenario. There are always some vacuums created by changing

times. These vacuums can be identified and predicted, and you

can try to bridge the gap by being the innovator. Dont miss any

opportunity to attend seminars, webinars, conferences, and

meetings being organised by those who are the most

progressive and fast forward persons, so that you can update

yourself and prepare for the future. Dont miss any opportunity

to have networking with the industry leaders, planners,

activists, leaders, social entrepreneurs so that you may also be

able to get a feel of what the people are planning for the

future. This networking can be online also and through the

online community forums also.

Invest time and money in your own skills and capabilities

Career development can happen if you are willing to invest for

career. Learn out latest skills, and acquire capabilities for

tomorrow. Invest your time and resources for this. Learn latest

technologies and be the first to acquire new technologies.

8 Cs of Career Enrichment : -

1. Customise yourself - shed all your ego, mould yourself

to the situation and constantly change, update and

modify yourself in terms of your skills, learnings and

capabilities (but not interms of your vision, values and

vows).

2. Capitalise your capability - capability will decrease if you

dont use it. Capability will improvise if you use it and

test it to difficult conditions.

3. Care for time - invest your time in skill building and

knowledge updation and remember that time is the

best investment in your own development.

4. Connect to people - not just from your own profession -

but beyond also - because ultimately networking helps

in your growth.

5. Colour yourself - means give yourself an eyecatching

personality. Engage and immerse yourself in wider

social ambiance in varied forms of life through various

activities of socialising so that people can identify,

recognise and remember you. Your identity should be

distinct, eye catching, appealing and enticing. Your

should appear to be extremely sociable, willing to

extend help and willing to extend your full support. You

should at the same time look trendy, tech-savvy,

adaptive, and enthusiastic. Colours yourself in the

vibrant colours of life.

6. Courage - success in any field comes from courage and

initiative. Break all your fears, leave behind all your

hesitation and be the first to say a big YES. Greet your

life with a courageous smile to meet any opportunity or

challenge that comes your way.

7. Concentrate on your core strengths - build and

strengthen your skills and your strengths and minimise

your weaknesses.

8. Communicate communicate communicate – you cant

live without communicating, so just communicate from

your heart. Be true to yourself. Be honest and

straightforward on career issues. Nurture a noble cause

in your mind. Communicate with yourself and assure

yourself that you are here for a great cause. You can

achieve miracles, if you believe in yourself. Share your

vision, dreams, career plans, and you will find that the

world is with you.