Building a career is one of the hardest things you will have to do. Today, finding a job is even harder because of the demand for experience and skills. The bright side? If you show your recruiter that you have developed your talents through initiative and hard work- you will not be able to demonstrate your technical skills but also your hard work.
So, it is important to keep all that pessimism aside and start thinking logically about building a career path successfully. To help you with your quest, we have listed some tips for you to prepare for your future at university.
Volunteer
Volunteering is always a rewarding experience. It not only gives you transferable skills but it also helps you discover certain aspects of that work that appeals to which will help you in the long run. It doesn’t matter where you are volunteering, so remember that small local organizations offer exceptional opportunities and will help you be more recognized.
You could explore your skills in management, marketing, and many other things which could help you build your career!
CV
Keep telling yourself again and again – learn the CV basics before building one. An excellent CV could go a long way. Make sure it shows the most important aspects of your life that would help recruiters assess how good of a fit you would be in their organization. The average time a recruiter spends on a single CV is close to 10 seconds, so keep it on one page.
Blogging
Blogging is an excellent way to build your CV. It’s something employers are always looking for. It builds transferable skills and shows your commitment to things. Even if your blog doesn’t turn out to be directly relevant to your career path, it would demonstrate that you are an enthusiastic and proactive person. Also, keep in mind that your blog is something your employers might read one day, so keep it clean – don’t make it overly controversial.
Networking
Network, network, network! Career networking is dominating the industry today! Make sure to attend job fairs where recruiters will be running events. Most of the sector that you might be aiming for will have a certain type of professional body that run networking events. Keep your options open and start as soon as you can. You never know what kind of opportunity might knock on your door.
Recognize the skills you gain from experience
No matter what job you have done in the past, remember that it is all experience. A semester holiday spent waitressing may not have been an enjoyable experience, but it will provide you with a lot of competencies like organizational skills, leadership skills, etc. These transferable skills are important to your recruiters. Show them that you have done this.
Work experience
Build your experience while you are in university. All internships at all times are job interviews. Keep that in mind while you are doing one! Ask your professors and attend job fairs for internship opportunities. This could help you explore your options as well as network.
Don’t be afraid to jump ship
Work experiences that come from doing internships and other minor gigs are to help you understand what you want and what you like in your life. If you think that the career that you have chosen now isn’t right for you, don’t be afraid to jump ship. Do what makes you happy. You don’t have to fit in one single box!
Research
Yes! Make sure you are up to date on your hunt for a job! Make sure you learn your CV basics. Be prepared for any surprise interview. And constantly keep yourself updated on new openings and vacancies. The most important part of building a career is using LinkedIn. You might find a lot more amazing opportunities on LinkedIn than anywhere else.
Build a brilliant online portfolio
Impressions, personality and communication – these are the key things recruiters first notice when you want to work in the industry. If you are going for a face-to-face interview, a printed portfolio might come in handy. But today, thanks to the pandemic, most interviews are conducted online, so make sure you build a brilliant online portfolio to promote yourself demonstrating what you can do. Add links and references to your best work and turn yourself into a brand.
Be prepared
The key to a successful career is grabbing the opportunity as soon as it comes knocking at your door. So, it is important to always be prepared. Attend mock interviews, practice online tests, and think about interview techniques way before you actually get an interview. So, in case something comes out of the blue, you won’t be underprepared. Keep your CV up to date (remember, not more than two pages) and draft a list of answers demonstrating all your transferable skills with strong examples.
