Class of 2018: Can you really plan your career?

This piece was written for Class of 2018 Month by Lisa Carr, a Careers Consultant at the University of Leeds Careers Centre.

We are taught from an early age that successful careers are the result of planning. Parents and teachers ask us what we want to be when we grow up. Employers ask us about our 10 year career ambitions in interviews.

Yet in this fast-changing age of the gig economy, portfolio careers, and an increasingly AI-driven and globalised world, how realistic is it for anyone to really plan their career?

Should you even try?

The answer is yes – and no.

The traditional approach to career planning is analyse-and-implement. You work out your motivations and interests (using something like prospects planner), find out which jobs match, and then apply to an advertised vacancy. This approach still works well if you like planning ahead, want to commit to a long term career path and are applying for sectors which recruit well in advance, such as banking, teaching or law.

But not everyone wants to commit to a long-term career path. Often, you don’t know what you like doing until you are actually doing it anyway. In real life, most people’s careers unfold rather than being actively planned.

Class of 2018: Getting the most out of the ‘hidden job market’

 

This piece was written for Class of 2018 Month by Alex Proctor, a Careers Adviser at the University of Leeds Careers Centre.

“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” It’s a common phrase; a cliché even, but it’s one all graduates should bear in mind when undertaking their job search. The importance of contacts in any industry shouldn’t be understated, because the ‘hidden job market’ does exist.

My success story

I was fortunate enough to benefit from the hidden job market when trying to break into the world of Careers Advice and Guidance. While on a placement within the sector, I put time into developing professional relationships with two senior managers outside of my team. As a result, they went on to offer me a further unadvertised role.

Admittedly I wasn’t an expert for this particular job, and needed a lot of training to undertake the day-to-day responsibilities, but by demonstrating my networking abilities, enthusiasm for the sector and transferable skills, I managed to crack the hidden job market. Without working on my professional contacts, I might not have been fortunate enough to gain this experience, which I am still developing in my role at present.

5 Graduate Fears and How to Overcome Them

Whether you’ve already graduated and are struggling to find that perfect job, or if you will be graduating soon, Francesca Hooper from Inspiring Interns provides some tips on overcoming fears that can often hold graduates back.

Remember that we at the Careers Centre are here to help you with all things post-university, whether you’re a current Leeds student or if you have already graduated. See our website for full details of our support and services.

As end-of-university celebrations fizzle out, reality decides it’s time to catapult you back to Planet Earth.  You are now ready to enter the ‘real world’!

Even though the internet is riddled with horror stories about post-uni life, you mustn’t surrender to the inevitable fear.  To help you, here’s a list of the five fears haunting graduates and tips on how to combat them.

1. It’s taking too long to find a job

For some people it can take a couple of months, for others it can stretch to ten. It doesn’t mean you’re inadequate, it’s often just a matter of chance.

Did you graduate in summer 2017? Please complete the DLHE survey. Plus a glimpse of Leeds graduates’ destinations in 1920s, ’30s & ’40s.

If you graduated from the University of Leeds this summer, we will be contacting you as part of the national DLHE survey. Please respond.

Every year we ask all those who have recently completed a course at the University of Leeds to take part in a survey to find out what they do after they graduate. We are interested in what you will be doing on 10th January 2018, e.g. work, study, voluntary work, traveling, something else.

3 Ways to Stand Out When Applying for Graduate Jobs

Photo from StockSnap

This week we’re discussing some simple steps you can take to stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate jobs/internships.

If you’re a soon-to-be graduate looking to give yourself nightmares, Stephen King has nothing on job hunting statistics. To snag any given graduate role, you’re going to have to fight off thirty-eight other applicants, and that number only rises if you’re applying for a particularly competitive industry or particularly prestigious employer.

Of course, some of these competitors may quickly rule themselves out of the running with low grades, sloppy professionalism or general incompetence. But many won’t. And while polishing your CV and honing your interview technique will certainly put you ahead of less dedicated job-seekers, it won’t elevate you above people as prepared as yourself.

Luckily, there are ways to stand out from even the most experienced, conscientious and competent crowd. Using the methods below won’t guarantee you a job, but it’ll definitely up your chances.

What is the recruitment process like at a startup or SME?

Considering working for a start-up or SME? Find out what their recruitment process is like in this week’s blog post.

Over the past few years, there’s been a noticeable increase in the number of university leavers pursuing a graduate job at a startup or SME (small or medium-sized enterprise); over 50% of graduates now say they would rather work at a small company than for one of the larger, more traditional graduate employers. And it’s easy to see why, given working for an SME can be a great way of kick-starting your career. You’ll be given the opportunity to develop a wide skill set, take on high levels of responsibility and get the chance to really have an impact on the business and its development.

Staying In:Leeds

This week, Contemporary and Professional Studies student Roland talks about the In:Leeds day which took place in March, and gives you a glimpse of the reasons why you should consider staying in Leeds after graduation.

As part of a team of six, we pitched an idea on the final day of the inaugural, Leeds-New York Leadership Programme. The idea would see an organisation set up, with the specific purpose of ‘retaining and attracting SMART talent in Leeds.’ We figured if talented students are made aware of what Leeds offers, they would decide to stay in the city post study and be the drivers of innovation, change and development that the city will need if it is to achieve its stated desire of becoming a global economic powerhouse. This project was titled In:Leeds!