Narrowing down your job options can help you make better, focused applications with more chance of success

Before you dive into searching for job roles, take a step back. What are you hoping to find? If you have no idea at all, it's time to do some initial thinking. Consider the following:

• What has motivated the choices you've already made, and still motivates you? 
• When you browse vacancy websites, why are certain kinds of jobs more attractive?
• What are the factors that make up a job you'd love or hate to do?

Thinking about these issues can help you to focus. Knowing what you want to avoid is also a good place to start; try turning negatives into positives to find what you are looking for.

What jobs suit me?

Everyone has individual preferences when it comes to the world of work. Perhaps you know the kind of working environment you'd enjoy (peaceful, buzzing), the preferred shape of your working day (focusing on one thing or switching from task to task), the hours, pay and conditions, or a sense of what might make a job feel satisfying. Learning about what you want from a job is a process that will continue as you move through your career, but it is helpful to figure out as much as you can now.

Think about your preferences and match them to jobs in what jobs would suit me? You may reveal more about your personality, strengths and weaknesses by taking psychometric tests. Talk to people too; friends and family know you well and can help point out strengths that you might take for granted.

What should I do next?

Focus on a few different jobs or sectors that sound like they might suit you and try to find out more about them. For details on what it's like to work in a particular sector, see job sectors, and to explore preferred roles further, take a look at types of jobs.

Browse vacancy websites, watch videos on Careers Box  and icould , and talk to those in the industry to get to know what the jobs are really like. You could use website case studies, LinkedIn , friends, family, university alumni networks or simply directly contact people to ask questions (see networking). It might be that they can offer you the chance to see the job first hand, too.

What types of employers are there?

Finding an organisation that suits you is as important as choosing the right occupation. There are various options to consider:

Large employers (250+ employees) include many key graduate recruiters, national and multinational organisations. Groups of graduate recruits typically join the business at the same time, having applied in the autumn/winter of the previous year. Graduate roles often include support for professional qualifications, higher than average salaries, longer hours, early responsibility and deployment to different areas based on the needs of the organisation.

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (fewer than 250 employees) make up around 99.9% of all UK enterprises and employ approximately 22.8 million people in the UK (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2010). SMEs may often feel less visible to graduate jobseekers as finding opportunities within them will take more research and suitable positions may not be labelled 'graduate' roles. Work may be more varied and working hours are often shorter and/or more flexible. Promotion within the organisation may be less likely and often starting salaries are a little lower, but the opportunity to make a measurable difference within the organisation is greater.

There are a number of areas you can work in:

• Private sector: priority is to deliver profits for investors. Commercial awareness is heavily valued.
• Public sector: priority is to serve the public through government mandates. It includes local and national government, state schools and the NHS.
• Charity sector: priority is to use funds raised to deliver the charity's aims. Paid and voluntary roles exist, and experience is important for entry.
• Social enterprise: priority is to deliver profits for charitable aims but commercial awareness is still important.
• Self-employment: priority is to deliver sustained profits for the individual. It includes independent work, which needs responsibility and self-motivation. Learn more at self-employment.

What can I do with my degree? 

During your degree, you will have developed skills, such as time management or communication, that can be used in any job role. For suggestions on jobs related to your degree and to find out what roles other graduates go on to, see options with your subject.  

For further help, take a look at the interactive career planning and guidance site Windmills .