Tests, tools and methods · 8 min read
How do I research a career properly before choosing it?
Good career research checks the daily reality, not the job title. Use four sources: official data, job postings, people and a small piece of the work.
The short answer
To research a career properly, use four sources together. Official occupation data tells you typical tasks, pay, training and outlook. Recent job postings show what employers in your area actually ask for. Conversations with people in the role reveal the daily reality and the parts nobody advertises. A small piece of the work shows how it feels for you. Each source corrects the blind spots of the others.
On this page 9 sections
- Four sources, four blind spots
- Step 1: official data (two hours)
- Step 2: job postings (one hour)
- Step 3: three conversations (three weeks)
- Step 4: one piece of the work (one evening)
- A worked example: researching UX research (illustrative)
- Keep your research in one place
- Signs your research is finished enough
- Questions people ask
Four sources, four blind spots
| Source | Good for | Blind spot |
|---|---|---|
| Official occupation data | Tasks, typical pay, training, outlook | Averages; may not reflect your area or newer roles |
| Job postings | Current local demands, tools, titles | Wish lists; rarely describe the daily reality |
| People in the role | Daily reality, culture, what's hard | One person's experience |
| A small piece of the work | How it feels for you | A fragment, not the whole job |
Step 1: official data (two hours)
Read the occupation profile. Note the tasks, training routes and pay range. Write three questions the profile does not answer.
Step 2: job postings (one hour)
Collect ten recent postings in your area. Highlight requirements that appear in at least half. Ignore the long tail of wish-list items. Note job titles you had not seen before; they may lead to related roles.
Step 3: three conversations (three weeks)
Ask people for twenty minutes. Useful questions:
- Walk me through yesterday, hour by hour.
- What surprised you most when you started?
- What kind of person struggles in this work?
- If I wanted to test whether I'd like it, what small thing would you suggest?
Step 4: one piece of the work (one evening)
Use the suggestion from your conversations. Do it, then write two sentences: what you liked, what you did not. Compare it with what the data and postings led you to expect.
A worked example: researching UX research (illustrative)
| Source | What it showed | What it missed |
|---|---|---|
| Occupation data | Tasks include interviews, usability testing, analysis; degree often expected | How varied the role is between companies |
| Ten job postings | Most ask for interview experience and a portfolio of studies; half mention survey tools | How much time goes on recruitment logistics |
| Three conversations | Large companies run more formal studies; startups expect researchers to do design too; recruiting participants takes real time | How it would feel for me |
| One test | Interviewed three people about a public service and wrote up patterns; loved the interviews, found scheduling tedious | Doing this every week, at scale |
Together, the four sources give a much clearer picture than any one of them: the work involves the interviewing this person enjoys, the scheduling they disliked is a real part of it, and larger organisations with research operations support may suit them best.
Keep your research in one place
Use a single document per direction with four headings: what the data says, what employers ask for, what people told me, what I found when I tried it. Add a fifth heading for open questions. When you compare two directions later, you will be comparing like with like rather than memories.
Signs your research is finished enough
- You can describe an ordinary day in the role without using the job title.
- You know the most common entry route and roughly how long it takes.
- You have done one piece of the work and know how it felt.
- Your remaining questions can only be answered by applying or doing more of the work.
Questions people ask
- Where can I find reliable career information?
- Government sources such as O*NET and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook in the U.S., or your national careers service elsewhere, are a reliable starting point. Professional bodies often publish entry requirements.
- How many people should I talk to about a career?
- Three is a good minimum, ideally at different career stages or employers, so you can tell what is typical and what is one person's experience.
- How do I find out what a job is really like?
- Ask people to walk you through a recent ordinary day hour by hour, then do a small piece of the work yourself.
- How long should career research take?
- A focused version takes two to four weeks per direction: a few hours reading, a few conversations and one small test.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine · U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational Outlook Handbook · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.