Step 4 Explore the options available

Examples of online personality and skills questionnaires

There are a range of online skills questionnaire that can help you identify your abilities and skills and be a great starting point for pinpointing your strengths. You might want to look at these;

■ Cappfinity strengths profile – ask the careers team to give you a link to complete a questionnaire to produce an outline of your understood and unrealised strengths and suggested career areas ■ EY Future Skills Quiz – fscareers.ey.com ■ Buzz quiz - icould – icould.com/buzz-quiz ■ Skills assessment National Careers Service – nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/skills-assessment ■ Career Path Quiz – brightnetwork.co.uk

Step 4 Take time to explore and weigh up your options

Whether you are at the beginning of your course, in your second or final year, a recent graduate or are several years outside university, your unique experience and degree has equipped you with skills and has opened opportunities with a variety of employers and occupations. Develop a thorough picture of your options, be they: ■ Full-time or part-time work, graduate entry level roles, graduate schemes, a sideway move in an existing company or a total change in direction? ■ Further learning, postgraduate, professional training, a Masters or a short skills course? ■ Starting your own business or going freelance? ■ Pausing to take time out, to add to your experience or to consider volunteering?

Be realistic about the context

It is important to understand how the labour market is changing constantly and how it might impact on decisions you make. The National Higher Education Careers Service and Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk/ have some helpful insights and regular labour market updates and helpful tips on job hunting and staying positive. The BBC www.bbc.co.uk has regular employment updates and People Management www.peoplemanagement.co.uk has a regular blog.

Your options explained in a nutshell

1 Explaining work and graduate schemes

Numerous organisations are keen to recruit those who have completed a degree and many have established graduate positions and schemes that start once you have finished your course. These roles open from autumn onwards of your final year so start looking early. A graduate scheme is a fixed term contract with a structured work-based training programme usually for 1 to 3 years, normally with larger employers looking to recruit future leaders. You will learn about areas of the business and be placed in different departments on rotation. The recruitment process takes several months and will often include an application, an assessment day, video interview and online tests.

A graduate job is often advertised with a smaller company, a role that requires a degree, however, is likely to be less structured than graduate schemes, but still designed to use the skills and knowledge you have gained to date. These roles will be advertised nearer the time they want to you to start, so towards the end of your third year.

2 Further learning

There are an extensive range of further learning opportunities to apply to, be it postgraduate, professional training, or a short skills course. There are a range of motivations for you to continue in higher education and study to a higher level. It may be to: ■ Become a specialist and to enhance your expertise and knowledge in a study area ■ Change direction and gain a qualification in a new area (E.g. Management, Law or Teaching) ■ Pursue an academic career – (E.g. To become a Lecturer and/or Researcher) ■ Gain a new life experience in a new place like Scotland, New Zealand or the USA ■ Broaden your knowledge and experience, wider than your degree, e.g. MA Leadership ■ A specific career demands it (E.g. Teacher, Social worker, Solicitor)

There are over 400 UK Universities and colleges in the UK and many teach an array of postgraduate courses, however there are some that specialise in certain areas.