Do you have any advice for students who aren’t sure what they want to do after university?
Jan Steele
Careers Practitioner, University of Southampton
Know yourself: what are your values, strengths and interests? Making use of personality and psychometric tests and tools such as Job Test Prep (or see this article for lots of links to free tests) are useful ways to build up your self-awareness. It can also be helpful to seek insights from your peers, family and tutors.
Use this self-knowledge to explore how this relates to career options. Look at the careers which graduates from your degree subject have gone into – this may give you some ideas to explore. Attend relevant careers talks, workshops, fairs and presentations by employers and Careers Advisers.
At this stage, talking to people in the careers in which you are interested can be very insightful and help you to decide if this is the career you wish to pursue. If possible, following this with work-shadowing or work experience can confirm your decision.
Finally – apply for vacancies that match your career choices and target employers that interest you.
Remember you are not on your own! Visit your University Careers Service. Most will offer workshops or one-to-one appointments to help you move forward.