What next after your degree? University careers services are there to help.
Posted by Guest Writer on Tue, 05 Jan 2010.
Many of you will be thinking about going to university because you have heard that graduates get better paid jobs than non-graduates. That could be true, but how do you know which graduate job will suit you?
The majority of new students have no idea what they want to do when they graduate. You come to university for a variety of reasons and often career planning is far from your mind! Eventually though, you will start to think about that all important job and where do you begin?
All universities have a careers service and with trained professional careers advisers and many resources to help you with your career planning, this should be your first stop. Careers services are there to:· Guide you through the career choices that your degree has opened up to you· Direct you to resources and web sites to help you make an informed decision about your career· Help you to develop an awareness of the employability skills you possess· Offer advice on how to write your CV and perform well at interviews· Provide information about employers and their graduate vacanciesTo get the most out of your time at university and to help you secure a good job:· Do well in your chosen degree subject and develop an awareness of the valuable employability skills you are getting from your studies: time management, communication skills, research and writing, to name a few· Get involved in university life. Use your time to get some work experience or to volunteer; both of which will help build your CV and develop excellent skillsHopefully, you will all get a graduate job at the end of your studies, but the university careers service could help you get where you want to be more quickly!
Yvonne Hamblin is the Employability Development Adviser in the Careers Centre at Loughborough University: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/ Yvonne manages the Loughborough Employability Award scheme which recognises students’ achievements and skills development through activities outside their degree programme.