Three Simple Strategies for Exploring Jobs of Interest to Know Before You Go

Know Before You Go: Part 3

In this post, I'll introduce you to three different research strategies your kid can use in conjunction with the Job Research Blueprint™ to gain a helpful overview of a job they're interested in so they can make a more informed decision.

Strategy 1: Informational interviews
Level: Difficult

This is a great way for your teen to get a behind-the-scenes look at their job of Interest. It involves locating and reaching out to individuals in the position in order to request a 30-minute phone call.

You can find professionals on LinkedIn, in personal networks, or by locating local companies that would have employees in that role.

It's ideal to have your questions prepared ahead of time and include them in the email you'll use to reach out to the professional.

Your teen can ask anything they like, but if they're stuck on ideas, here are the top ten I recommend:

Does the career fit you as well as you thought it would? Why? Why not?
What did you learn about the career after you started your job?
What have been the most surprising elements of the career?
What do you wish you knew before you started preparing for this career?
How has this career impacted your personal life outside of work?
What are the most challenging aspects of this career?
How is the actual career different from what you initially thought about it?
What sort of experiences helped prepare you most?
What are the most critical factors for being successful in the job?
What things would you do differently in preparing for this career?

Strategy 2: YouTube videos
Level: Easy
A second great way for your teen to research a job of interest is to watch YouTube videos about the position. They can use the following search queries and YouTube to find ideal videos:

“A day in the life of a [ JOB POSITION ]”
“ What does a [ JOB POSITION ] do?”

Strategy 3: AI platforms
Level: Super Easy
Using AI-powered search options is the third way your teen can research their job of interest. It’s the quickest and most comprehensive way to get the pertinent details, and it’s completely free. I recommend using my Job Research Blueprint™ as a guide for typing in questions.
Here are the top free platforms I recommend. Click the name to go to the site.

Chat GPT: https://chatgpt.com
Perplexity: https://perplexity.ai
Claude: https://claude.ai/

If you would like my AI prompt that generates a thorough job-facts report in seconds, you can request it HERE.

Using any one of these three strategies will allow your teen to learn critical facets about their job of interest so they can understand what they'd be getting into and make a more informed career choice.

I recommend recording all the research in a single document I call a “Job Profile,” so your teen has all the critical job information in one place for easy reference.

Creating this profile is also important for the reflection phase, which I'll be explaining in the next post.

If you want your teen to receive instruction and support from someone other than yourself and have access to the master AI prompt that does all of the research in seconds, you may want to consider this digital course or coaching experience listed below in the "Additional Related Resources" section.

The Know Before You Go Series

Part 1: How Most Young People Choose A Career Path and Why It’s a Serious Problem

Part 2: What Your Kid Should Discover About a Job of Interest to Avoid a Regrettable Choice

Part 3: Three Proven Strategies for Critical Job Research

Part 4: Essential Questions for Evaluating the Fit of a Job

START A CONVO
Initiate a conversation with your child about this subject using the following prompts:
Use these prompts to start a conversation with your child about this topic.

How do you think someone can discover important details about a job of interest
Have you ever done any job research?
Why do you think most young people don't take the time to do thorough research on such an important decision?

THE FREE RESOURCE

The free resource connected to this post is the "Know Before You Go" career exploration system. You’ll learn how your kid can easily identify a job of interest, discover the nine essential job facts using the Job Research Blueprint™, and how to use that intel to make an informed career choice. Request it HERE.

ADDITIONAL RELATED RESOURCES

> The Know Before You Go not-a-book-book on Amazon

> The Know Before You Go digital course

> The Know Before You Go personaized coaching

About the Author

Jay DuSold

Jay has spent over three decades working with young people and parents as a mentor and life coach. He started focusing exclusively on career guidance in 2014 after helping his son figure out career direction while he was a junior in high school.

As a youth career guide, he helps teens and twenty-somethings around the world identify a job fit to gain clarity and confidence about career direction so they’ll reach their full potential and avoid the waste of getting it wrong.

As an author and speaker, he equips young people to think differently about their identity, true success, and figuring out where they can be awesome in the world of work. He also empowers youth advocates and organizations to more effectively support the young people they serve through their career guidance initiatives.