Picture this. You’ve graduated, your stint in two societies as treasurer has come to an end, you’ve finished enjoying your elected position in the SU, and the members of your jamming band have gone their separate ways (i.e. back home).

You will have achieved a lot during your time at uni, even if you didn’t do all these things. But when it’s time to sell your skills and abilities to potential employers, it’ll come to nothing if you don’t mention it.

Whatever you’ve been through, you’re probably underestimating yourself. It’s time to start giving yourself some credit!

As I’ve already mentioned, a degree is now just the start. With a greater number of graduates entering the pool for work, there’s a need to stand out based on other experiences too. Don’t be shy!

To guide the way, it is important to do the following:

• Think of key words and key experiences

First, here’s a basic list of experiences that might be relevant to you. I’m sure you can think of more. You may have done some of these, you may be aware of them, or you may be looking to participate in some of these in the future:

Clubs
Societies
Sports
Outside uni activities
SU elections
meetings and presentations
event preparation
dealing with the public
busking
general leisure activities (photography, writing, jogging, rambling, collecting…)
senior student/student ambassador duties
event assistance (car park duties, directions, bouncer on door, etc.)

They can all be used to your advantage in putting your selling points across.

Secondly, here’s just a small number of key words and skills that you can highlight when you mention experiences like those above:

Organisation
Team working ability
Trustworthy,
Determination
Commitment
Approachability
Willingness to participate
Enthusiasm
Leadership
Self-discipline
Presentation
Motivation
Flexibility
Dependability
Honesty
Creative
Practical

There are many more. To get a grasp of the type of words used by employers when looking for employees, scan the job adverts in local newspapers, national newspapers, the internet, specialist journals, and so on. Get a feel for business literature too, if you can. Read promotional literature about a company, such as their report & accounts and their mission statements. Reading on this level will point you in the right direction of what is being looked for.

I mentioned being a society treasurer at the beginning of this post. You can put many key words against having that responsibility. It will be a position requiring trust, organisation, dependability, a head for figures, and some pursuasive skills. Not bad going, especially if you’re referring to skills that are related to an activity you feel enthusiastic about.

I don’t know what experiences you’ve had; only you can do that. Take the time to note down what you have been through and how you have developed. Even the smallest of events could have given a whole new set of skills for you to impress an employer with. But you need to be impressed yourself before you can really hit it out to other people. That’s why it’s okay to look at yourself in more favourable terms for a few minutes than you might usually. Don’t put yourself down or feel as if you could have done better. Acknowledge your strengths and positivities so you can mention them proudly. Speaking up for yourself and highlighting where you can achieve something is different to arrogance. It’s only when you believe you’re the best, totally beyond everyone else, that you become arrogant. Even if you have a unique talent, explain it for what you can bring to a position, not simply for why you’re better than everyone else. Then it’s not arrogant. Pointing out the facts and experiences about you is about positively selling yourself. Remember that.

Be it a general hobby, a major commitment, or even writing a blog like this, there are so many ways to tap into your various achievements as you have developed over time. Even if you think you’re the most boring person around and don’t think you have any qualities worth noting, what you need is a kick up the bum in realising that you ARE able.

And when it gets nearer the time, read up on the companies you are applying for. I mention this now, because it’s amazing how little some candidates research the very places they are looking to impress. Bear this in mind and you’ll remember that a little research can go a long way. It also paves the way to proving that you can work off your own back, you can research a topic effectively, and you are enthusiastic. Also, with these pointers you can work on expressing your key abilities and skills that are mostly relevant to the position you are going to apply for.On Friday, it’s the dreaded CV post. It’s no good waiting to make that ‘killer’ CV. Even a Fresher – maybe not even a month into a new degree – can get started with a punchy document that can get you going right away. I’ll explain more in my final post.

This article is part of the Pushing Toward Employment Nirvana Series.  The full content links are:

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Career Goals & Ideas
• Part 3: Your Abilities & Experiences
• Part 4: It’s Never Too Early to Start a CV

I’ve changed a great deal over the years. What I knew at 10 years of age was different to what I knew at 15. What I knew at 15 was nothing like the knowledge I possessed at 18. My outlook as a humble Fresher was nothing like my perspective when I had finished my degree.

What did you want to grow up to be when you were younger? At one point I wanted to be a teacher. Most of my class wanted to be a teacher, or a Mummy, or “what daddy does”. That desire was very short lived. For a couple of years later down the line, I wanted to be a solicitor. I don’t know why, but it interested me. I did some work experience at a local firm of solicitors and found it fun, but not something I wanted to commit all my time to.

I tell you all this because, as degree students, we sometimes forget how close we are to the need to find employment. After years of plucking various careers out of the air, we may start to believe how difficult it is to consider what we really want to ‘grow up’ to be. Your degree course may not have any real bearing on what you want to do after you’ve finished uni.

But it’s never too early to focus on your future. Even if you still have one of those ‘unrealistic’ ambitions that your parents didn’t believe was possible to achieve, it’s time to give it serious thought and see just how far you can take it. The earlier you pick up on a possible career, the further you can project yourself at the necessary moments. Gaining your degree is only part of it. Graduation is not in itself an easy path to money. Not even with a sparkly First Class Honours…

And if you’re doing a vocational course already, don’t forget to consider other career options and the various ways in to a number of occupations. Just like those people taking more academic and less vocational degrees, you would be wise to consider a number of career options, even if you decide later that none of them seem as promising. Closing doors before you’ve even considered something is a bad move. Similarly, travelling down a career path that doesn’t light up your own mind is not the best way to start.

To get a grasp of how your future might be shaped, first ask yourself some questions to get a clearer understanding of what you want. However well you think you know yourself, when you really consider the answers, new elements of thought sometimes shoot out and surprise you. Try to answer these questions and write the answers down if it helps:

1. What interests you?
2. What are you good at?
3. What are you looking for more, money or quality of life?
4. Do you know of any ethical barriers to certain jobs you might otherwise be good at? Is there any way around the barriers?
5. Do you want a long and steady employment, or a rough and ready employment? Long wick, or burn out?
6. Are you looking to continue your study? Why? For educational reasons, career purposes, or just to avoid the scary real world? 😉

The answers you give need to be true to yourself. They may have pushed some careers ideas into your mind, or you may be just as clueless as when you first started. Either way, you have some solid information about what you want. So it’s time to take the next step:

• RESEARCH

This takes two slightly different forms, based on whether or not you know what path you want to take…

IF YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH IDEA WHAT CAREER(S) YOU WISH TO PURSUE:
Don’t panic about this. Even after considering what you want and have drawn a few blanks, it’s not a big surprise. The majority of students are not certain of their future plans, even if it looks like they all are. But it’s all the more reason to get some help in moving on and find out what’s out there once your academic days are over.

Before you do anything else, I suggest you check out your careers service. Okay, I have never been a big fan of getting a stranger to tell you what career paths you’d be best suited to based on surveys, personality tests, interests, degree/A-Level subjects, extra-curricular successes, previous employment, etc.

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out and go through the motions. The final decision is yours, so all you need to do is remember that you are getting ‘advice’. It’s not a magic wand to all your problems and it’s not a direct command to do EXACTLY what the adviser is pointing you toward.

If you’re still not sure what interests you, it might be wise to take a wide selection of careers leaflets and booklets, in order for you to get a feel of what’s on offer. Seeing the outer shell of some career paths helps to shine a light on where you’d feel most comfortable and in control.

In Wednesday’s post, I will be suggesting ways to focus on your interests and think carefully about what you’re good at. It is another way to kickstart the brain into plotting the future and knowing how to show your true colours and shine.

IF YOU DO HAVE AN IDEA WHAT CAREER(S) YOU WISH TO PURSUE:
You are in a positive position, but it’s not enough to have something in mind and then wait until nearer the time. Getting the initial work out of the way will help to focus you further, change your plans if a particular career sounds different to what you had imagined, give you time to dig much deeper than most potential candidates for future jobs, and understand more fully how you can climb that ladder and which direction you might be going in.

You can do all of the following:

• Check out graduate employment and careers advice websites;
• Search for companies that specialise in the type of career you are looking to set yourself up in;
• Contact those companies for more information and possible ways in that they focus on;
• Read the marketing information from these companies. Also check out their report and accounts. Some companies, especially the bigger ones, will have specific graduate advice that would be well worth reading as soon as you can (remember that the details may change and it would be wise to get the latest documentation nearer the time of applying);
• Look up the trade associations and institutions that focus on the career you’re looking into;
• Try getting some work experience or even a summer work placement at one of the companies on your list;
• Speak to your careers advisers and see what information they can give you. Not only should you receive quite a lot of useful literature on your chosen path, but you should also be pointed in the right direction to other forms of advice. You may even learn of work opportunities that you would never have considered on your own.

FINAL THOUGHT
Over the years, it doesn’t matter how dedicated we are about an aspect of life if we find annoyances to cloud our way. This is true for pursuing a career too.

Just like your time at university, you need to maintain an effective work/life balance. If your dream career doesn’t match up with the luxury lifestyle you live, a compromise has to be made. Maybe the perks will be better as you climb the job ladder. Maybe you can do without buying half the things you’re currently used to.

So before you go any further with those elaborate plans on how you’re going to become rich/famous/powerful/respected/comfortable (delete as applicable!), find out if that plan is realistic. Not all sparkling careers have vast salaries attached to them and not all highly paid jobs are full of fun and wonder. If you find you’ve been fooling yourself, it’s time for a rethink!

On Wednesday, I’m looking at how you can uncover your abilities and experiences you had forgotten about or didn’t even know you had.

This article is part of the Pushing Toward Employment Nirvana Series.  The full content links are:

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Career Goals & Ideas
• Part 3: Your Abilities & Experiences
• Part 4: It’s Never Too Early to Start a CV

Be it your first or your last year at university, your career plans probably haven’t featured too highly on your list of priorities.

I’ve never found this a big deal, as graduate prospects are generally better than non-graduates.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t be one of the few to plan your future sooner rather than later.  The success may come more quickly and easily if you have a career and employment plan set out while you’re still studying.

A productive student shouldn’t stop being productive once they’ve graduated.  I’m sure you wouldn’t see it that way if you thought about it now, but there is a very real danger of the productivity draining away if you’re not careful.

Therefore, no matter how far in to your degree you are, and no matter what part-time jobs you may have going right now, it’s time to consider three things:

1. Your career goals and ideas;
2. Your abilities and experiences;
3. Your ‘Graduate’ CV.

Over this series of four posts, I will point you toward the things you can do to get a head start in your push to employment nirvana.

So before focusing on the three elements above, let’s today look at why this topic is so important and what a little bit of foresight can do for your prospects.

It makes no difference if you are heading for a BA or a BSc or anything else.  Artistic, theory based, or vocational, you’re going to be propelled into the world of work whatever your qualification status is.  So you might as well stand up and be counted right now and beat everyone else to the punch.

First off, do you have any career thoughts in mind?  If so, you’re doing well.  A lot of students – even students studying more specific or vocational degrees – aren’t sure where they’re headed and haven’t spent much time working out a direction.  That’s not a problem, but it’s perhaps a little easier for those who already have a path in their mind.  An embryonic plan can be subject to change, yet it helps shape and mould.

Secondly, even if you have no proper plan (which is pretty normal), are you aware of and can you easily note down your skills and positive attributes?  If you’re left floundering after making a few bland suggestions on your strengths, you’re doing yourself an injustice.  There’s a lot more going on with your life than you would think.  And there is room for much more too.

Finally, do you have an up-to-date CV?  Have you considered the future of your CV?  Can you see your current CV developing over time with you, or sitting there getting dusty and feeling unloved?  Have you even tried writing a CV?

Not only is the possibility of success and good employability greater when you think things through in advance, but also you can spend tiny chunks of time getting this ready so you don’t need to blitz an amateurish application in the future when it’s too late.  A few minutes here and there – and I really do mean a FEW minutes – are all it takes to get started on your masterplan.  I’ll explain all in my next posts.

Life after graduation needn’t be a bind and neither should it drag you down.  In my next post, I will discuss ‘Career Goals and Ideas’ for those who have an idea of what they want to do.  I’ll also see if I can coax more uncertain individuals into finding a spark to get you on the road to the future.

This article is part of the Pushing Toward Employment Nirvana Series.  The full content links are:

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Career Goals & Ideas
• Part 3: Your Abilities & Experiences
• Part 4: It’s Never Too Early to Start a CV

Two news stories I noted on the BBC News website that have caught my eye. Firstly:

EARNING ‘HARMS STUDENTS’ FUTURES’

It’s a basic fact that some of us need the money to afford the essentials, let alone anything else. I was one of those people.

But I was determined not to find part-time employment and forego quality university time. I’d find an unconventional way through instead. And you may be able to do the same thing.

So what did I do? I became a Senior Student in my final year. It transported me back on to campus halls, with all the first year students, where there was always something going on and always loads of fun to be had. And whilst getting that fantastic opportunity, I had my rent paid for me. Even better, because it was campus accommodation, I didn’t have utility bills to pay either. As Alan Partridge would say, “Back of the net!”

As a Senior Student, I was required to go out on a nightly warden duty with the main warden, but this was usually less than once a fortnight and never lasted more than a few hours. To be honest, it was great fun to see loads of your mates when on duty and laugh at the numerous drunken antics of some peeps. If I couldn’t be one of them on those nights, why not enjoy the show and then remind them the following morning (or whenever they eventually resurface…)?

Of course, I had to be responsible for the students too. I had a direct watch on 28 students, but it rarely posed a problem. The subsidised living costs and the fun far outweighed any of the work that was required of me. And when my assistance was needed, I was always more than happy to help, because I was getting so much out of the situation.

Your university probably has a similar scheme with similar benefits, so it’s worth finding out. Your Student Services should be able to point you in the right direction (Senior Students at the University of Winchester, where I studied, are mentioned in this interview with the uni’s Security and Safety Officer). Of course, there are the usual jobs like working in the SU bars and shops, so that’s sometimes a good halfway house, as you’re still on campus and dealing with the student populace (i.e. your mates). Either way, I’d definitely recommend the university route if you need the money to get you through. Best of luck!

—

The second article on the BBC News website is:

CAREERS ADVICE TOO ‘CONFUSING’

I wonder if this situation will ever be sorted out. Careers advice is very difficult for a lot of people, even for those who have just finished their degrees.

Matthew Parris was basically “advised to be a spy” when he was at uni. Exactly the same thing happened to another person I know while they studied for their degree. So things haven’t changed much apparently. And just like Matthew Parris, my friend went to all the MI6 tests and got through without a hitch, but realised at the last minute that it was completely the wrong career for him.

After university, I didn’t have a clear view of career, although I imagined myself returning to the world of higher education at some point (that return is bubbling up now, a little quicker than I thought would have been the case. But hey, a passion is a passion, so I’m not knocking it in the slightest).

Such an emphasis is put on students to work out their future career plans that it’s no wonder so many people panic about it, or think that they are the only person without a solid plan set out. The truth is, loads of us are like that.

I’m not surprised that careers advice is confusing for so many people. As the BBC article states, there is still a place for careers advice, but it needs to focus more on the individual and their profile. Unless someone already has a clear idea of what they want for their working life, I can’t see any benefit in trying to focus a person too specifically. But if the help can be more specific to a person, yet give them a good selection of possibilities, it will allow the individual to get out there and learn more off their own back when they really want to settle.

Finally, it’s good to see students “resorting to their own initiative to develop their careers and contacts online”. That’s how things are progressing. We’re known as Gen-Y for reasons such as this and a lot of people are finding success as a result. My one piece of advice regarding this would be:

– Don’t forget to complement online work and research with more traditional methods, such as research from books, advice services, friends and family, etc. It’s best to use ALL things to your advantage. Look down every path for the greatest scope and your chances of finding what you want will be increased greatly.