Planning your career after University can seem a long way off at the beginning of your study, but is important to plan for the future to help you on your way to your chosen path. Some students make the same mistakes while career planning at University, so take a look at these 5 mistakes to make sure you don’t make the same ones.
Leaving the planning too late
One big mistake that is made when career planning is waiting until the final year or even after a student has achieved their degree before considering their final career path. Yes you can get tied up in how to prepare for Uni, but you need to think long term too. When thinking about what you would like to do with your career you should have had a vague idea when choosing your field of study.
Of course, during your studying your career choice may change but it should always be in the back of your mind what you will do afterwards. Keep up to date with the types of jobs you are interested in and make sure you know what knowledge and experience you need to apply. The main thing is not to leave your planning and career choices too late, having an end goal is key.
Believing its all about the degree
Yes, your degree is important, and you will often need specific knowledge to perform certain careers. However, the degree isn’t everything. Employers are looking for so much more, including any relevant experience you have, what kind of personality you have and how you will fit in with the team, flexibility and if you have anything different you can bring to their business or service.
This is why it is important to get real world experience as well as studying towards your final qualification. This will give you something to refer back to and talk about, even if it is not exactly the same as the end career you are planning for.
Not considering the competition
You may do really well in your degree and have top qualifications, but have you considered the competition for your chosen field or career? As you will know already there are many people studying for the same degree and may be applying for the exact same jobs as you. So, you need to know what puts you above the rest.
Looking at what others are doing, their experience and their other attribute will help you realise the skills you have, or what you need to do to stand out to employers. Figure out what you need to be a cut above and use that when planning your career
Failing to read job requirements carefully
Students need to remember they cannot just send out a general resume and expect to be called back for an interview. You need to read the core job requirements carefully and tailor your application to cover these points. However good your application is, if you don’t cover the core competencies, they are looking for then you won’t be considered for the next stage of recruitment.
Cover all the points they want, then give examples of how you have shown these skills and additional skills you have that complement the role and make you stand out.
Forgetting you may need to get further qualifications
For some career choices you can’t just finish your degree and walk into a job, you need to do some additional training to direct you to a certain job. You may also wish to specialise in your field which will mean further qualifications in addition to your initial degree.
The earlier you plan for this the better as you will know how long you will be in education and plan the start of your career.
Now you are better equipped to plan your career after University, knowing the mistakes to avoid and what you should and shouldn’t do.