It's never too early to start researching your career options! Volunteering is also a good opportunity to see if a career is really for you. Don't forget we have an experienced and qualified careers team to help you with everything from writing your CV to preparing for job interviews.
Engage:
Engage with the opportunities on offer to you currently! Get stuck into your work experience. Talk to your tutors about the careers that are in the industry. Work on your weak skills – this could be anything from improving your confidence using a computer, to talking to people on the phone or even your interview skills. Once you’re more confident you’ll be able to tackle bigger tasks and projects you originally thought were unachievable!
You’ll then have some cracking skills and experience to add to your CV – and employers will be looking for these. They’d rather have a candidate that’s experienced the world and is proactive, rather than one that’s just sat at home eating beans.
Make sure you check out all of the employers at different careers fairs in your local area – just because you may be (for instance) a Business student doesn’t mean you should bypass the NHS stand. The NHS will have a HUGE range of career opportunities from an HR department to office managers and administrators. It’s not just about the medical teams.
Research:
Well, how are you going to know what careers are out there if you don’t check them out? Simply have a Google, ask one of our careers advisers or even ask your friends and family! There are SO many careers out there that are available to you – more than there ever has been!
Once you know the industry or job for you, check out the salary, working hours, career progression opportunities and skills needed. We can then help you to find the right education pathway for you, and get that vital work experience and employability skills that employers are looking for. Or maybe an apprenticeship is more your thing?
Research is key to give you that all important direction to focus all of your efforts on, whether that be study, personal or life skills.
Succeed:
Put all the hard work and effort in, and little by little, you’ll accomplish those goals. Even something that seems a HUGE problem now will seem like a tiny little molehill in a year’s time. Your family, tutors and careers advisers are all here to help you succeed – make use of them!
Nothing is impossible, you’ve just got to crack on and not bury your head in the sand! There’ll come a point where you want a nice holiday, car or house – and the best way to do that is with a rewarding career.
