{"id":7748,"date":"2025-01-08T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T12:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=7748"},"modified":"2024-12-11T14:23:49","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T14:23:49","slug":"find-your-career-belonging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/?p=7748","title":{"rendered":"Find your career belonging"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Research from the Valuegraphics Project (2024) shows belonging \u201ctops the list of core human values\u201d. Career belonging is your need to have a career that represents you on your terms, with the freedom, flexibility and autonomy to choose your own direction (Dr Sarabeth Birth Bickerton). Here\u2019s how to feel belonging, be seen and valued in your career:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Set yourself goals<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    3-minute careers check-in<\/a> will help you clarify your personal and career goals. You can return to this as many times as you like during your student journey, as your goals develop, clarify or change. Then, work out your next steps using the Navigate Your Future<\/a> tool.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Develop your self-awareness<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u201cYou can’t foster belonging without true self-awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

      William Arruda, Forbes 2024.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Undertake our career self-assessment<\/a> to cultivate career belonging by figuring out where you might develop and grow. Then hone your decision-making skills<\/a> to foster your personal and professional growth and feel more confident about the choices you make.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Develop your career confidence<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        To find career belonging, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities. Develop the confidence<\/a> to try new things and ask for what you want.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Assess and develop your skills<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          You may have strengths that you\u2019re not even aware of, and knowing what they are can foster a sense of career belonging. By analysing your existing skills and qualities<\/a> you can align your career path with your authentic self, leading to greater satisfaction, purpose and belonging in your choice of work. Try one of our skills workshops and employer panel events<\/a> to help you to develop the skills you need to find or progress your career direction.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Develop your professional identity <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            How you present yourself is crucial to your identity and sense of career belonging. View our Help Centre pages to develop your professional online presence<\/a> and discover how best to optimise your LinkedIn profile<\/a>. Join us for one of our tailored LinkedIn events on OpportunityHub<\/a> to learn how to best use this key platform for creating a professional identity and making career connections.<\/p>\n

            \u201cWhen your career belongs to you, you can never lose it or have it taken from you. Only you can redirect or change it when you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

            Dr Sarabeth Birth Bickerton<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

            By taking steps to achieve career belonging with the help of Careers and Employability Services, you can feel valued, supported, included, connected and in control of your future.<\/p>\n

            References <\/strong><\/p>\n

            Arruda, W. (2024) Why Belonging is the Key to Authentic Leadership<\/em> Available at: https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/williamarruda\/2024\/01\/23\/why-belonging-is-the-key-to-authentic-leadership\/<\/a> (Accessed: 14 November 2024).<\/p>\n

            Birk Bickerton, S. Why we need both career belomgomg amd workplace belonging to feel valued <\/em>https:\/\/www.morethanmytitle.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/11\/why-we-need-both-career-belonging-and-workplace-belonging-to-feel-valued<\/a> (Accessed: 14 November 2024).<\/p>\n

            Valuegraphics (2024) Available at: https:\/\/valuegraphics.com<\/a> (Accessed: 14 November 2024).<\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \"Photo<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

            Annabel Bennett is a Development Coordinator in the OU\u2019s Careers and Employability Services. She supports careers-related activity both within the service and across the University, helping students to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from your careers team.<\/em><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \"X<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Research from the Valuegraphics Project (2024) shows belonging \u201ctops the list of core human values\u201d. Career belonging is your need to have a career that represents you on your terms, with the freedom, flexibility and autonomy to choose your own direction (Dr Sarabeth Birth Bickerton). Here\u2019s how to feel belonging, be seen and valued in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7748"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7756,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7748\/revisions\/7756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/careers\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}