Why not give some thought to your career plans over the break ?

The end of term has arrived and many of you will have plans over the break and also we appreciate there are deadlines looming over the horizon and possibly exams.

However there might be a little time between any social events  and all the work to perhaps focus on your thoughts after graduation and we offer some tips that might help with this.

Are there people you come across at social events that might work in a field that interests you? Could you talk to them about what they do and if possible arrange a work shadowing visit, maybe even some work experience?  This could then help you decide if its for you and also would look good on a CV.

If you are a final year you will no doubt get the inevitable question from family and friends,  ‘What you going to do when you leave?

If you really haven’t got a clue then don’t despair, first port of call could be to check out the Quiz on Prospects ( see the link below) and maybe make a note to contact the Careers Service for an appointment in the new year to discuss the results and talk about any other ideas. If you are still feeling unsure then this is something we at the Careers Service can help with.

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/planner

Another idea to generate thinking  is to consider all the people who work over Christmas to make it run smoothly. Many of these sectors  employ graduates with any degree  for some of their roles.

Here is a link to some of these sectors on the Prospects website.

Charity and Voluntary work

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/charity-and-voluntary-work

Energy and Utilities

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/energy-and-utilities

Health care

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/healthcare

Hospitality and events management

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/hospitality-and-events-management

Retail

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/retail

Transport and Logistics

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/transport-and-logistics

If you have a  good idea of what you want to do are you actively looking for opportunities? Remember some companies have early closing dates for next year’s posts and graduate schemes.

So  be aware of all the places where jobs are advertised .

If you are already signed up just check you are getting the jobs that interest you and if not it might be worth checking the preferences you ticked are correct.

Here is a link to the ‘find a job’ section on our website.

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-a-job/find-a-job/index.aspx

If you see things you want to apply for over the break then don’t forget there’s lots of advice on applying on our website.

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-a-job/cvs-applications-and-interviews/index.aspx

If you have already applied and have already got the offer of an interview or are hoping you will  why not start the preparation for this. To get yourself ready you can always ask someone to ask you a  few interview type questions.

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/careers/looking-for-a-job/cvs-applications-and-interviews/preparing-for-interviews/index.aspx

Finally we wish everyone a good break and see you all again in the New Year.

  Steve Baker via Compfight