Behavioral Future Career Planning Interview Preparation Guide

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Get an early start on career exploration by trying out an internship or job shadowing opportunity. Internships and job shadowing are great ways to get some "real world" experience in a field that interests you. These types of on-the-job training give you a small taste of what you may face day to day should you pursue full-time work in that field.
Internships and job shadowing look terrific on a college or employment application.

Use this time wisely to explore career opportunities and narrow down your choices.
☛ Keep up on your school assignments.
☛ Explore some of the more interesting courses that your high school offers.
☛ Think about what kind of job you would like to have some day.
☛ Get experience.
☛ Ask the employed adults you know what they like and dislike about their job.
☛ Talk to your parents about school and your future plans.

This step involves comparing your options, narrowing down your choices and thinking about what suits you best at this point in time.
Ask yourself:
☛ What are my best work/training options?
☛ How do they match with my skills, interests and values?
☛ How do they fit with the current labor market?
☛ How do they fit with my current situation and responsibilities?
☛ What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?
☛ What will help and what will hinder me?
☛ What can I do about it?
At the end of this step you will have narrowed down your options and have more of an idea of what you need to do next to help you achieve your goals.

Students talk to their parents about their school day. After spending all day in the classroom, you may just be too tired to rehash it all again at home.
But parents have experience that you do not. They can help you look at a situation more clearly and provide support as you problem solve. And if your parents will play a role in your college choice or contribute money toward your education, keeping them involved in your thought process will allow them to prepare emotionally and economically.
Parents are a great sounding board for important decisions.

Talk to some adults you know to find out if they are satisfied with their job. Many factors go into job satisfaction-job location, daily stresses, colleagues. Prioritize the top five or 10 things you want from your professional life and choose a career that you genuinely like to do, not just something that will make you a lot of money.
The more informed you are, the more prepared you'll be when you start your career.

Think about what you would like to do with your life after high school. Would you like to work in a busy office or do you prefer the outdoors? Do you like being around lots of people or are you more of a loner?
Complete our Career Cluster Activity to see what careers may best fit your personality and interests. Choosing a career that you like and you are good at will be a big part of your future happiness.
A good career choice "fits" your personality and interests.

Once you identify some career areas that interest you, take a look at your high school curriculum to see what classes may help in your career decision-making. Interested in journalism? Try a writing class. Interested in medicine? Sign up for an anatomy or biology class.
Taking a class can re-affirm your interest in the field and build on your skills. If you find that the class is not for you, you still have time to change course and explore different career paths. High school provides the perfect time to "sample" what's out there before you need to make a commitment.
Take classes now to help establish a direction for the future.

Now is not the time to let your schoolwork get away from you. Stay on track with schoolwork and plan ahead for deadlines. Spend more time studying the subjects that are the hardest for you.
How you perform in high school lets colleges gauge what type of student you are and lets employers assess what type of employee you'll make. Plus, you will learn skills in school that will last you a lifetime.
A good work ethic in school represents a good work ethic in life.

If you are the type of person who prefers an organized way of life, you may find this question a piece of cake to answer. But if you're among the majority of people who let life happen as it comes along, you will probably not have a smooth answer without some forethought.

Think about where you want to be three years after completing the MSc course and how this links into one of the following questions, your long term goals. If you are interested in joining a graduate scheme, think about how long it will be and the type of role you will be doing on completion of it.

Example:
This might be a better understanding of how organisations work or an appreciation of the different, interlocking areas of business. Consider the core courses, the electives you can choose or the individual research report and how these can be applied to the career you are looking for. You should think not only about the knowledge you will be acquiring but the interpersonal and technical skills that you will develop on your MSc course.

If you dream of making more money, you may be surprised to learn that doing so will not necessarily bring you job satisfaction. If you definitely can not live the way you want to on your current salary and there is no way you can get a raise, you should probably make a career change. Choose an occupation that has higher earning potential.

When you did your initial research the occupation you ultimately chose had a lot of advancement opportunities. You have been working in the field for a while and you have climbed up the ladder while happily facing all the challenges you have encountered along the way. Unfortunately you have gone as far as you can. You are no long challenged by your work. A career change can help revitalize your motivation.

Some occupations are inherently stressful. You knew that from the beginning about yours. You have come to a point, though, when it is become too much to handle. To preserve your mental and physical health, you will have to find a career that is less stressful.

Once upon a time you loved going to work every day. You no longer feel the same way. In fact, your feelings are the opposite of that. You can not stand doing your job anymore. You have tried changing employers but it has not helped at all. It is time to change careers so you can once again enjoy going to work.

The future looked promising for your field when you entered it. Due to changes in technology, the economy or the industry you work in, job opportunities are no longer plentiful and your research indicates that things are going to get worse instead of better. You should look for an occupation that has a better outlook.

When you chose your career your life may have been different than it is today. For example you may have been single then and now you have a family. The crazy schedule or the frequent travel that is typical of your career may not suit your new lifestyle. You should look for an occupation that is more family friendly.

Career should change if:
☛ Your life has changed
☛ The job outlook in your field has worsened
☛ You are experiencing job burnout
☛ Your job is too stressful
☛ Your work bores you
☛ You want to earn more money

For this question think about the skills your future employer might wish for you to have, for example communication, team work, analytical or interpersonal skills and how you can demonstrate that you have them.
Think about how your key achievements link to your future career did you learn something about yourself, your skills or career interests that has since informed your career thinking?

Think about the sector you want to be working in, the type of position or business you want to have and which geographic location you want to be in. Use these two questions to identify your career goals.
If you have no clear goals think about the resources you have used, such as websites, meetings with the career service at your university, presentations you have attended or talks with your friends or family that have helped you to form your ideas for your future career.

For this question we would like you to think about the current trends in the market and how they may affect your career path. Think about what things you could do to increase your employment potential.

When it comes to long term career planning, you can go a bit ambiguous and even out of the material world. For example, you can say that your long term career aspirations are to create a path that other people in the profession and line of work may follow. You may even speak about what are your career ambitions, like obtaining the highest post in a company in a while etc.

Short term career planning is quite simple, like getting a higher post in a few years or months or learning a new skill so that you can become more productive for the company or even earning a certain amount per month by a particular time. These are the answers that you can provide when you are asked what your short term career aspirations are. In some cases, you can also speak about any dream company that you would like to work with as your short term career aspirations.

Career planning is an ongoing process that can help you manage your learning and development.

Career planning is the continuous process of:
☛ Thinking about your interests, values, skills and preferences.
☛ Exploring the life, work and learning options available to you.
☛ Ensuring that your work fits with your personal circumstances.
☛ Continuously fine-tuning your work and learning plans to help you manage the changes in your life and the world of work.