15 Know the Job

Once the student has identified a job or career path that they would like to pursue it is important to understand what the job entails.

• What kinds of duties will you likely be assigned?
• What skills are required to successfully meet the demands of the job?
• Do you have those skills?
• Will you need accommodations to perform the job?

Answering these questions will involve researching the position that likely goes beyond the description in the job posting. An excellent resource for understanding the skills and duties a job entails is the Government of Canada Job Bank website. This is not simply a website where jobs are posted; it also contains some powerful career exploration tools that can help students identify the duties a job will likely entail. The website also has information on wages associated with various jobs, as well as the outlook for those jobs in certain regions.

To use this tool, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Government of Canada Job Bank “Explore the Market” website.
2. From the drop-down list, select “By Occupation.”
3. In the “Occupation” text box, type in keywords of the job title you are interested in researching.
4. Enter the region you are interested in finding work in the “City or Postal Code” text box.
5. Click “Search”

This will give students an overview of the requirements and skills that are associated with that particular job. They can use this as a starting point for evaluating whether a given job is a good match for their skills and abilities and whether they may require accommodations to successfully perform some of the duties associated with that job.