What Is Career-Oriented?

According to Schein, being career-oriented or having career orientation refers to a person’s occupational self-concept which is made up of a constellation of self-perceived attitudes, talents, and values. It influences and informs an individual’s choice of vocations and work environments. Let us know What Is Career-Oriented.

A person’s career orientation refers to the path he or she pursues throughout his or her life in terms of work. An individual’s orientation can be defined as the way he or she always chooses or pursues a specific sort of profession or a position in a specific field.

In other words, being career-oriented means being focused on one’s job and work-life or career. 

This relates to a person’s employment inclinations and choices, as well as how they orient themselves in their careers throughout their lives. Many people create a pattern of employment choices over time based on not only their hobbies but also how they want to work. Some people, for example, like to work as part of a team, whereas others prefer to work alone. Some people prefer to be creative, while others prefer to have a set of chores to perform each day. Each of these personality traits can play a role in determining a job path and thus ultimately their career. 

Importance Of Being Career-Oriented

Being career-oriented has numerous direct and indirect benefits that influence one’s life. Some of these benefits are- 

• Increase In Income- This benefit of being career-oriented is self-evident. People who have a strong career focus are more likely to be successful in life, which leads to higher income levels. Better individual earnings lead to higher household earnings, which offers numerous advantages, including happier and healthier family life.
• Time Utilisation- Except for those who are continuously occupied with things to do, hardly everyone understands the concept of ‘Time is money.’ Career-oriented people, without a doubt, have a lot of work on their hands and are continually pursuing their seemingly unachievable ideal via pure willpower and hard effort. This demonstrates how career-oriented people are unlikely to waste time by doing nothing.
• Following Passion- One of the intangible benefits of being career-oriented is that you will be able to follow your passion and do what you enjoy every day. Have you ever considered how a good pilot feels when he walks into the cockpit every day, especially when flying planes has been his only love since he was a child?
• Earns Rspect- Career-oriented people, whether they are employed or self-employed, usually get more respect from their friends and family members than those who are not. If you ever rise to the top of a global corporation’s management ranks, you will find your family members bragging about you and beaming with pride.
• Exposure- A successful profession will introduce you to new people, new places, and different types of work regularly. This exposure can’t be bought with money or knowledge. Ask every retired CEO about the entertaining times they’ve had or the strange people they’ve encountered during their time in office, and they’ll tell you thousands of anecdotes. 

Career Orientation Tests

Career or job orientation tests are commonly offered in high school to assist students in planning for the future and choosing which career pathways they wish to pursue in college. Adults who want to change careers or are dissatisfied with their current occupations can also take career orientation examinations. A few of them are freely available online, and others can be found in libraries or other career resource centres. Individuals who pursue a career that is a good fit for their personalities and preferences for a working environment are more likely to succeed, so it’s worth a shot.

Find Your Career Orientation? 

A career is more than just a job, a position, or a sequence of positions you’ve had or will have in the future. It must be able to grow and have a sense of direction. Examine your values, abilities, talents, and motivations to aid in your career planning. These factors influence your professional decisions, such as what course to take, what positions to apply for, and what field or business to pursue.

Recognize the importance of knowing yourself, your motivations, and your objectives. Here are five job orientations with various motivational demands that tend to alter over time, based on one’s life circumstances, to help you find the ideal career match.

There are 5 career orientations that a person can get behind-

1. Getting Ahead- Under this, the individual focuses more on advancement and upward mobility through promotions, raises and increased authority. The preference here is on the action, i.e., using power to get things done and achieving goals. These individuals are competitive and willing to put in long hours. However, this can often lead to playing politics. This orientation can be achieved through building and nurturing strategic relationships.  
2. Getting Secure- individuals pursuing this orientation are motivated by job security and company loyalty. They prefer routine, predictability and upholding group norms at work and are loyal and willing to put in the extra effort when the situation requires it. They often avoid risks, are less concerned with advancement and find it challenging to deal with stress. This orientation can be achieved by learning how to go with the flow better and let your peers or management know of your contributions. 
3. Getting Free- people following this orientation are driven by independence, autonomy and self-direction. They are less tolerable of regulations, status reports and other forms of bureaucracy. Further, they prefer less structure and control over work processes and creative freedom. This can be attained by establishing yourself first, getting credibility and contributing to the team effort. 
4. Getting High- this orientation is achieved through a focus on challenges, problem-solving, creating new things and feeling engaged. People following this prefer a kind of work with greater stimulation and excitement and are ambitious and sometimes even idiosyncratic. To succeed in this orientation, individuals must build on their political skills and choose the right company that can cater to the work culture that they are looking for.
5. Getting Balanced- Individuals following this are motivated by a balance between work, relationships and personal development. They are unwilling to sacrifice their personal life to career demands and prefer challenges and fulfilment both on and off the job. They enjoy flexibility and time for other pursuits. This can be achieved by avoiding being seen as someone who does not take their work seriously. Being a team player and contributing to the team effort is the way to go. 

Numerous elements influence people’s professional choices. In the middle of a family crisis, even the most driven professional seeking advances and demanding jobs may favour balance and security. Circumstances shift throughout time, and intentions may shift as well. It’s all about finding the appropriate match and deciding which careers, initiatives, and endeareous to pursue. Use these orientations to help you plan your career.

Difference Between Career-Oriented And Job Oriented

• Someone who is “Career-oriented” knows what type of job they want to have in the future (the time frame varies) and what they need to learn or do to be qualified for that job.
  Sometimes due to certain circumstances in a person’s life, their career and job orientation become the same thing, but it is very different.
• A “Job Oriented” person is more concerned with their current job satisfaction and, for the most part, will not contemplate changing jobs until they are unsatisfied with their current one.
  Sometimes, many individuals pursuing job orientation find themselves being stuck at a job for years on end without realising that they are in a career path or industry they never wanted to be in, to begin with. 

Being career-oriented has much better and farther reaching benefits than being job oriented. Being career-oriented puts you on a whole new level. 

• Career orientation often involves long term thinking and being prepared for all kinds of situations. A job-oriented person will be unprepared to deal with a sudden change in management or work culture. A career-oriented person, on the other hand, is always aware of the possibilities available to him.
• Being career-oriented often leads to being a better employable alternative for the companies. The big companies are looking for career-oriented professionals. Their dedication and readiness to take on obligations that other people are unwilling to take on make them in great demand. They also get to keep an attractive salary if they are ready to take on the stress that comes with growth.
• People that are focused on their careers are always eager to learn more. They want a speciality, an MBA, a fast course, a lecture, a webinar, or even online learning. They always focus on increasing their knowledge. 
• If you’re a career-oriented person, your focus will always be on the long-term objectives you’ve set for yourself. All of the short-term benefits will accrue as you remain on the road you’ve chosen for yourself. However, your whole attention will be on continuing to advance in your career rather than simply being a competent employee at your current firm.

A career-oriented person is driven by a desire to always improve. It is a crucial component that increases their marketability. This person, unlike those who are pleased with their current jobs, will not accept the mundane. As a result, they are constantly on the search for the best chances available.

Habits Of Career-Oriented People

Here are six thoughtful habits that highly “career-oriented” people have that can alter your professional trajectory- 

• Do Not Make Excusus- Humans partake in making excuses for their behaviours, often to justify the sheer lack or even absence of productivity. But they are just lies told to mask laziness. It takes a certain level of self-awareness and self-evaluation to distinguish a real reason to skip work from an excuse.
  Making excuses and running away from hard work is an absolute no for career-oriented people. They do not justify their lack of commitment by pinning their behaviour on traffic, car trouble, lack of practice, etc.  Instead, they set smart, achievable goals for themselves, give themselves enough time to complete them and in case something drastic and unforeseeable happens, they do not succumb to excuses. 
• Always One Step Ahead- Promotions and significant pay raises are never easy to come by. They are the result of many long hours, as well as the careful application of intellect and hard labour. Individuals that are focused on their careers are proactive in the workplace. They don’t wait to be asked to perform a certain activity. If they anticipate a task or a challenge in the future, they conduct preliminary research and familiarise themselves with the issue. And familiarise yourself with any obstacles they may encounter. They’re constantly one step ahead of the game. As a result, when they are finally assigned the work, success appears to be a foregone conclusion.
  Career-oriented people ensure that they regularly educate themselves with the required skills, keep themselves up-to-date with trends and current industry requirements via online courses or traditional study methods, observe the business and get familiar with its upcoming future and finally, they remain proactive in the workplace and seize every opportunity they get. 
• Maintaining Work-Life Balance- It’s difficult to strike a balance between work accomplishment and personal life. A solid work-life balance equation in the routine, on the other hand, results in a stress-free lifestyle, more productive hours, and a more efficient and joyful personal life. Being career-oriented does not imply that one must work long hours and manage all of the additional duties that come with it; rather, it necessitates a well-planned and sensible work schedule.
  Certain practices such as making exercise a priority over clients and money, since a healthy body has so many benefits, and scheduling time for loved ones during breaks, etc., can be followed to ensure a healthy balance. 
• Fullfill Commitments- Yes, talent is impressive. Hard work and genuine effort, on the other hand, are admirable qualities. This is something that career-oriented people are aware of. They only make commitments to those they can keep. If something does not appear viable in the given time frame, they will not set a deadline for it. They understand that a broken commitment is worse than none at all. This attribute makes them indispensable at work because those around them can rely on them to deliver on their promises. As opposed to someone who always promises something but never follows through.
  By examining the work before agreeing to deadlines, saying “no” when overbooked and using all the available resources, commitments can be delivered upon. 
• Go The Extra Mile- A little extra effort, no matter how insignificant, always shows. And it is these minor events and happenings that form the broader image of one’s career. So, even if something appears to be outside your comfort zone, give it your all.

Working smarter, not harder, utilising technology to one’s advantage, and arranging duties with team members are all techniques that can be used to achieve this.

• Time Is Capital- Time can be relative to the purpose of work when you are part of the 9 to 5 work cycle. Every hour counts to the fullest extent possible. Work efficient people not only understand but also benefit from the concept of time batching. They make the most of their time and divide it into manageable portions. If a person’s day-to-day work schedule changes, the change will be shown every month.

Making a to-do list, keeping track of all your tasks, and so on can all help you turn your time into money.

Millennials And Career Orientation

However, millennials are often regarded as lazy and uninterested in their career and their advancement. Researchers have found it to be false. In a study, almost half the participants were willing to sacrifice or end their relationships with romantic partners to focus on their careers. Moreover, two-fifths of millennials said they would leave a relationship in exchange for a big or life-changing job promotion. However, the stats varied when the alternative was between their career and their long-established partner. 

The debt and the house-owning crisis that haunts the current working generation, especially the millennials, contribute to their decision to solely focus on their career and making money. According to those polled, one of the top reasons employed single millennials without children have kept stag is to focus on their professions. 

Conclusion

By definition, someone who is career-oriented has a specific objective in mind for their profession or position at work. And someone who has devised a strategy for achieving that aim.

A person who is focused on their career leaves no stone unturned in their efforts to improve their abilities. It could be as simple as venturing outside of their comfort zone to engage in cross-departmental projects or wanting to learn something new. They’re constantly willing to participate. In a word, if you prioritise your career, you have more influence over your decisions. Even in the most unexpected scenarios, you will not be forced to decide due to a lack of options. In a world when everyone is competing for your attention, being able to pick your route is a success.