How to Get Qualifications for a Job
One of the most puzzling conquests of job-seeking is in how to become qualified for a particular job or career. It might appear to be a conundrum when a certain job asks for special qualifications and there's no way to get them without being hired in the first place. Don't fret, though, because you can acquire the qualifications through several steps without needing to make a miracle happen.
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Things You'll Need
- Career counselor
- Career test
- College experience
- Temporary employment agencies
- Volunteering
- Careeronestep.org
- Certification courses
- Internships
Instructions
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Choose the Right Career
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Knowing what you want to do with your life can be as confusing as getting qualifications to make it happen. Go to your local college or community college and sign up with a career counselor. A caring counselor will help you narrow down your interests into a career that you'll like and has potential for growth.
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Go online to take a career test (see Resources 1, 2 & 3) to determine your strengths and which career is logical for you. Consider using those web sites only if you're uncomfortable working face to face with a career counselor or if one isn't available right away.
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Look into doing your own research on careers online or by having discussions with your friends. Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com provide plenty of information on different careers based on your personal criteria.
Obtaining Skills
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Going back to college--especially community college--is always a viable method of obtaining skills and qualifications to start a first-time career or a second one. Entering college again can pose problems for some, however, especially when it comes to cost of tuition. Step 2 and Step 3 below can help you obtain experience by just using your time rather than taking your money.
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Work with a temporary employment agency to see if it can place you in a temporary job that helps you obtain valuable qualifications. Temp jobs consist of jobs lasting one week to six months. Take anything that pertains to your career, no matter the length. During economic downturns, another opportunity may not arrive again for a long time.
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Volunteer with community organizations. Scan your local newspaper for sections that list volunteer opportunities in your city or town. Look for causes you support that need help. Call or visit an organization in person to ask if any volunteer opportunities are open.
Frequently, state government will have valuable volunteer jobs available where you can get excellent references for a future governmental job. State libraries and even legislature take on volunteers seasonally.
Other Options
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Think about using community programs that offer assistance in finding volunteer jobs, temp jobs or permanent jobs. The U.S. Dept. of Labor started careeronestop.org (see Reference 1) as a website to help people find opportunities in their local areas for obtaining career qualifications. Use this site as a more accurate and thorough search to save on time searching for local organizations through an Internet search engine or in the phone book.
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Obtain a faster certification for qualifications in a particular career field. In the information technology industry, for instance, you can sometimes obtain a certification in six months to a year for learning how to be an expert in a particular computer language.
Search for online courses by entering "Certification Courses" in a search engine, or ask about them at your local community college.
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Seek out volunteer jobs available in your college if you're still attending school. Obtaining one of these jobs can help get your foot in the door much faster than any of the above methods. You can prove your qualifications through volunteer work before going out into the sometimes intimidating world to find a job.
Look for internships doing office-oriented jobs or, ironically, working as an aide to counselors in the career development department.
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