Employers seek transferable work-related skills that make you adaptable in the fast-changing workplace: skills such as oral and written communication skills, computer skills, the ability to work in a team, self-management, problem solving and critical thinking skills. The Institute for the Future has identified several disruptors (drivers for change) that affect your work, such as needing to work past 65 to ensure resources, the rise of smart technology, the internet, and organisations functioning outside traditional organisational boundaries, enabled by social technologies.
We want you to make career decisions that contribute to your graduateness
Your graduateness is linked to
- your ability to find and maintain employment continuously (referred to as employability).
- your ability to learn skills required for specific fields.
- personal attributes (especially positive beliefs about yourself and what you can contribute).
- your ability to reflect on what you are doing and how you are doing it.
- knowing where you are going and how to get there.
As you progress with your qualification, you will acquire knowledge and skills that will change your life. It is important that you take time to reflect on your studies and how what you are learning affects your career ideas, how you work, your relationships and your community.
Unisa's view of your future - your graduateness
Unisa defines graduateness as follows:
Unisa graduates have unique qualities, because of their successful completion of their studies in an ODeL context.
Unisa graduates
- are independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and serve in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities.
- have a critical understanding of their location on the African context with its histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts.
- are able to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-increasing information and data flow and competing worldviews.
- know how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and creatively to solve real-life problems.
- are critically aware of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential.
To what extent do you identify with these graduate qualities? What do you still need to pay attention to?
Your view of your future - your career vision
Your career vision is your picture of what you want from life or where you see yourself in the future. As you are thinking about studying, you have hopes that represent a picture of what you want from life or where you see yourself in the future. A useful way to think about your career vision is to imagine the contribution you wish to make.
Activity: My career vision
Think about your situation now (eg you are a school leaver, unemployed, employed, a graduate or retrenched). Use the following questions to think about where you are now, where you see yourself and how you will start making changes:
- Where are you now in terms of your career?
- Where do you see yourself? What would you want to change?
- Think about the challenges you have observed (local, national or international). What contribution do you see yourself making in terms of resolving these challenges?
- What type of problems do you see yourself solving?
- How could you start preparing for roles that will help you solve the problems you feel connected to?
Your planning
If you are planning to complete a qualification in three to five years, how do you know where you'll be at that time? The future holds no guarantees and planning prepares you to some degree to be able to adapt to changes.
One of the ways you could plan for uncertainty, is to know where you are going. It is not certain how and when you will arrive, and it is also possible that your destination will change. Having a sense of the type of problems you wish you solve, and the contribution you wish to make, creates a degree of certainty and a sense of being in control when things are uncertain.
Activity: My career planning
- Think about how to make your hopes for the future real. What practical things do you have to start doing? Do you need to find out more about your chosen qualification? Do you, for example, need to start with a higher certificate and then continue with a degree? Do you still need to do a lot of research about your chosen career field? What skills do you need to improve or upgrade to meet a future goal? Think about these aspects and make some notes.
- What else could you be? Have you thought about other career and study options where you could utilise your unique strengths?
- How else could you use the qualification you're interested in?
- What will happen if you must adapt your planning due to unforeseen circumstances?
- What information do you still need to help you plan what you need to do? Who can you talk to?
The informational interview
An informational interview is a career or employment exploratory process where you obtain information about a specific career (eg auditor, magistrate, psychologist, educator or software engineer). It involves setting up structured interviews with people working in the identified career fields.
It will
- help you to network with others in your chosen academic field.
- expose you to updated career and employment developments in your professional field.
- give you a realistic view of the opportunities and challenges in your field.
- give you a greater understanding of job descriptions, career progression, expected salary structures and work conditions.
- give you expanded knowledge of relevant companies and websites.
- provide you with updated information on professional associations and subscriptions.
Prepare for the interview
To ensure that the interview is productive and has positive outcomes, we suggest the following:
- Request an appointment at the convenience of the professional. Stipulate that you would like 15 to 30 minutes of their time.
- Be prepared. Take a list of questions and take notes during the interview. Practise the questions beforehand with family and friends.
- Be confident when asking questions or requesting clarification.
- Exercise caution when it comes to more sensitive information (eg salaries, challenges, social media slandering).
- Try to conduct at least three interviews to counteract personal bias and unique experiences. This will help you to separate the personal from the more objective information.
Prepare questions for the interview
The following questions may help you to prepare for your informational interview:
- How would you describe a typical day in this position? What is the main description / key tasks expected of this job/position?
- What entry qualifications are required?
- What do you enjoy most / least about the job? What are some of the challenges in this field or industry?
- Are there special personality recommendations to handle this position effectively?
- What is the typical salary range in this career field?
- Are there travel requirements or opportunities for travel in this field?
- How would you describe career progression specific to this career field? What are related employment opportunities should positions not be available?
Conclude the interview
Always remember to thank the professional for their time. Remember, this experience can lead to a valuable networking experience.
Make enquiries about possible referrals to colleagues, professional associations and possible volunteer work, workplace experience or internships.
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