Vocational Discovery: Welcome to Your Employment Journey

The most critical first step is defining a personal employment goal to act as a guide for your search. By investigating local businesses and identifying the specific skills required for various roles, you can align your interests with the needs of your community. Ultimately, we aim to reduce stress and increase success by providing a structured framework for exploring options and getting organized.

Start with your Employment Goal.

Deciding on a job goal is an active "adventure" that provides you with a clear map for your job search, making it easier to know what to do next. Building on the self-discovery process and using some tools to sort through this preparation makes the actual job search much less stressful and set you up for success when it comes to start applying.

Some steps that you can take today to help you decide:

1. Reflect on your strengths and interests: refer to your Positive Personal Profile -, take your themes from Discovery, and ask yourself what you’re good at, what you enjoy doing and what makes you feel happy? For example: What environments you like to be in, and what interactions with others do you want to have?
2. Future Planning: Future planning involves looking ahead 5 to 10 years and asking yourself what you dream of doing and what you want your life to look like. Part of future planning is understanding that you do not need to have all the skills for your dream job right now, because skills can be learned. To make the process less overwhelming, it is helpful to establish both short-term and long-term goals, keeping in mind the important reminder that your "first job" does not have to be your "forever job"
3. Talk with your Support Team: Share your ideas with the people who know you well. They can help you brainstorm new career ideas and figure out the next actionable steps.
4. Look Around Your Community: Find businesses that match your goal and interests. These might be good places for you to work. Create your List of 10.

Use the Tools provided: Take advantage of career-matching tools like the Career One Stop: Work Values Matcher on the GetMyFuture website or the O*Net Interest Profilers. These resources will help you identify your work Values and Explore careers that align with your profile.

(GetMyFuture website: https://www.careeronestop.org/GetMyFuture/default.aspx)

(O*Net Interest Profiler: https://onetinterestprofiler.org/)

Activity
Create Your List of 10

Community Business Exploration

The best way to learn about jobs is to look around your community and see what businesses are there. This activity will help you learn about different workplaces and find places where you might like to work someday.

Instructions: Use the transportation you have available to you. You can walk, ride a bike, take a bus, get a ride, or drive. Look around your community and make a list of 10 businesses or organizations that you would like to learn more about that match your specific theme.

After completing this activity, it is natural to think about applying for these jobs and diving into the Job Search. Before you do this, we would encourage you to learn more about benefits services and supports that can also help you understand your specific situation with your money and what you may be able to qualify for.

Note: Everyone’s situation is different. One person's benefits may seem similar to another, but it's important to understand your own. The following module will discuss in more detail about what options you have.