To help 12th-grade students pick their career paths, in recent years, “vocational guidance” has gradually become an annual event of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. Owing to the problematic developments of the pandemic, this year, the seminar was held via the online platform Zoom with the presence of Dr Truong Thi Hoa from Hanoi National University of Education and Ms Pham Bich Ha—vice president of ICF Coach’s HR association.

Teacher Truong Thi Hoa discussed the content of the event

Ms Pham Bich Ha pointed out the current situation of the Vietnamese and global labor market

The subject matter revolved around five key steps to choosing the right profession. First and foremost, the reality of the labor market was of major concern considering job-picking. Based on the analysis of labor statistics of Vietnam and the world, Ms Pham Bich Ha presented the students an overview of the competitiveness index, percentage of surplus and shortage of resources, and the historical statistics on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses worldwide. In addition, the percentage reported of young workers “job-hopping” in 2018 due to lack of career orientation reinforced the event’s significance to the students choosing the right career path.

An illustration about methods of identifying yourself 

In the second part, with the guidance of Ms Truong Hoa, the students had the opportunity to interact with the “risks” and “perks” of young workers from the Employer's perspective. Not only did Ms Truong Hoa discuss the issue in theory, but she also exchanged views with the students on their strengths and weaknesses. Her enthusiasm induced an atmosphere more dynamic and exciting than ever, notwithstanding their virtual environment.

To learn about their identity, the students were exposed to five ways, three of which were the most common ones: asking questions about themselves, taking quizzes, and participating in activities. In Particular, The Holland Occupational Themes amazed them with its novelty and relevance to vocational choice. The Holland Codes highlighted that most people fall into one of six occupational characteristics, corresponding to one of six work environments: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. With the career world map to connect the 6 Holland categories with the 26 occupations on the map, they might have answered the questions “who am I” and “how to find a suitable profession for myself” to some extent. The two speakers also advised students to consult other people about themselves and participate in a lot of extra-curricular activities along with their own interests and study results to make the most appropriate decisions.

An illustration of The Holland Codes

In the course of investigating each profession, for the 12th graders, studying and resting timetables had to be based on SMART—as the name implies: smart—criteria. It represented factors such as Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reality and Time-bound. On top of that, Ms Bich Ha proposed a solution for concocting an efficient study - career plan using Technique PDCA, which stood for Plan, Do, Check, and Act.

A message to students going through career orientation

Finally, the event ended with sincere and invaluable encouragement from the two speakers to the 12th-grade students. Aside from the prepared information, any further questions or concerns were explained with zeal and dedication. Thus, besides acquiring helpful knowledge, the students all had precious moments to discover their own assets and liabilities.

With the aid of this event, the two speakers hoped the 12th-grade students of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted have found the paths that are suitable for their interests and capabilities. May they spare plenty of time to listen to their heart, experience and observe to advance on the path of self-introspection.

Reporter: Do Duc Anh - Math 2 1922

Images source: Reporter

Translator: Tran Linh Ngan - English 2124