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What is the right graduate career for me?
- Starting your graduate job hunt
- What is the right graduate career for me?
- Get a job - life outside the graduate training scheme
- How to handle online applications
- How to write a great covering letter
- How to write a great CV
- Job interviews - how to shine on the hot seat
- How to impress at a selection centre
- Why work experience adds up to more opportunities
- Work placements and internships - get in before you graduate
If you're undecided about the career path you wish to follow and you are faced with so much choice, how do you decide which jobs to apply for?
Begin by asking yourself one simple question: 'What sort of job will send me home satisfied?' To ensure you don't end up with a job that bores you rigid, start by doing the following:
1. Take your degree into account
Your degree is an obvious place to start. If you have a BA in Management, then you might want to look at graduate management positions. Then again, you might have hated your course and want to do something different. Fine - you can. A degree in any discipline gives you a good deal of flexibility.
While some recruiters will look for certain subjects when they are recruiting, others just look for graduates in general. For example, you can apply for some finance jobs with a non-finance degree. If you really want to move into an area you are not qualified in, consider a postgraduate course.
Taking an extra or conversion course is common in areas such as law and teaching. Find out about the Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE conversion course), and getting into teaching via the teaching training course Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
2. Consider your strengths and weaknesses
Think about yourself. What do you enjoy doing? If you can't think of what you like, think of what you don't like - if you aren't numerate then rule out accountancy, banking and finance. If you don't like heights, rule out construction engineering. Also pinpoint your talents - what sort of qualities do you have that you want to use?
Make a list of the things you are good at:
- Are you a natural leader or do you prefer to act on instructions?
- Do you enjoy teamwork or do you prefer working alone?
- Do you enjoy working with words or do you prefer working with your hands? Would you like to work in an office or get out and about?
- Are you happy sitting at a desk all day or would you prefer to be more active?
- Are you creative, practical and logical, a problem solver, or good at research?
- Are you better working with detail, or would you prefer to explore the big picture?
- Are an ideas person, or someone who ensures tasks are completed on time and to the right standard?
- Define how best you work with others and explore the sort of interpersonal skills that you would like to use in relation to others. For example, do you enjoy challenging, supporting, persuading, advising, negotiating or presenting ideas?
3. Identify and prioritise your 'career drivers'
These are factors that are vital in providing people with job satisfaction. You must consider how day-to-day work could impact upon your life - for instance, would you mind long hours or is quality of life more important to you than career development?
4. Be realistic
You want a job that pays £35k a year with great benefits but flexible hours and no stress. Get real - you might want everything, but you'll probably have to compromise on some things.
Jobs in 'glamorous' industries, such as broadcasting or journalism tend to be interesting but badly paid at first. Well-paid jobs, such as banking, tend to involve hard work and long hours.
Some other jobs may involve low pay, hard work and long hours, but offer the benefit of making a difference to someone's life, such as nursing, caring or charity work.
Be realistic when you think about what a career can offer. If you don't know, then research it on this website.
It's best to remember, all jobs have some down time, and you often have to start at the bottom of the ladder to get where you want to be - don't expect to love your job on the first day, but with some hard work and perseverance, you'll get there!
5. Research, research, research
There's no substitute for hard work. If you don't have a clue what you want to do, then look around you. Why not even call up friends, relatives or contacts and ask about their work - what are their opinions of their jobs?
Use the Internet to research jobs and careers, read newspapers, magazines or books and find out what careers are out there.
Your university careers service is the best place to do this - you will find a well-stocked library of resources and experienced careers advisers willing to talk through your options. Pop in now and book an appointment.
Ultimately, the best way to find out about a particular job is to experience it first hand. Don't rush in to a career when you know little about what the day-to-day work involves - undertake some work experience to find out more while simultaneously giving your CV a boost.
6. Remember - you are an individual
Personal circumstances and values also important. Do you need to work in a certain part of the country, or do you require a certain level of income? Do you wish to strike a balance between work and other activities or people in your life? How much training are you prepared to undertake? Do you enjoy travel? If you want to work in consultancy, for instance, you may earn a lot of money, but you may have to spend long periods away from home.
The only way to find a career that's right for you is to think about it for yourself. No-one can tell you what to do and you can't follow your friends - you will probably end up in a job that isn't right for you. Make your own choice and you'll find your ideal career in the end.