So you want a job, but you’re not quite sure what sort of work is the right ‘fit’ for you? Rest assured, you’re not alone! At NOVA Transition we provide loads of opportunities to learn about industries and try out different jobs through work experience.

But you can begin to explore what's best for you right away. There are plenty of online tools available to help guide you. NOVA’s own Let’s Get Working website suggests 10 questions to ask yourself, and the first few make an ideal starting point.

What are you interests? 

You’re more likely to enjoy work (and be good at it) if you do something you like. And that means you're more likely to stay in the job. Being aware what you like can help you focus on the right jobs for you. Perhaps you like listening to music, or playing sport, or watching movies. But what about:

• Talking to people?
• Making things?
• Cooking?
• Sorting things into categories?
• Health and fitness?
• Looking after people?
• Fixing things?
• Using computers?

Discovering that you like sorting things into categories but don’t enjoy talking to people, for example, might be a clue that administration work would suit you better than customer service. 

You can find a more comprehensive Interests Quiz designed for job seekers at do2learn.com.

What kind of environment do you like to be in?

When you spend a lot of time in your workplace, you want the environment to be comfortable. Do you like to be: 

• inside or outside?
• in quiet, calm spaces or busy, noisy places?
• around people?
• around machinery?
• around animals?

What kind of social environment do you prefer?

Knowing what you’re comfortable with socially is also useful when thinking about the sorts of jobs that would suit you. For example, do you like to: 

• be under constant supervision, or be able to work independently?
• work in a team?
• interact with people all the time? Some of the time? Hardly ever?

The do2learn website has a useful section on getting the right ‘social fit’. It asks ‘what’s your scene?’ Do you like to be: 

• In the scene (working with people – e.g. in customer service)?
• Behind the scene (working near customers and with co-workers)?
• Out of the scene (less social contact; not interacting with customers, some interaction with co-workers)?

It may take time to find the answers to these questions, but keeping them in your mind as you explore is a great start to identifying a career that’s right for you.