Your degree...what next?
Studying for a degree develops a range of skills including:
To effectively understand the skills you have you should start with a skills audit. A skills audit involves reviewing what you have done and where you want to go. It can help boost your confidence and see where your strengths and abilities lie.
Start an audit by taking each of the skills required by an employer and thinking of an example of that skill in practice. As a graduate you will have lots of different areas of your life with which to draw upon for your skills audit. These include:
Another good resource when identifying your skills is the Windmills programme.
Once you have reviewed your skills and experiences, you should have a clearer picture of what your skills are and if there are any gaps in skills that need to be addressed. There are many opportunities available for graduates to further enhance their skills and experiences. Further study, employment, internships, voluntary work, travel and time out are all great ways of building up ones experience and skills. See action plan for more ideas.
You should also consider your skills in relation to your interests and personality. To find out more, ask your higher education (HE) careers service if they have access to personality questionnaires or try the assessment tools and personality tests in psychometric tests.
Employers will value your qualifications as well as any skills and experience you have acquired. It is essential that you demonstrate how your degree can be of use in the particular job you are applying for. Ensure your transferable skilled are clearly highlighted in your CV and covering letter.
For more information on how to make the most of your expertise and competencies, see What do employers want?
There are numerous study options available to those who are considering further study. In 2008, 24% of graduates used their degree as an entry qualification for a further course of study or training (Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2009). For many, further study involves working towards a particular career goal.
Further study can help:
There are a variety of study options available to graduates:
Broadly speaking, there are two forms of academic postgraduate study. There are taught programmes where the subject is taught with lectures and tutorials, and there are research programmes such as an MSc or PhD.
See about postgraduate study for further information.
Full-time option:
Part-time/flexible option:
The part-time options available are beneficial in the following ways:
Part-time study is flexible and permits you to improve your career prospects, but it may take longer to complete. Part-time study also lacks the intensity of full-time courses, so you should consider which mode of study suits your own needs.
Despite reports of lower numbers of graduate jobs due to the economic recession and a more competitive labour market for everyone, employers are still hiring graduates. There are key things you should know and can do to help in the hiring process.
More than ever, graduates need to be ‘employable’. Demonstrating employability means you need to give evidence of skills and knowledge appropriate to your chosen career. In the current labour market, you should consider the following advice:
Graduate destination statistics and trends vary based on many factors, including the course studied, geographical area or employment sector. For a general insight into graduate destinations, see what do graduates do?. Your university careers services should also be able to provide information on destinations of graduates from your own course.
Broad statistics show that, despite a growing number of graduates and the volatility of the current job market, the graduate unemployment rate remained at just 6.5% for those completing courses in 2008 (Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2009). This includes students who were not in graduate jobs, but nonetheless highlights the employability of graduates.
Research demonstrates that graduate employment increases with experience. The following statistics relate to students in 2008 who graduated three and a half years earlier (Higher Education Statistics Agency, 2009):
The type of degree studied may also impact graduate destinations. Vocational degrees (e.g. accounting, engineering, nursing and social work) may provide you with professional accreditation for entry into your chosen profession. That said, non-vocational degrees open many doors, and most graduate jobs do not require a degree in a specific subject.
When making decisions about your future career, you need knowledge of the available opportunities. To learn about options, you can:
For an interactive program to help you work out your skills and interests, try what jobs would suit me?. The program asks you about a range of skills, interests and motivations and how you want them to feature in your future job.
You can use what jobs would suit me? to:
A crucial aspect of your job search strategy should be identifying and researching as many vacancies in your chosen area as possible. In doing this, consider published vacancies, employment agencies and both specialist and general websites where jobs are advertised. For more information on issues relating to the job search process and finding vacancies, see job hunting.
When exploring where you want to work, consider the broad area of activity you want to be involved in and then consider the exact role you want within it. This may allow you to discover roles that you did not previously know about. For example, there is a whole range of opportunities in the teaching profession above and beyond the role of classroom teacher.
It is also important to think about your values in relation to things like:
Industry insights cover different, broad areas of graduate employment. The information for each sector gives a taste of what it feels like to work in a specific area. They outline:
Look at types of jobs to find out more about specific occupations.
The public sector remains a popular option for graduates. It includes a wide range of employers including:
Many people working in the sector feel they are in some way ‘contributing to society’ and value the traditional notion of job security. The sector has not yet suffered as widely within the current economic climate, although this is subject to political force with cutbacks predicted from 2010-2011.
There is often greater potential to earn more and progress quickly with private sector employers. However, firms are subject to market forces and competition, and many employers have suffered within the recent economic recession.
The private sector incorporates a huge number of employers and vocational roles, including:
It also encompasses primary industries such as agriculture, forestry, mining, manufacturing, construction and drilling and quarrying.
In order to remain competitive, many companies have developed within international markets, leading to increased opportunities for graduates to work abroad.
Many students believe this sector only provides unpaid opportunities, but this is far from true. It provides a wide variety of well-paid career opportunities with prospects for advancement. Many not-for-profit organisations provide financial packages and terms of service similar to those found in local government, and competition for jobs can be just as competitive. Job roles may include:
For more information see charities and voluntary work.
There are thousands of SMEs in the UK operating in many sectors - from media to biotechnology. Through SMEs, graduates can make a real difference developing and growing businesses, and often work closely with senior management. Promotion may come earlier than in larger enterprises. However, there may be a greater need to 'hit the ground running'. This is when appropriate experience and/or practical skills are vital.
Formal training opportunities may be limited, and graduates need to be proactive in keeping their knowledge and skills up to date.
See local or regional business directories for more information about employers and working in SMEs. Your university careers services can also offer additional information on SMEs.
Many graduates in vocational subjects such as dentistry or accountancy are likely to be self-employed at some time in their career. Freelance work and portfolio work (where people have one or more part-time jobs, work on short projects or take on temporary jobs and seasonal roles) are common in certain professions (e.g. IT and media).
Self-employment is an attractive option. However, many new enterprises fail within the first two years, so it is advisable to seek as much advice as possible before you set up in business. Financial incentives and advisory services are available to those interested in self-employment, notably Business Link and in Scotland, Business Gateway.
For more information, see self-employment.
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:
Identifying personal skills and goals can be very challenging, but there are plenty of ways to get help thinking this through. You can:
Consider the personal profile you developed in stage one when looking at possible career matches. Be aware of:
For a range of graduate occupational profiles, see types of jobs. Ask yourself:
In order to compete in a competitive graduate jobs market, you may want to consider:
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:
There are several reasons why you may want to amend your plan.
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
Having identified your skills and preferred career choice, you are in a position to apply for jobs. When making applications:
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