Keep in mind that your wants and needs will change over time. The field of work you are interested in today may not be as attractive in a few years. It is okay to change your mind: the important thing is to ask yourself the right questions before making any career change.
You may find it difficult to identify your strengths, meaning the skills you have developed that make you stand out from the rest. Ask people around you what your strengths are. You may be surprised to find out about some of them!
Reach out to your school’s guidance counsellor or an employment counsellor to get information on the different jobs that interest you. They can help figure out what fields might be right for you.
Your professional future may be a concern for you, but make sure to ask yourself what ‘drives’ you as a person before looking for a job. What are your values and passions? What are your current strengths and limitations? What skills would you like to develop long term? How can you find a job where you will feel useful? Finding the answers to these questions will help guide you.
Finding your perfect job
| Values |
What are your values? Examples: respect, mutual aid, justice, happiness, companionship, freedom, fairness |
|---|---|
| Strengths |
What are your skills and abilities? Examples: creativity, teamwork, thoroughness, good interpersonal skills, ability to speak a second language |
| Passions |
What do you like to do? Examples: the arts, helping others, sports, math |
| Expectations |
What are your expectations? Examples: flexible hours, access to public transportation, varied tasks, competitive salary, challenges, work-life balance |
| Limitations |
What are your limitations? Examples: limited French, difficulty speaking in public, inability to stay in front of a screen for long periods, difficulty paying attention for long periods |
Now that you have a job in mind that might suit you, you need to do research on the job market. Be open-minded since some of your skills can be used in more than one kind of job.
Discussions about the job market will touch on training, average salary, strong or weak job placement rates and opportunities for advancement within a company. To help you get a clearer picture of your future job prospects, see the IMT website (Information sur le marché du travail) created by the Quebec government. It contains job outlook information for over 500 careers.
The job placement rate refers to the likelihood of getting a job after graduating from high school or another academic program. It is expressed as a percentage.
Let’s say you are trying to decide between two professions: special education teacher or speech-language pathologist. Here’s what you’ll learn when finding out about the education involved, future prospects and average salary for each option:
|
Special Education Teacher |
Speech-Language Pathologist |
|---|---|
|
|
Based on this information, you can see there is a big difference between these two professions in terms of length of education and salary. There are costs associated with a longer education path, but you will earn more as a speech-language pathologist over the course of your career. A good way to help you make a better decision is to talk to people already working in the profession. What are their tasks on a daily basis? Do they match your strengths and passions? The organization JeunesExplo enables you to explore a profession of your choice for a day and meet people who work in that profession: One-Day Work Experience - Home
A second strategy is using employment agencies. One of their roles is to support you in your job search, help you with your resume and cover letter and help you prepare for interviews. The main employment assistance organizations are the carrefours jeunesse-emploi (CJE), the centres locaux d’emploi (CLE) and organizations specialized in employment.
Find out more about these by visiting the following websites:
You can also use your school’s placement services for free during your studies. Placement agencies are available to help you find a job that suits you, but you may have to pay for their services. Find out how these agencies operate.
Looking at job postings is a very important step in any job search. Employers use a variety of tools to publish their job openings. These include:
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Classified ads
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Bulletin boards
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Government websites: Emploi-Québec, the Government of Canada Job Bank, the Portail Carrières of the Quebec civil service and the Public Service Commission of Canada
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Specialized job search websites: Jobboom, Indeed, Jobillico, Workopolis, etc.
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Networking websites: Linkedln.
Networking means creating a network of personal and professional relationships to facilitate a job search.
On top of what is available online, there is also something called the hidden job market that includes posted jobs available but not visible on the various job search platforms. That’s why it’s important to have a good network of contacts, including your parents, friends, teachers and former colleagues, to increase your chances of finding your dream job. The more people are aware of what you are looking for in a job, the more they might have suggestions of new opportunities that might interest you.
The same goes for social media: you can follow the pages of companies where you would like to work to watch for any interesting jobs posted there.
Having identified your job needs and the right strategies to guide your search, it’s time to sell your candidacy to employers. For tips on resumes, cover letters and interviews, consult the following concept sheet: