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Crafting an Informative Career Research Paper

Table of Contents

Introduction

A career research paper is an extensive examination of a profession you aim to pursue. Unlike typical papers, this type of essay requires you to delve into your personality and conduct thorough research to determine your compatibility with your chosen career. In this article, we will guide you through the process of writing a career research paper and provide valuable tips for creating your career outline.

Career Research Paper Template

A career research paper typically consists of three main sections:

1. Introduction

The introduction acts as a spotlight on your interests and personality, laying the foundation for the rest of your paper.

The body section highlights essential information about the profession you have identified. It covers the responsibilities associated with the role, the educational requirements for entering the field, the average salary, and the employment outlook.

3. Conclusion

The conclusion wraps up your findings and presents your overall assessment. For example, you can discuss whether or not the career choice is suitable for you based on your research.

A well-crafted career research paper should:

• Thoroughly research your career goals
• Describe your interests accurately
• Focus on a single career path
• Analyze various aspects of the chosen profession
• Compare the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing the career

How to Write a Career Research Paper

To create an exceptional research paper, follow these steps:

1. Select a Career

The first step is to choose a career that genuinely appeals to you. This initial selection will provide the motivation you need to carefully analyze the profession and make informed conclusions.

2. Research

Engage with professionals in your desired field and explore various sources to gather information on education requirements, salary expectations, responsibilities, and employment prospects. Speaking to individuals in the industry can provide you with insights into the day-to-day operations, enabling you to assess how compatible the career is with your personality.

3. Prewriting

After collecting the necessary data, it’s recommended that you create an outline to organize your thoughts and data. This outline will help you assess the completeness of your paper and identify areas that require further thought and analysis.

4. Drafting and Revision

Using your outline as a guide, draft your research paper, ensuring to address any grammatical and structural issues. Seek feedback from peers and experts during the revision phase, as they can offer valuable insights and identify areas for improvement that you may have overlooked.

How to Start a Career Research Paper

Starting a research paper can be challenging, especially if you’re unsure how to begin. Here are some approaches you can take:

Choose a career that deeply resonates with you and investigate what it takes to build a successful path in that field. You can start by describing the specific aspects of the job that particularly attract you and explaining why these aspects hold significance for you.

2. Analyze Your Personality Traits

Another approach is to highlight your personality traits and later utilize them to evaluate the suitability of a career for your needs. Focus only on the traits relevant to the chosen profession.

3. Highlight Your Strengths and Weaknesses

To start your career research paper, emphasize your strengths and weaknesses. This approach sets the stage for discussing how these attributes manifest in your career choice and serves as a criterion for determining the relevance of a particular profession. It’s advisable to only include traits that will significantly impact your performance in the field under investigation.

Tips for Writing a Career Path Research Paper

Consider these valuable tips while crafting your career research paper:

Opt for a career that genuinely captivates your interest, even if it’s not a popular choice. This allows for in-depth research and enables you to present a compelling argument for or against a specific profession.

Seek guidance from experts in the field to gain a clear understanding of the daily tasks involved in the profession and to conduct a thorough analysis of its pros and cons.

Utilize online personality tests to gain insights into the traits that make you suitable or unsuitable for a particular career.

Remember, a career research paper requires both expertise and trustworthiness. Conduct diligent research, analyze your findings critically, and present your insights coherently. Good luck with your writing journey!

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Overarching guide on writing a career research paper.

What is a career research paper? It is a paper written about a chosen career that appeals to the writer (student in this case.) A research paper on career is one of the most common since that is the end goal of education – a flourishing career!

The tenets of a top-notch career research paper are that it should:

Highlight your career goals. Discuss your hobbies, talents, and interests. Major on one career. Bring out the facts about the career Discuss the pros and cons of the possible career

Now, the conventions of a career research paper assignment are more formulaic than you might think. Nevertheless, it also is as simple as counting one to five. How is the latter possible? With this expert articulated article, you will find it smooth writing such a paper.

Are you ready to unravel the secret writing formula? Well, keep on reading. Remember, we always save the best for the last part.

How to Write a Career Research Paper

Why can’t I use a career research paper sample and get done with this once and for all? Before you start aiming all those criticism guns, allow me to tell you why such a comprehensive guide is necessary:

It brings out all the information readers need to know It shows readers the order in which they need to write

You will never find these things when you decide to jump right into a career research paper example. That said and done, let us see how to structure a college research paper on careers. We will begin with the most critical part:

A Career Research Paper Outline

The outline of a top career research paper should entail all the career’s positive and negative perspectives. Also, a thorough evaluation of your skills and shortcomings relevant to the subject are essential when coming up with the outline.

How do you achieve an entertaining, informative, and practical outline for your career research paper? Read on.

The Introduction

Someone once said, “show me your introduction and I will tell you whether I will read your paper or not.” A top-grade career research paper introduction should:

Have information about yourself such as your talents, goals, and interests Include a good definition of a career such as nursing, journalism, and engineering – what does the job entail? Contain a thesis statement that clearly explains the focus of the paper – from which perspective are you handling your paper?

Be sure to end the introduction with a strong declarative statement on your research paper’s career choice.

Depending on the topic you chose for your career paper, the body content may vary. However, these are the standard guidelines to help you write it effectively:

• Hierarchically present the information – begin with the essential details, such as the features of the career.
• Have a topic sentence for each body paragraph of your paper.

If you have a research paper on nursing career, these pointers can come in handy for you:

• What is the nature and responsibilities of nursing as a career?
• Which minimum qualifications do I need for this job?
• What are the challenges involved in pursuing this career?
• What are the positives of nursing?
• Is nursing worth pursuing?

For a research paper on career choice, these use some of the ideas below:

Which skills do I have which complement the career responsibilities? Which schools offer the best programs for the career? How does the job I chose to reflect on my career goals? Where do I need to improve to succeed in this career? How many hours will I need to dedicate to this career?

All these ideas and prompts do not only apply to one career choice; they cut across the divide. Feel free to use them to make your career research paper body as in-depth as possible.

And finally,

The Conclusion

Here, you will make a summary of the most relevant points in your discussion. You should have an appealing concluding statement that effectively wraps up the research paper.

The climax of all this is to justify your decision to pursue a particular career.

Careers Research Paper: Pro Tips

To spice up your research paper on careers; these professionally brainstormed tips will act as your anchor:

• Write on a career that appeals to you; this way, you will have more points to discuss.
• Explore career sites such as Careerbuilder.com or Monster.com to get career ideas.
• Delve deep into the benefits and limitations of possible careers. You can make a chart to achieve this quickly.
• Your career + your goals + your skills + your interests = your topic.
• It should be informative and subjective as opposed to a boring story about a career you like.
• Include the trends in the career path you wish to take

Hopefully, at the end of your career paper, you will have a clear picture of what you would like to do in the future.

Career Research Paper Nailed With Ease

Organizing your thoughts is vital in coming up with a perfect research paper on careers. Fortunately, with this guide, you can accomplish that and get your paper started right away!

Nevertheless, if you are still having challenges, you can count on our top-notch research paper writing services. The rates are pocket friendly, and you will not regret one single bit. Post your order now and see your grades soar higher than the eagles.

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FREE 10+ Career Research Report Samples [ Industry, Opportunity, Point ]

Knowing what career an individual wants to pursue and do for the rest of his life can help him decide on his priorities and the skills he wants to develop to be qualified for the career he chooses. It will also help him know his self better. That’s why doing career research, especially when a person is still in school, is helpful to give them the direction on what career path to take. If you are assigned to make a career research report, or you just want to know how to do career research on your own terms, you are in the right place. Read the article to find out how to do career research and how to write a career research report .

Career Research Report

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What is a Career Research Report?

Career  research is a way for students or people who are planning to switch careers to learn about an unfamiliar career which they are considering doing in the future. A career research report is usually done by high school students who are about to graduate to find out which career they want to pursue since this will guide them on what major they want to take up in college.

The purpose of career research is to guide you on understanding yourself better and find careers that suit your personality. Furthermore, a career research report is also a way to document specific facts in the career an individual has researched about.

How to Write a Career Research Report

1.  think of the career you like to pursue.

Before you start writing your career research report, think of what career you would like to focus on in your research. This career must be the one that you’re interested in pursuing. To help you decide on what career you’d like to research, talk to a lot of people about their career and think which of those appealed to you and which do you think you’ll be good at. You can also skim job sites or classified ads to help you get some insights on various jobs in the market.

Other factors you have to consider when you’re choosing a career to research are your career goals , skills, and interests. Think of how your skills will match your desired career, think of your interest level in your desired career, and think of the goals you’d like to pursue in the future and whether your desired career can help you achieve those.

2. Do the Research

If you have settled on a particular career that you are sure you like to do in the future, the next step is to do the research process. You need to do a lot of studying journals, articles, books, and other published works that discussed your chosen career field. Furthermore, you also have to interview professionals or experts in the career field. Make sure to document your sources. Take notes of the information relevant to your report and organize them thoroughly. Compare the information you’ve obtained to goals, skills, and interests. Take note of your assessment and be sure to include this in your report once you start making it.

3. Make the Report

Once you’re done with your research, it’s time to write the report. Make sure to focus on one career. Here is the guide on how to write your career research report:

• The introduction of the research paper should introduce yourself.  Discuss your interests, career goals, your talents, and skills. End the introduction with a declaration about the career you chose as the topic of your research paper.
• The body of the report should discuss some facts about the career such as the responsibilities, education and skills requirements, potential salary, positive and negative aspects, employment outlook, and the lifelong impact of the career to the people who are working in it.
• The conclusion should summarize what you learned from your research. You could also discuss your plan on how to achieve the career topic you want to pursue.

Why is career research important?

One of the benefits of doing career research is that it provides the opportunity for you to get an insight on the aspects and factors regarding the certain occupation and it will help you reflect and influence your decision if you want to pursue and do it in the long run.

What skills do you need for research?

Some of the valuable skills you need to learn to conduct research are attention to detail, effectiveness in taking notes, time management, problem-solving skills, and great communication skills.

How do I choose a career?

Aside from doing career research, you can also do the following to help you choose a career that’s fit for you. You need to do a self-assessment ,  identify your must-haves, research jobs and apply for them, get training related to the job you want to pursue, pursue learning new skills and knowledge that will guide you on what job you want to do.

Once you’re done writing your career research report, make sure to revise it to get rid of grammatical and spelling errors and adjust the conciseness of your report. To make your report a credible and readable research document, cite your sources correctly. Provide a table of contents to guide your readers of the information you input in your report. If you can, include an appendix where you can provide data such as statistics to help fill out your report. To help you get started on making a career research report, download our free sample templates provided above to guide you on how to write your report!

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Career research paper: writing manual.

December 10, 2020

A career research paper provides a more accurate and better evaluation of a career path that appeals to the reader. The research that precedes the writing process provides more information about the chosen career. This information can make the reader reconsider their choice. What’s more, the assignment is very important when handled properly.

When completing a career research paper assignment, the goal is to prove that the chosen career is the most appropriate for you. However, you should show the negative and positive aspects of the career. Also, tell readers how you fit the role. To meet this objective, incorporate all vital elements into your research paper on career.

The Basics of a Career Research Paper

This writing assignment should follow the basics of academic writing. Essentially, your career paper should have a title, an introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Choose a title or topic that you’re comfortable with. That’s because your chosen topic will guide your research and writing processes. Once you’ve picked a title, proceed to write the following sections of your paper.

• Introduction : A career research paper introduction should tell readers about you. Tell readers about your interests.
• Body : Examine the education requirements, responsibilities, employment outlook, and the potential salary of your chosen career.
• Conclusion : Conclude your paper by summarizing what you learned when researching about the career.

Essentially, a career research project should discuss career goals, describe the interests and talents of the author, and focus on a specific career. It should also discuss facts about a specific career. The advantages and disadvantages of a specific career should also be discussed. Our post about the worst college majors may help you here. All the used sources should be cited correctly to help readers that may be interested in further research about the career.

Research Paper on Career Choice: Pre-Writing Stage

Like with most academic papers, you should start this academic writing with pre-writing. This entails planning how you go about the research and writing processes. Here are some of the things that you should do at the pre-writing stage.

• Brainstorm : You want to write a career exploration paper. Therefore, think about the careers of most people that you have met in life. Which careers did find interesting and appealing? Which career do you think would be the most ideal for you? You can also skim classified ads and websites that focus on careers.
• Examine your career goals : Your educator wants you to write a career goals paper. Therefore, examine your career goals by examining the hours, money, location, and available advancement opportunities. Change your goals if they can’t be fulfilled by your current option.
• Examine your interests and skills : What are you good at? Think about your skills, interests, and what you wish to excel in later in life.
• Research : Take the time to research your chosen career. You can interview some people in your chosen career and visit the library to research it. Pay keen attention to the pros and cons of your chosen career. Find out whether the career you have chosen matches your skills, interests, and goals.
• Draft a career paper outline : Once you’ve researched your topic, draft an outline. Your outline should indicate how you will present ideas in the paper. Make sure that all major career project ideas are included in the outline and organized properly.

Once you’re done with the pre-writing stage, you can proceed to the writing stage. This is where you delve deeper into the topic. Tell readers everything you want them to know about your chosen career.

How to Write a Career Research Paper?

When completing a career research project, high school students may not know what they are required to do. But, this project is largely about evaluating the aspects of the career that a learner desires to pursue in life. Some students change their perception of different careers after researching and writing this paper. Here are the steps to follow when writing a career reflection paper:

You must know how to start a career research paper to earn the top grade from this assignment. The introduction of your paper should tell readers about the topic. It should also include a definition of your chosen career. What’s more, include a thesis statement. A career research paper thesis statement should explain the focus of your assignment. What do you intend to accomplish by writing the paper?

The body of your paper can consist of several paragraphs. Each paragraph should be about a specific idea. For instance, highlight and discuss the most crucial features of your chosen career. Discuss the available jobs and responsibilities, as well as, the required qualifications and challenges. You can also tell readers how difficult or easy finding placement in the industry is.

Explain the hours that you will have to dedicate, growth opportunities, and remuneration. Also, explain why you find your chosen career appealing and how your skills and talents make you a perfect fit for it. Discuss career responsibilities and shortcomings that you might face and how you intend to tackle them.

The conclusion of a career plan paper should summarize the relevant points discussed in the body. It should also have a reinstatement of your thesis. Essentially, use the conclusion to wind up your discussion.

The organization and presentation of ideas should be guided by your career research paper outline. That’s because the outline should show how ideas will flow in the paper, as well as, the points that should be included. And the ideas or points that you include in your paper should depend on your chosen topic.

Research Questions for a Career Analysis Paper

When completing this academic task, students should focus on answering certain research questions. These questions should guide your research before you start writing the paper. Perhaps, you can read a good career research paper example to find out how the writer answered these questions. Here are some of the questions that students should answer in their papers.

• Does your chosen career correspond with your interests, expectations, and goals?
• If your chosen career does not correspond with your interests, expectations, and goals, why is it so?
• Have your opinion of a perfect career changed after your research?
• Is your chosen career path ideal for your skills?
• What skills are you lacking to pursue your chosen career and how can you acquire them?
• Do you consider your chosen career a perfect fit for you after research?

A good career research paper sample will show you how the writer answers these questions. Your answers to these questions should tell readers whether you still consider your initial option a perfect career for you.

Useful Tips and Hints

Whether you opt to write a research paper on nursing career or an international paper career, include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Also, make sure that your readers get the following after reading your paper:

• Important features of your chosen career
• Key responsibilities and duties of the professionals in that career
• The required qualifications
• Placement opportunities in that sector
• Opportunities for growth
• Your talents, skills, and gifts
• Your shortcomings

Everybody that reads your paper should understand why you prefer a specific career and what makes you a perfect fit for it.

Educators ask learners to write about their preferred careers so that they can learn more about their future occupations. Since these academic tasks are assigned as homework, learners have the time to research them extensively before writing their papers. A student can also read a career paper example from our writing service to know what they are expected to do. The research that precedes the writing process enables a student to know things they didn’t think about when choosing their career path. And, this can change the perception of a student about a career and guide them when it comes to deciding on priorities.

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ENG 111 - Writing and Inquiry: Career Essay Assignment

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Sample Career Paper

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Occupational Outlook Handbook - generally considered a Library Resource

Occupational Outlook Handbook

Sample Reference for Reference Page, APA Style

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Statistics. (2018, July 2). Librarians. Occupational Outlook Handbook . http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/librarians.htm

Intext citation, APA Style

(U.S. Department of Labor, 2018)

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• O*Net The O*NET program is the nation's primary source of occupational information. The database also provides the basis for our Career Exploration Tools, a set of valuable assessment instruments for workers and students looking to find or change careers.

Here is an example of a reference and in-text citation for the O*Net

U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. (2019, February 26). Librarians. O*NET OnLine . https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-4021.00

In-text is:

(U.S. Department of Labor, 2019)

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Cambridge Educational. (2018). Animal trainer-career Q&A: Professional advice and insight. Ferguson's Career Guidance. https://fcg-infobase-com.proxy154.nclive.org/video/151048

_________________________________________________________

Example of how to cite an article in Ferguson's in APA style:

Oncological nurses. (n.d.).  Ferguson's Career Guidance Center.  Retrieved November 16, 2023 from  https://fcg.infobase.com/recordurl/1302021?aid=99147

In-text (Oncological nurses, n.d.)

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Career Research Report

When you think about your career in life , do you do your research about it? Do you ask people about it that you may be interested in taking up the same thing? We think of careers , we think of opportunities, we think of the job that we are going to be taking up for a period of time or for the rest of our lives. This is why when you are given an opportunity to choose your career it is always best to do some digging about it first before deciding. It is also best to make a research report about it, just in case you may want to try a different career path than the one you may have decided to take. So what is it about career research reports that makes people think twice about it? Do they even know that this tool is quite useful? To get to know more about it, let’s take a look at these examples of career research reports.

3+ Career Research Report Examples

1. career research progress report.

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2. Career Research Project Report

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3. Career Research Report Example

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4. Career Research Report in PDF

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What Is a Career Research Report?

A career research report is a document that collects information about the different career paths a person can make. Every opportunity that any career that an individual can partake in. Think about this kind of report as like that of a work report . In addition to that, the research report not only collects information but it also assesses, analyzes and evaluates the data that has been collected in order for the individual to make a good decision of the career they are hoping to pursue. Lastly, a career research report’s summary of the information is used as a way to measure the opinions of others as well as the individual.

How to Make a Career Research Report

In order for someone to see what kind of career path they are going to take, they often want to look at it in a different light. Think of doing it in a career action plan type. To understand what kind of career path you are going to be taking you must also be doing your research about it. To make a good research report of the career path you plan on, there are some factors you must also take into consideration. The following steps below are ways of helping you make a career research report.

1. Pick a Career You Plan On Attaining

To get to make your own career research report, the first thing you have to do is to pick out a career or make a list of the careers you are planning on attaining. The careers that you believe you can do, write them down. Take your time in choosing them. When you have made your decision by picking a minimum of one and a maximum of three, then you can move on to the next step.

2. Do Some Research about the Career

Do your research on the careers you chose. This is going to make it easier for you to report about what you think you know about the chosen careers. In addition to that, it is also best to do your research first and to report what you have learned rather than choose something you have no idea about.

3. List Down Your Strength and Weaknesses

After doing your research on the careers you have listed down, it is time you write about your strengths and your weaknesses. This is a helpful way to see if the careers you have chosen are the right fit for you. It is no shame in admitting that there are some careers that we think we want but once we write down our strengths and weaknesses for it, they may not be the right one. It is still as important in understanding you as a person and your career by making the list of strengths and weaknesses.

4. Make the Assessment and Analysis

Assess and analyze the career research report that you made. The reason for this is quite simple. Of course, make an assessment and an analysis to your career research report. The results of the assessment will help you with what kind of research report and the career you may want will guide you to the right path.

What is a career research report?

A career research report is a document that summarizes the research and information done for your chosen career path.

Why is it necessary to have to write about your career in a report?

To be able to know and understand what you want to be taking up as a career, it is always best to do a research report on that.

How long is a career research report?

The length of a career research report may vary depending on how many career paths you are choosing. As well as doing research on your career paths and making them into reports.

It goes without saying, when you choose a career, make sure to choose the right one, or the one suited for you. This is a lifelong commitment to something you are going to be working on. When you are not sure, do your research, ask around. It is always best to get a second opinion on things before you decide on it.

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Project Career Research: how to set yourself up for success in choosing a new career

July 20, 2020

Launching a new career can be an exhilarating process, but also a complicated one. One of the most important steps is the first one—choosing which career to pursue. Whether you’re a college student getting ready to join the workforce for the first time, a mid-career professional looking to make a career switch, or someone returning to the workforce after time away, the challenge is the same—how do you know which career to pursue, and how do you get started?

This article is designed to help you explore potential careers in an analytical way. You’ll learn how to choose the career that’s right for you, and determine exactly what’s required to land your first job in your new chosen field. You’ll do this with a process called Project Career Research .

Project Career Research Overview

In Project Career Research you’ll speak with five professionals working in the career you’re exploring. This will help you develop a well-rounded overview of the field, and a plan for approaching different companies in your job search. 

The goal of Project Career Research is to answer three big questions.

Question #1: What is it really like to work as a [job title]?  

A particular career might sound exciting when you see it featured in a press article, or when you read the job description, or when you see the salaries highlighted on a hiring site. But if you’re going to actually work in the field, you need to understand the day-to-day realities of the role. Conversations with industry professionals can tell you what articles and career sites can’t—what it’s really like to have that job. 

What percentage of time do you spend in meetings, focusing on your own projects, writing emails, planning, etc? Who are the people you work with the most, and how do you interact with them? What skills and personality traits are required for success? What time of day do you usually eat lunch? What’s your stress level? Do you talk to lots of people every day, or are you on your own all the time? Do you collaborate often, or very rarely? How much freedom do you get to decide which projects you work on? How do promotions happen? 

These “real life” concerns can make the difference between loving a job, and just going through the motions. Talking with someone who is already in the field is a great way to understand the actual reality of life as a data scientist, a marketer, a social worker, or whatever role it is you choose to pursue.

Question #2: What skills do you actually need to succeed in this job?

Job descriptions can be very helpful, but they can also be very overwhelming. It’s unfortunately all too common for people to abandon pursuing a particular role, because they look at the long list of requirements in the description, and conclude they’re not qualified. The truth is, these sections are often just laundry lists of every single thing a hiring manager might wish to see in a candidate. They don’t necessarily reflect what’s actually required to succeed. Talking with people working in the field is an excellent way to learn what really does and doesn’t matter.

Questions #3: What do you need to land that job? 

There is a difference between being able to do the job, and being able to get the job. As an applicant, it’s your responsibility to prove that you’re qualified. So, it’s important to know what hiring managers are looking for from a candidate. Being credentialed for a particular skill can be very beneficial for some jobs, but not matter at all for others. Some jobs require that you have a portfolio of pre-existing work to show, while other jobs will ask you to complete a new task during your interview, and prioritize this above your portfolio. Some roles require very specific technical skills, while for others the ability to learn quickly and soft skills are much more important. Before you fully commit your time and energy to your job search, make sure you know exactly what it will take to get the job, so you’re ready when the opportunities come.

At this point, you may be wondering why you have to speak to real people—can’t this all be researched online? While there are many great online resources available, there is no substitute for the real insights and opinions that emerge in direct conversation with industry professionals. Take this step, and you’ll enter your job search well-prepared, and with confidence. Avoid it, and you risk everything from resume missteps and inadequate interview preparation to spending money on the wrong classes or training programs. As an added bonus, when you make contact with industry professionals, you’re expanding your network in your future field, which will be especially helpful once you begin the actual job search process.

How to find people to speak with

Your existing connections . An important first step is to consider your own existing network. This could be your LinkedIn network, other professional circles, or people in your shared community spaces—parent groups, civic groups, volunteer organizations, sports teams, and more. Is there someone you know who’s already in the field? Before you became interested in, say, mobile development as a possible career, you might not have consciously registered the fact that you actually already know a mobile developer! Auditing your own network is a great way to quickly discover people with whom you might be able to schedule an informational interview.

Professional groups. Search LinkedIn, Facebook, and Meetup for groups connecting professionals in your target field and reach out to individuals within those groups. Generally, you’ll find that people who are proactive enough to join professional groups are also the kinds of people who enjoy talking about their careers, and are eager to share their knowledge and their experience.

Here’s a task for you. Search professionals on LinkedIn by your target job title, and your geographic location. Review 100 profiles, and from there, choose 20 who feel most relevant to your career objectives. Reach out to all using the template below. If they respond, follow up right away with a thank-you note, and reiterate your interest in a conversation.

LinkedIn outreach template:

Hi <name>, I discovered your profile while researching digital marketing. Your experience at <company> is very interesting and I’d appreciate an opportunity to ask you a few questions, as I am exploring a career change from office management. Thank you in advance for connecting with me!

Tip #1: Make scheduling easy for the other person by suggesting a specific time to speak, and offer to work around their calendar.

Tip #2 : If they don’t reply, don’t take it personally. Just move on with your list.

Tip #3 : On LinkedIn you can only access profiles of people who are in your network (i.e.,  your 1st-degree, 2nd-degree, and 3rd-degree connections), as well as fellow members of your LinkedIn groups. You can expand your network by adding more 1st-degree connections and joining groups.

Preparing for your conversations

To make the most out of each conversation while being respectful of everyone’s time, do your research in advance, so you can ask valuable questions that only they can answer for you (as opposed to those you can get answers to through an online search). Not only does this help ensure a productive conversation, it demonstrates your respect and appreciation for the other person’s experience, and their generosity in taking the time to meet with you

I know you transitioned from teaching high school to a role as an instructional designer, and I’m trying to do the same. But also noticed that most people in similar roles tend to have formal training in instructional design. How were you able to get recruiters to notice you?

There are many ways to do research but you should always include:

• LinkedIn – review profiles of the person you are speaking with (and potentially their colleagues) to understand their backgrounds and experiences.
• Website of the company the person works for, to get a sense of everything from product catalogues to company culture.
• Industry associations and organizations – staying current with industry trends demonstrates your active engagement with your chosen field and its community, and helps to ensure your career questions are specific and relevant.

Tailoring your questions to be specific to each individual is essential, but it’s also important to prepare a set of core questions you can ask in every interview, in order to gather baseline information. For example:

• Can you describe a day in the life of a [role]?
• What are the on-the-job skills required to be successful in this role?
• Are there similar roles I should look into as well?
• How does someone with my background land a first job in the field?

During and after each conversation

Set the context for the meeting. Begin with an overview of why you reached out and what you are hoping to learn from the conversation. This enables the other person to focus on what’s relevant and will make them feel comfortable, as they’ll understand the goals. Remember: as the one who initiated the conversation, it’s your responsibility to establish both the tone and agenda. 

Introduce yourself. To ensure a productive conversation, it’s important that they understand who you are—this helps to establish context for your questions. Spend a couple of minutes in the beginning explaining why you reached out and what your goals are. Remember that while you are there to learn, this person might be able to connect you to a professional opportunity at some point. Be prepared to speak about your skills, accomplishments, and personal qualities that can bring value to an organization. You might not know how your experience transfers onto this new role but you should demonstrate passion and confidence that you can learn and grow quickly. Keep it short and focused.

Let them speak. Since you are there to learn, the primary focus of the conversation should be on the other person. Some people might be more talkative, while others may need more input from you in order to engage. Ideally, they should be speaking for 50% to 80% of the conversation. Don’t be afraid of short pauses, and be respectful and patient if they need time to gather their thoughts. 

Send a thank-you email. You have created a valuable connection, so stay in touch! A thank-you email is a great way to strengthen the connection by reiterating your appreciation for their time and following up on any action items that came out of the discussion. Also, be sure to think through ways you might return the favor, and, as appropriate, share resources, connections, or thoughts they might find valuable.

Wrapping up your project

Now that you have completed five conversations with professionals working in your target career, it’s time to go back to your main three questions and provide answers based on what you’ve learned.

Upon completing that step, you should have a clear sense of whether your target career is actually the one that you want to pursue. You should know if there are opportunities in your area, and you should have a good sense of what skills are required for the role. 

If all that is in place, then you’re ready to proceed!

Your next steps will involve addressing gaps related to job requirements (skills, credentials, degrees, experience) and building an optimal resume. We’ll cover those topics in future posts. Until then, good luck choosing a great career path, and we’ll look forward to seeing you on Coursera when you need to learn new skills!

About the author: Vera Fishman

Vera Fishman a Career Services Program Manager at Coursera and a career coach. Over the past 5+ years she coached hundreds of professionals from major Silicon Valley companies and ran workshops on every step of the job search process at Lee Hecht Harrison (resume writing, career discovery, interviewing – you name it!) and created an innovative job search curriculum at Udacity. Prior to becoming a coach Vera had a whole different career in marketing, and a shorter one in non-profit community management – so she is no stranger to career-changing herself.  A native of Saint Petersburg, Russia, Vera has spent her adult life in Silicon Valley, where she feels most at home and comfortable – aside from not liking to have to drive everywhere.

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Week 3: Career Exploration

Assignment: career research.

Career Research Chart (.rtf file)

Career Research List (.rtf file)

• Review your assessment results and select  three occupations that you would like to research.
• Open the attached career research chart or list (located above) and articulate your findings with accuracy and detail using the resources below.
• Captioned career videos at http://jobs4jersey.com/jobs4jersey/toolkit/video/video_index.html
• Virginia Education Wizard – “ Browse by Occupation Name ” section
• Vocational Biographies
• NOVA’s Career Services website (refer to Understanding Self and Exploring Careers in “Students” section)
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• America’s Career Infonet
• O*Net Online
• Submit the chart via the “Career Research” assignment submission link.
• College Success Skills. Authored by : Kim Burkle, Christy Jensen, and Jessie Zahorian. Provided by : Extended Learning Institute of Northern Virginia Community College. Located at : http://eli.nvcc.edu/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Career Research Process: an example

The career research process I have used is the one proposed by Morgan (2010) and it consists of the following stages:

1. Assessment . The research process commences with assessment of personal skills and knowledge, as well as, passion in order to be able to identify genuine career aspirations. Specifically, my hobbies and spheres that attracted my interest the most have been deeply analysed during this initial stage of career research process.

2. Collecting Information . Both, primary and secondary data sources have been used to collect the relevant information during the second stage of career research process. Secondary sources of data used in research process comprise industry analyses, industry magazines and newspapers, and a range of books devoted to career management. Primary data sources used during the career research, on the other hand, include individuals already employed in the industry.

3.  Presentation .  This stage includes improvement of the verbal pitch, and development of a personal marketing plan as a prospective employee. A high level of importance of developing a personal marketing plan can be explained by increasing level of competition in the job marker for graduates with little or no formal job experiences.

4.  Project management . Achievement of career objectives is approached as a project management with identification of short-term and long-term goals and organising regular reviews.

5.  Interview preparation . Performances in interviews play a great role in the achievement of career objectives, and accordingly interview preparation is identified as a strategic stage in career progression.

6.  Project update . This stage in career research process involves career progression monitoring conducted in a regular basis, and strategy modification if necessary.

Morgan, H. (2010) “The Process of Job Search” Available at: http://careersherpa.net/the-process-of-job-search/

Walliman, N. S. & Walliman N. (2011) “Research methods: the basics” Taylor and Francis

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What Are Transferable Skills? 10 Examples for your Resume was originally published on The Muse , a great place to research companies and careers. Click here to search for great jobs and companies near you.

Transferable skills, also known as portable skills, are those versatile abilities that you can bring to any role or industry—which is particularly helpful when changing careers . But you don’t need to be an expert to have them; these valuable skills can be acquired from all sorts of experiences, like past jobs, volunteering, internships, college, or personal projects. So, even if you’re an entry-level candidate , chances are you already have some transferable skills.

If you don’t, it’s time to start developing a few. They’re highly valued by recruiters and can definitely set your resume apart. Not sure where to start? Find out everything you need to know about transferable skills: meaning, examples for your resume, and why they’re so important.

What are transferable skills?

The transferable skills definition is straightforward: they are measurable abilities or knowledge that hold value in any role or industry. The term “transferable” comes from the fact that, regardless of changes in your job title or company, these skills can seamlessly transition to your new position.

“Think of them as your superpowers!” says Muse career coach and corporate recruiting specialist Yolanda M. Owens . “These superpowers can be used in any professional setting. For example, coding, languages, research, project coordination, administrative support, data entry, editing, training….”

Update that resume and check out open jobs on The Muse that are perfect for you »

Why are transferable skills important?

Think about how many jobs require strong writing skills , even if it isn’t the main focus of the role. Or consider how often you come across job postings listing “ leadership skills ” as a requirement. This is why transferable skills are important—they show what you have to offer beyond just completing daily tasks.

“Highlighting transferable skills on a resume is a quick way for employers to see what you bring to the table and how it aligns with the roles you’re applying to,” Owens says. “This is especially true if a company is using key search words when looking for candidates.”

They can also open doors for less experienced job seekers. “It can add some valuable subtext that may help you compensate for lack of direct experience and differentiate you from the competition. And in today’s competitive market, that subtext can make or break you landing an interview ,” Owens says.

Transferable skills: Examples

Not sure what skills to showcase? Here are 10 examples of transferable skills to include on your resume—feel free to incorporate them into your cover letter or job application as well. Just remember, while these are relevant and common skills, you shouldn’t feel restricted by them. Use this list as a guide to identify these and other valuable abilities you already have—or intend to develop.

1. Languages

Speaking a second or third language is a transferable skill that comes in handy across many professions, from customer service to data analysis . Workplaces are getting more diverse than ever, especially in large companies. And this diversity isn’t just about the employees they hire; it also includes the people they serve, thanks to the internet making international businesses more accessible.

Writing is one of the most common and useful transferable skills out there: Countless job postings require some form of writing on a daily basis. Whether it’s sending emails, interacting with customers on social media, or preparing presentations for clients—the possibilities are endless.

3. Research

Can you gather, understand, and use data effectively? The ability to research, often acquired in school, is another transferable skill with applications across several industries—from finance (i.e. financial analysis ) to marketing (i.e. user research and customer analysis ). Putting this skill on your resume is strategic because being a good researcher involves a diverse set of skills, such as data collection, documentation, and writing.

4. Excel proficiency

Some people have a love-hate relationship with spreadsheets. But the truth is, they’re an indispensable tool to many businesses—whether it’s keeping track of an inventory or managing employee shifts in a restaurant. That’s why Excel proficiency is considered a transferable skill, if it makes sense with the jobs you’re seeking, it’s definitely worth adding to your resume.

Read this next: These Excel Tips Are Really Simple, and Yet So, So, Helpful

5. Data entry

Data entry involves processing, filling up, and updating information, typically within a private system or spreadsheet (yep—Excel again!). Some professions and professional settings that typically require data entry include inventory management , e-commerce , transcription , accounting , and bookkeeping.

6. Management

Every company or organization needs someone with management skills and experience. Managers are typically the ones responsible for assigning tasks, ensuring that everything is carried out as intended, and providing guidance to employees who need assistance.

7. Leadership

Leadership skills are also highly valued by employers, particularly in professional environments where initiative and self-management are crucial. People with strong leadership abilities are generally good communicators, critical thinkers, and have an easy time delegating tasks and taking calculated risks.

8. Administrative support

Administrative skills encompass a range of abilities, including scheduling tasks, meetings and appointments, data collection and entry, answering emails, organizing employee paperwork, and managing office supplies. These skills are transferable across any type of industry or company. For instance, a secretary at a marketing company relies on these skills as much as a receptionist at a dental clinic does.

9. Project coordination

If you have experience planning, managing, and executing projects, then you have a transferable skill known as project coordination. While it’s similar to leadership skills, project coordination is slightly more focused. Instead of leading a group of people, it involves successfully bringing a project together and turning it into reality.

10. Training

Having training skills means that you can provide clear instructions to teach a process or procedure to others. If you’re applying for a managerial position, for instance, this is an important skill to have, as you’ll likely be tasked with training new staff members in entry-level positions or interns.

How do you write transferable skills on a CV?

The skills section of a resume can be your best friend. However, every transferable skill listed there should be somehow linked to your experiences.

“I always recommend adding a ‘Skills’ section using your transferable skills as a base,” Owens advises. “Just make sure to justify those transferable skills by tying them to ways you’ve added value to your jobs in your resume’s ‘Experience’ section .”

Meaning that if you mention leadership skills, at least one of your experiences should illustrate how and where this skill was used, as well as the outcome of your actions.

For example:

Professional Experience

Company for devs

Web Developer, January 2021—November 2023

• Led the development of SEO strategies for two websites, achieving an increase of 15% in the lead conversion rate

Marketing Analyst, June 2019—December 2020

• Led and executed Google Analytics tracking campaigns to maximize the effectiveness of the re-marketing initiative, achieving a 10% increase in total sales

Relevant skills

Data analysis

Project coordination

Transferable skills vs soft skills: what’s the difference?

Many people confuse transferable skills with soft skills —after all, they’re both useful in any profession setting. However, there’s a distinct difference between the two.

“Transferable skills are measurable strengths or areas of expertise,” Owens says. “On the other hand, soft skills are interpersonal attributes—generalities that don’t speak to your ability to do a job, but could determine how you interact with others, process information, and the kind of environment you feel productive in. For example, collaboration, problem solving skills, effective time management .”

Depending on your level of experience or the role you’re applying for, it’s wise to list both your transferable skills and soft skills. Candidates writing a resume with no experience could benefit from highlighting any set of abilities and interpersonal attributes learned and developed in college, personal, or community projects.