Your degree...what next? : Action plan

Organising your action plan

An action plan can help you to focus your thoughts and proactively work out your next steps. It could be a formal written document, part of your personal development plan at university or a file you keep personally.

An effective action plan may include:

1. Knowing yourself and what you want

Identifying personal skills and goals can be very challenging, but there are plenty of ways to get help thinking this through. You can:

• speak to a careers adviser;
• talk to lecturers, friends and family about where they feel your strengths lie. Lecturers may also be practitioners and have knowledge about possibilities in your chosen career;
• look at personality and career planning tools such as what jobs would suit me?;
• reflect on your degree to consider any practical and theoretical skills you have that are relevant to various career areas.

2. Researching your career options

Consider the personal profile you developed in stage one when looking at possible career matches. Be aware of:

• careers where your degree is required;
• careers where your degree will give you an advantage;
•  jobs open to graduates of any discipline.

For a range of graduate occupational profiles, see types of jobs. Ask yourself:

• does this option match my skills and talents?
• does it suit my personality and values?
• does it provide the rewards I am looking for, including financial reward and career progression?
• how easy will it be to find this type of work or study?
• can I afford the study period that may be needed?

3. Developing employability

In order to compete in a competitive graduate jobs market, you may want to consider:

• arranging to volunteer within your preferred vocational area in order to gain experience and knowledge of the job;
• looking for part-time work that would develop relevant skills;
• undertaking further study in order to enhance knowledge and skills or gain professional accreditation if necessary;
• developing your studies (if time permits) to complement your preferred career e.g. completing your dissertation in a relevant area of research.

4. Reviewing and decision making

Thinking about which career option suits you best and whether it is realistic can be difficult and stressful. University careers service staff are experts in offering this kind of advice and are available to you for a considerable period of time after graduation.

It is important to review your goals and targets and to be prepared for them to change. Make sure you have a clearly defined career action plan that is:

• specific;
• measurable;
• achievable;
• realistic;
• time framed.

There are several reasons why you may want to amend your plan.

• You may decide that your skillset is different from the one that you first identified.
• Perhaps you need to acquire new skills, experience or qualifications.
• There may be changes in your personal circumstances.
• You may come across a new opportunity that had not occurred to you before.
• Competition may be too intense.
• There may be a downturn in the area of employment you were going into.

Whatever changes take place, it is very important to incorporate them into your plan. Don’t be afraid of change. If you know your strengths, have researched career resources and developed a network of contacts, you will be in a strong position to cope with change

5. Making applications

Having identified your skills and preferred career choice, you are in a position to apply for jobs. When making applications:

• target your CV to the job and keep it up to date;
• research organisations and complete applications to a professional standard;
• try to gain knowledge of the recruitment and interview process for each employer;
• use your careers service for further advice and feedback on your CV or application form;
• see job application advice and CVs and covering letters for more information.