ENG 112 Oakley

Just as companies use SWOT analysis to look objectively at where they stand, so you can use SWOT to take a critical look at the field you have targeted for your career.

• Strengths - What positive features draw you to this career? Do your personal goals, skills and interests correlate well with this type of work?
• Weaknesses - What does this field lack that you want? What other careers might suit you better?
• Opportunities - Are jobs in this career growing in number? What positive trends are happening in this field? Is it featured positively in the news?
• Threats - Are jobs in this career shrinking? Are there more competitors, changing public attitudes? Is it featured negatively in the news?

Choose Browse Professions. You can browse "Highest Paid" or "Fastest Growing" lists, or use the search box to find the career you want to explore.

Read the "Overview" of the field, and pay particular attention to "Outlook," "Employment Prospects," and "Advancement Prospects" to get ideas about trends, opportunities and threats.

Allows you to create a list of companies by industry and geography.

Select

If you know the name of the business, type it in "Company Name" on the basic search page.  If you want to generate a list of possible businesses, choose the "Custom Search" tab.

The two search criteria to use are "Business Type" and "Geography."

Use the "Keyword/SIC/NAICS" option to get the types of businesses you need; then choose the geographic limiter, depending on how far you are willing to travel to conduct your interview.

Try a combination of the name of the occupation or field with keyword terms such as:

• controversies
• trends
• "current issues"
• "the future"