How can I explore my options?

If you're still figuring out your professional future, the Careers Service is here to help!

Planning your career can be overwhelming, especially if you’re still not sure what you’d like that career to be. We’ve simplified exploring your options into three easy steps to support and guide you through the process.

Look online

We’re lucky to live in an age where an almost infinite amount of information is just a click away but that can make it tricky to know where to start. Below are our recommendations of useful websites which provide accurate and reliable information.

• Prospects is a not-for-profit resource which includes over 400 job profiles and specific guidance for more than 20 different sectors. You may want to take their job match quiz which suggests roles based on your skills and interests.
• For inspiration closer to home, check out our What can I do with my degree? webpages which contain links and information about jobs students who have studied your degree commonly move into.
• You may have already heard of Targetjobs as a great place to view vacancies but their Careers advice webpages are also a valuable resource.
• For any PhD and Postdocs reading, you’ll want to head to Vitae for advice on careers both inside and outside of academia.

Talk to someone

This may seem a little obvious but speaking to someone is always beneficial!

First, we would recommend talking to people you already know and trust like your family, friends, personal tutor or lecturer. You can ask them about their jobs but also whether they can see you in a particular field or role.

You may also want to connect with professionals who are currently working in an area you are interested in. LinkedIn is a great networking tool or you could reach out to industry association websites which you can find listed in our previously mentioned What can I do with my degree? webpages. The Careers Service also hosts an Ask an Alum programme through which you can send careers-based questions online to our alumni.

Finally, you may want to attend some of our careers events that allow you to connect with and talk to organisations. In fact, we have five careers fairs taking place this autumn term alone!

Try it out

The best way to see if a career is right for you is to give it a go! Of course, this isn’t always possible and it’s important to be practical but browsing our Work experience webpage is a good place to start figuring this out.

Work shadowing is a fantastic opportunity in which an organisation allows you to follow one of their employees for a few days to understand more about their role and the nature of their work. The Careers Service does offer a work shadowing scheme for first year students. Those of you further on in your academic journey can arrange work shadowing through a personal connection or by connecting with someone, for example, via LinkedIn.

You could also get a flavour for a certain profession by testing out an aspect of the role through a competition, e.g. data analysis or coding. Our Competitions and awards webpage has a list of opportunities which is updated regularly.

 That’s all from us today! Be sure to visit our Exploring options webpage for more information.

As always, you can book an appointment with one of our careers consultants or contact us directly should you have any questions related to your professional aspirations.