https://mycareerhub.bournemouth.ac.uk/studen ts/abintegro?redirectURL=/Resources/CareerAss essments/?quizId=30 Step 2
Career? Wow, that’s crept up on me…. How Career Bubbles, Mind Mapping and a cup of tea can help! Alison Zorraquin, Careers Adviser Bournemouth University, June 2018 I’ve been meeting a lot of final years recently all with the same concern– “I’m not sure where to start!” Mostly the conversation begins with, “I’ve got no idea at all what I am going to do” but this panic induced proclamation can be broken down. Firstly, most people I meet usually do have quite a few ideas already and certainly have ideas about what they don’t want to do, so that is a place to start! There are some things you can do that might be helpful in coming to a decision, so take it step by step. The key is to ask yourself some searching questions – to coach yourself! Step 1 Have a good hard think about your strengths – what are the areas that you think you excel in? Think about your past experiences, extracurricular, academic, part time jobs – what were the things you were good at? That you enjoyed? If you were giving yourself feedback, as a friend would, what feedback would you give? If you need help doing this, there are some useful tools on MyCareerHub to help you with this, this may take a little time so sit down with a cup of tea for this!
Next explore what is important to you about a career – what kind of organisation? Large/ small?, Public Sector or Private, Voluntary sector? Is money your key driver or are you more interested in work life balance? Or an “ethical” career is more aligned to your values and what’s important to you? Again, there are some useful links for doing this on MCH https://mycareerhub.bournemouth.ac.uk/studen ts/abintegro?redirectURL=/Resources/CareerAss essments/?quizId=4 Step 3 Generating Career and job ideas Have a look at Career matching sites like Prospects planner – but take it with a pinch of salt – the idea is to get you thinking – remember 70% of employers are not so interested in the degree you studied, but how you can transfer important skills from your education and experience into a new role. Employers are looking for POTENTIAL Not the finished product! Look at different job descriptions – don’t worry if you can’t do it yet….what jumps out at you? What do you need to do to be able to do that job? Use LinkedIn If you are not on LinkedIn, make sure you fill in your profile. Many companies look for candidates on LinkedIn. It is a great resource as you can find people doing the job you aspire to and see from their profiles what they did to get there! Start building your network, connect with your course mates, stay in touch, you might be future colleagues one day or they might be able to recommend you for a job.
1
Step 4 Richard Bolles’ What Colour is your Parachute has sold millions of copies and one of the gems from his work is his idea of getting your thoughts about key areas on one piece of paper. I’ve adapted his flower to “Career Bubbles” . By being able to get all these important points on one piece of paper, you can use it as an anchor when thinking about the potential of different jobs and career ideas.
Step 5 Start mind mapping If you are feeling confused and are trying to decide between different careers, it’s a great idea to get it all on paper. Put the career idea in the centre of a piece of paper and then put down everything you can think of related to that career area, thinking about the pros and the cons. Maybe you’ll realize that actually you don’t know enough about it so need to do more research, to talk to people doing the job you are contemplating. Have a look at this article which might get you started! http://cultivitae.com/2017/04/10/mind-mapcareer/ You may find that you have a few mind maps around different career ideas. Stick them on the wall, walk away from them, come
back and add more or cross things out. You’ll probably find that the process might make you focus and realize actually which career is getting you excited and which isn’t.
Step 6 Set goals and Make an Action Plan Looking for a career and a job can take time. Once you’ve decided what you want and what your goal is then you need to break it down into smaller, manageable actionable points. Think about what is realistic to your situation. If you need to get experience in a particular field, can you do some shadowing? Can you afford it? Can you balance your shadowing with a part time job? Make an action plan and add deadlines, make a note of your actions and their outcomes and be consistent! Of course, you may stray from the plan, but do your best to bring yourself back to the action plan and stay focussed on the small steps towards your ultimate goals! There are some useful videos and articles about goal setting and coaching yourself on MCH, you can also book an appointment with a Careers Adviser. https://mycareerhub.bournemouth.ac.uk/studen ts/abintegro?redirectURL=/resources/elearning/ Hub.aspx?redirect=/elearning/asset/gallery/path/156/23 Step 7 Start networking! Talk to people working in different jobs you might be interested in. Speak to friends, family, everybody and anybody to try to get contacts and you can also use LinkedIn to increase your network. Tap into the Bournemouth University Alumni section of LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/school/bournemouth -university/ you can narrow your search down by course name, company or role. This is a great way to reach out to people who have BU in common with you – hopefully that commonality will give them a warm glow and 2
make them more likely to accept your invitation and have a chat! Send them an invite with a personalised message but don’t ask for a job straight away – you are trying to start a conversation. If they can’t give you a job they are less likely to respond to you if you ask directly for a job/work experience, but if you ask for tips about breaking into the industry then they might then make some useful suggestions of companies to approach etc. Step 8 Get some experience. If you haven’t got any experience in a particular field yet there are different things you can do Work shadow – even a few days in role can give you a sense of if this might suit you or not, and also allow you to chat to people Apply for Graduate Internships If you are not entirely sure what you want to do, or you need to get some more experience before you can apply for full time roles, graduate internships are a great option. • MyCareerHub • Indeed (Try the MyCareerHub version) • Graduate Talent Pool Summer Internships • Guardian Summer Internships • The Milkround Internships • Inspiring Interns Undergrad Summer Internships • All about Careers Summer Internships • Rate My Placement Summer Internships Temp! Get paid temporary work through Recruitment or “Temping” Agencies – this can be a great way to build up experience in a particular area. Companies use temping agencies when they have staff that go off on sabbatical, on holiday, maternity or off sick. It can be a great way to see how different kinds of organisations work and to widen your network. It is also common that if a permanent job comes up while you are temping, you get to hear about it first and if they already like you, you have an advantage!
There are websites that allow you to search for sector specific recruitment agencies – try www.agencycentral.com or www.rec.co.uk You can search by industry and geographical location. How to Job Hunt Once you have a clearer idea of what you want to do you have different options. There is also some information on CareerHub about job hunting: https://mycareerhub.bournemouth.ac.uk/student s/abintegro?redirectURL=/Resources/CustomPage /7016 Direct entry roles – use the MyCareerHub version of Indeed – this is a filtered version for Graduates Apply for Graduate Schemes If you would like to work for a larger organisation you might decide to apply for grad schemes. Whist some of these schemes are available all year round, the majority open up their applications in September but some large firms such as KPMG will start as early as July. Start looking during this summer to be ahead of the rest! Key websites include https://targetjobs.co.uk/ or https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ You can find more on MCH Job hunting by degree/ sector: https://mycareerhub.bournemouth.ac.uk/studen ts/faqs/detail/18/where-can-i-find-sectorindust
Using Recruitment Agents Recruiters often hear about jobs that are not advertised and can be a great way to find a job. However, be aware that some agents will try to direct you towards roles that you are not particularly interested in – a good agent will listen to you, discuss your options and put you forward for roles that align with your strengths, experience and interests. Unfortunately some are keen to get their commission (for every candidate they place the company pays the agent a commission) so you may end up going 3
for roles that are not right for you. Be open to options and going for interviews is all great practice but don’t feel pressurized into roles that don’t feel right. Get together a CV with a short personal Profile with your career objective – see the CV Booklet available on MCH for guidance. Once you’ve made contact with the recruiter, keep in touch with them, they are interested in enthusiastic and proactive candidates and if you build a relationship with them they are more likely to remember you for the great positions! Don’t over do it though, a call and an email once a week should be fine! Take time to travel / volunteer or work abroad Statistics show that students with some kind of global experience are more employable so you could consider exploring your options abroad. There are summer schools, volunteering opportunities, placements or perhaps teaching English abroad. Check GoinGlobal on MyCareerHub to find opportunities abroad. Further Study Further study is fantastic if you want to change career – you can even do a post graduate conversion course for some professions such as Psychology or Law. There are some specific jobs that require a Post graduate qualification, but ask yourself why you want to continue studying. Is it because you don’t k now what else to do? If so, that might not be the best reason. If you want to study because you are passionate about your subject, are considering a career in academia or in your country a Masters is essential, then of course, make sure you choose the right course for you.
Look at where graduates of these courses go afterwards, what links does the university have? Try not to narrow your choice of course because you are used to your current university – make sure it really is the right course for you. Talk to Programme leaders to find out more and weigh up your options. A post grad is a big commitment of your time and money, so make sure it’s the course for you! If you are not sure which course you want to do, talk it over with a Careers Adviser, people who have done the course and to academics in the department. It might help to get some work experience and then see what masters you really want to study – it doesn’t all have to be now! Get Started So grab a cuppa and start mind mapping, filling in your Career Bubbles, talking to people and make yourself a plan. Don’t forget to make use of the careers service, our team of Careers Advisers are here to help you make the right decision. We can also give you feedback your CVs, applications and LinkedIn Profiles. We offer support to graduates for 3 years after graduation and you can email us on careers@bournemouth.ac.uk or book a skype appointment with a Careers Adviser if you are not local to Bournemouth. Remember, you’ll take some rejections, make some mistakes along the way but stay positive and ask for support – that’s what we are here for.
4