Dear reader/trainee. 

Welcome to this blog. The purpose of this blog is to assist BTI trainees by providing on-line assistance and information for this specific unit. 

Trainees often start with a qualification without really knowing what they want to do or without a proper career plan. They normally relate career planning to searching for a job which they think they are “qualified” for (once they completed their qualification). However, career planning is about making a career decision that involves increasing self awareness, exploring career options, and acquiring the knowledge, skills, and experiences that will help you implementing your career choices. The process to do this is unique and you need to know and understand the steps involved in successful career planning (which I hope will be taught to you during this semester). 

The first step in career planning is developing self-awareness. Your career decision is yours and is rooted in your own identity consisting of your interests, values, skills, experiences, and goals. Some trainees may be certain about all these aspects, but to assist in the self awareness process, you need to develop a career development plan (CDP). You need to be able to assess your interests, abilities, and values as they relate to the career fields you are interested in. 

You also need to be able to identify connections between your self-knowledge, experiences, and your vision for your future that can lead to identifying career areas to explore. Exploration can take many forms, all of which require you to be active in gathering information and applying this information to your self-awareness. 

Reading about careers through printed and online resources will help to expand your knowledge base. While reading provides general information about career fields, talking with a professional who works in a field of interest to you can provide more details about the work and may be able to answer your specific questions. 

You may also need to begin to consider ways to gain exposure or experience within your identified career options. You may consider volunteering to work in certain organisations (job shadowing), part-time work and/or research opportunities relating to your areas of interest. 

As you move closer to selecting your career of interest, you will learn about the knowledge base, personal qualities, and experiences which are valued by employers. These frequently include: communication skills, honesty/integrity, teamwork, interpersonal skills, motivation, leadership skills, ability to work with diverse people, work experience, and a strong work ethic.  

You need to record your accomplishments and achievements for inclusion in your CV as this with a cover letter and application form provides the first impression you will give to a prospective employer. You must make sure that you take the time to represent yourself well in writing so that you get the opportunity be invited to an interview with your selected employer. 

I will use this blog to publish notes, slides and any other important information relating to Unit 15: Development Planning for a Career in Business. I will also provide links to various websites that is useful in your career development process. 

You are welcome to download and print any information. Please feel free to leave comments on how I can improve on this service. 

Happy blogging!! 

Jacob Nel