Five Golden Rules for Career Success

Fiona Hartley is an Employability & Careers Consultant at the University of Exeter.

***Fiona Hartley, Employability & Careers Consultant***

Congratulations, you’ve nearly made it to the end of the academic year, and if you’re a Finalist, Graduation is only a couple of months away.

If you don’t have a career plan yet, here’s our Five Golden Rules for Career Success (along with how to get unstuck if you’re still not sure what’s next for you).

1. Think direction, not destination.
Exploring careers is often about pursuing a line of curiosity and seeing what opportunities open up. This means starting somewhere (ideally in a job that plays to your strengths) and having faith in your ability to make smart decisions as you go along.

Instead of asking “What do I want to do for the next 40 years of my life?” try asking “What do I want to do for the next two years of my life?” It’s a far more manageable – and sensible – question.

2. Shorten your time frame
Instead of asking “What do I want to do for the next 40 years of my life?” try asking “What do I want to do for the next two years of my life?” It’s a far more manageable – and sensible – question. The buzzwords here are flexibility and opportunism. Whatever you choose doesn’t have to be your career for life – it’s just going to be your first job after University.

3. Start with you, not your degree
Graduates who ask, “What can I do with my degree?” are looking at their situation back-to-front. A far better question is “What do I enjoy – and what am I good at?” The sort of job that’s most suited to you will be one that plays to your personal strengths, motivations, and interests, not just your academic qualifications.

4. Be bold and curious
Scared of making a career mistake? Don’t be. The only mistake you can make is to wait for your ‘dream career’ to miraculously ‘come to you’. It won’t. Instead, get out there and have faith in your ability to learn as much from your first job as you can – before making a smart decision about where to go next. Don’t worry about getting ‘stuck’ – remember, nothing is set in stone. If your first job doesn’t work out, you’ll find something else.

5. Look for good people – not the ‘perfect’ job
It’s easy to fixate on finding the ‘perfect’ job – but if you don’t have a particular calling it can be a smarter idea to seek out a great company run by interesting people. ‘Dream’ jobs have a habit of turning into nightmares if your colleagues are less than supportive. And less than promising jobs can turn out to be winners if you have an inspiring manager.

…if you don’t have a particular calling it can be a smarter idea to seek out a great company run by interesting people.

Whatever you do, do something
Recruiters agree that the worst thing to see on a candidate’s CV is a big gap. Remember any experience is good experience. It’s a really good idea to do at least do something short-term, while you’re getting your act together looking for longer-term work. A day a week volunteering is better than nothing. Plus, you’ll find it helps keep you motivated.

But wait, what if you’re still feeling stuck? Try the following if you’re struggling to get started or focus your thinking –

Build a scrapbook

Build a scrapbook of ideas – job adverts, blogs, organisations, career profiles, articles.
Keep a record of your knowledge, skills, and experience. Revisit your Create Your Future activities or use some of the activities on our pages Help with self-awareness
Discuss your experiences and possible career ideas with people you trust and ask for feedback on your strengths.

Prioritise your needs

Ask yourself ‘What do you enjoy and what are you good at? Is there a pattern to how you like to work? What motivates you to do your best?’
Rate your interests on a scale ranging from essential to unimportant.
Talk to us to help facilitate your thinking about next step plans.

Start exploring ideas

Try Prospects Planner for possible careers that match your skills and interests.
Try and choose one new idea every month to research in more detail.
If you’re struggling for ideas or feeling overwhelmed, choose any one and get started – you’ll quickly get a sense if you are on the right track.
Thinking ‘direction’ rather than ‘destination’ can help if you’re struggling to relate your ideas to specific job titles.
Review your experiences and use a mind map to identify possible sectors and generate further career ideas.

Thinking ‘direction’ rather than ‘destination’ can help if you’re struggling to relate your ideas to specific job titles.

Explore sectors

Use occupational Information on the Career Zone website to learn more about different sectors and opportunities within them.
Identify key websites and resources for further research.
Use your contacts and those on LinkedIn to talk to graduates working in an area that interest you. Take a look at our Help with networking for advice and tips on how to make good connections.

Try something new

Volunteer, or attend events and skills sessions at our Devon and Cornwall campuses to try new experiences that take you outside of your comfort zone.

And if you do know what you’re interested in…

Regularly reflect on new experiences and re-assess your understanding of the work to identify any gaps in your knowledge and experience

Regularly read relevant professional publications and other media to keep abreast of current issues in the field.
Write down your reasons for your career choice(s). Be specific and review regularly as you develop your understanding of the work.

Build and use your networks

Arrange to speak to three different people, ideally at different stages of their career who are currently doing this type of work
Ask them the questions you have identified are important to you.
Identify what contributes to their success – can you learn anything to develop your career?
Arrange to work shadow people doing the job.
Share your career plans and ask for further advice on how you might improve your chances of success.

Gather a body of evidence to improve your chance of success

Identify your development needs and seek opportunities to address them – perhaps further work experience in a new setting, training, project work, and volunteering, gaining accreditation of existing skills?
Seek feedback from others and record evidence of your capabilities.
Take every opportunity that is offered to you to develop your career.

Raise your profile

Update your CV, and appropriate social media such as LinkedIn, as you develop your skills and experience.
Find new ways to raise your profile – volunteering, project work, employer presentations and workshops, joining a professional body, or attend regional events in the sector?
Secure referees and ensure you keep them informed about your plans and any applications.

Start your job search

Monitor opportunities well in advance of when you intend to apply to get a sense of market trends and employer needs
Don’t wait for opportunities to be advertised – identify potential employers and research how they recruit and what they look for.

The Career Zone offers many resources including our podcasts and blogs (which you’re reading now!) outlining opportunities to help you develop your ideas and support you with applications. If you’d like help with career planning, or anything else related to careers and employability, we’d love to hear from you.