How to Develop Your Healthcare Career: A Guide to Employability and Professional Development, 21, 2016 In the previous chapter, we examined some definitions of the concept of employability, which, in the words of Mantz Yorke (2004), consists of ‘a set of achievements–skills, understandings and personal attributes–that make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations, hence benefitting themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy’. Already we can see that the idea of employability is a complex one, embracing many preoccupations that include an individual’s values and personal motivations. We will now consider the similarly complex idea of ‘career’: What is meant by it (both in general and in the context of the healthcare professional)? We will suggest some of the external influences that can affect your own choices (some of which we have already explored in Chapter 1) and also put forward some tools with which to examine your idea of a career. We will also examine common perspectives that can help early career professionals to understand and better manage their career, considering some of the key factors that influence career choices, and pointing out ways in which harnessing self‐awareness can help you to make the right decisions. Throughout the chapter ‘practitioner’s perspective’will be offered, drawing examples from my experience in careers guidance. For some people, a career is often seen in hindsight, particularly when a break or change has required them to reflect on where they want to go next:‘How did I get here and what do I do now?’That you are reading this book suggests that this is not the case for you, because you are probably looking ahead with a view to understanding where your career might now take you within your chosen health profession.
