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Unlock the secrets to a successful career with insights from Calum Leckie, a trusted Careers Adviser from the University of London. Discover valuable tips on self-exploration, option generation, effective research, and goal setting. Navigate the job market with confidence using essential tools and strategies outlined in the career management cycle.
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Planning your future career Calum Leckie Careers Adviser Careers Group, University of London
Some Facts About the UK Job Market • Increasing number of students with post graduate qualifications • 60% of all graduate jobs are open to any degree discipline • Employers seeking mix of educational & work experience • 67% of graduates move employer at least once within their first 4 years of work • Move towards employees managing their own career • 93% UK companies are SMEs
Self-exploration Option generation S O R Research Transition management T I T Taking decisions Implementation Career management cycle www.careers.lon.ac.uk/sortit
Self-knowledge - VIPS What are your… • Values? • Interests? • Priorities? • Skills?
Generating ideas • Purpose – what do you want to contribute to? • Who is already achieving it? • Passion – what inspires you? • Who shares your passion? • Prowess – what are you good at? • Who produces what you could produce? • People – who do you want to serve? • Who interacts with the people you want to serve?
Generating Ideas • Career Destinations of Previous Graduates • Computer aided guidance eg. Prospects planner • on www.prospects.ac.uk • Look at job adverts in relevant employment areas • Do you have the skills / experience required? • Talk to people in employment about their jobs (networking) • Occupational directories (prospects, careers library) • - www.careerstagged.co.uk
Skills Sought by Employers(% finding short supply of each skill, source AGR) 8 Computer Literacy (6%) 7 Numeracy (19%) 6 Knowledge & competence in discipline (19%) 5 Problem Solving (32%) 4 Teamworking Skills (33%) 3 Leadership (33%) 2 Communication Skills (64%) 1 Business Awareness (67%)
Effective Research: Knowing what you want • WHY are you doing it?Purpose, rewards, outcomes, satisfaction, meaning, worth, value • WHAT are you doing?Topics, activities, skills • WHO are you doing it with/for?Colleagues, clients, managers, background, intelligence, outlook, variety, frequency, intensity • HOW are you doing it?Approach, personality, being yourself, congruence • WHERE are you doing it?Working environment, geography, travel, relocation • WHEN are you doing it?Work–life balance, career progression and development
Where to Research • Use www.prospects.ac.ukfor profiles of 100s of grad jobs • www.careerstagged.co.uk • Browse careers library for books and take away material on Careers areas (some specific to research staff) – job & person profiles • Come to careers presentations, courses & fairs – listed at www.careers.lon.ac.uk, Read industry press • Talk to people doing the job - NETWORKING • Do short work experience or work shadowing • Use specialist recruitment agencies to get temp work
Office of National Statistics How do people get jobs?
Networking • Contacts can tell you about: • nature of occupations • current developments • industry scandal • skills needed • ways into an organisation • impending vacancies • the selection procedure
Ways of generating contacts • Ex-colleagues, friends, family • Industry professional bodies • Authors of trade journals • Vacancy pages • Careers directories e.g. prospects.ac.uk • Newspaper articles • Employer websites • Networking events & activities • Online Networking sites:
Self-exploration Option generation S O R Research Transition management T I T Taking decisions Implementation Career management cycle
Set Goals • Break down the path to the career of your choice into a series of achievable stages • When will you know when you have reached each stage? • What information do you need? • Set realistic time scales • Remember SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resourced, Timed It may be useful to produce an action plan
DON’T PANIC!!! Because: • This is a decision about your next step, not the rest of your life • Most people change jobs in the course of their working life • From a ‘wrong’ choice, you’ll learn a lot about yourself and what you do want But: • Do start thinking about careers now • Don’t just grab at jobs without considering what you want and researching
Careers services – further info. • 4th Floor, ULU Building, Malet Street • www.careers.lon.ac.uk/sics • Tel: 020 7866 3600, Email: sics@careers.lon.ac.uk • Monday to Thursday 09:30 - 17:00Friday 11:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 17:00 - 20:00 (Information Resources only)