Care about your Career

Whilst you're still in education and trying to plan your future careers, take our advice now and get the most out of your university experience.

The source will support and guide you through your time here at Derby so that you can get as much relevant experience whilst completing your course. This will heighten your employability opportunities once you leave this institution and develop your CV accordingly. Our advisors are available to help you whilst you study, offering impartial advice, support and guidance on any career question, including; how employable you are, key skills and attributes for future career prospects, personal skills profiles and CV development, to name but a few.

Top 5 Urban Myths

1. It's all right because when I finishing Uni my degree alone will allow me to walk into a job that will pay me £25,000 minimum.

   In your dreams... The reality these days is that employees are looking for individauls who can offer expereince alongside academic qualifications. You may need to take a temporary or lower-grade job to create the right networks. Remember it's easier to get a job when you're in one already.

2. I've completely mucked up because my degree has no relevance to the job I eventually now want … looks like I'll have to start from scratch and do a whole new degree.

   Not necessarily – depending on which field you now want to go into there are plenty of alternative routes into future employment. A degree in its self has strong recognition but is also all comes back to the 'experience' word again, that and selling yourself appropriately.

3. Being a graduate means that you can expect to gain management status immediately

   Afraid not – being a graduate means that you have studied at degree level in your field. To gain management status you have to have particular experience alongside this. Although some students are lucky enough to engage in such opportunities the majority will work there way up to such positions within the organisations of their chose.

4. I have nothing to write on my CV because aside from a part time bar job I've never really been employed

   Don't sell your self-short – you'll be surprised at the key skills you will have picked up during your university experiences, regardless of what you've specialise in. The key thing here is how you communicate them to a future employee and that's where we can come in.

5. As soon as I leave derby I expect to walk straight into my ideal job, I mean that's what I've done a degree for

   Not True – too many students put this unnneccssary pressure on themselves due to such misconceptions. The important thing to remember is to see every career opportunity as a stepping stone in the right direction.

If you're going to ignore our advice above, and you think you're old enough to look after yourself – at least follow these following tips.

Finding The Right Job For You

It's really important to remember that we're all different and that we all have our own priorities when it comes to finding that 'ideal job'. As we go through life we all change and gain continual experience but so to do our ideas.

An ideal job may simply be your ideal role in life, a series of jobs in a particular career area or a project to which you devote yourself.

Like winning the lottery, many people just sit there waiting hopefully for this 'ideal job' to land in their lap. We can assure you it will be an extremely long wait if you choose to adopt this attitude.

There may well be such a job or role in life that is ideal for you – but it won't suddenly appear with bright flashing lights. It is more likely to come in some unexpected way. One thing is certain – the clearer you can picture your ideal job, the easier it will be to spot and seize it when it appears.

You also need to accept that few people actually achieve the ideal. The important thing is to keep getting closer to it all the time. Usually the best recipe for long-term satisfaction is basing your ideal on making the most of your individual talents, motivations and skills.

Check Your Skills

When applying for a job the majority of skills fall into four categories, these are as follows:

1 - Self-reliance skills

• Self-management
• Self-awareness
• Proactivity
• Willingness to learn
• Self-promotion
• Networking
• Planning action

2 – People Skills

• Team working
• Interpersonal skills
• Oral communication
• Leadership
• Customer orientation
• Foreign language

3 – General Skills

• Problem-solving
• Flexibility
• Business acumen
• IT/Computer literacy
• Numeracy
• Commitment

4 – Specialist Skills

• Occupational skills
• Technical skills
• Understanding commercial goals
• Company-related expertise
• Professional expertise
• Strategic planning skills

When focusing on these areas it is important that you use the most relevant examples of these skills when applying for a job. It is also crucial that you review your skills regularly and recognise how 'portable' they are so that you can start thinking along the lines of 'I can do' rather than simply 'I do' when asked to focus on your skill set.

So How Employable are You?

In other words, how does your present portfolio of skills measure up against the above profile?

To check this you need to:

• Map Out your skills by listing your experiences and achievements.
• Collect evidence that proves you have these skills.
• Review your skills; assess which are strongest, which you enjoy using most and which you need to develop.
• When assessing your existing skills, take care not to undersell yourself.

Many of us fail to realise what skills we posses and just take our abilities for granted.

This one-dimensional approach means we often focus only on skills and experience gained from traditional full-time paid work.

To avoid this, you should map out a detailed profile of all the areas of your life.

Look at all dimensions, full-time work, part-time work, voluntary work, home work, community work.

Size Yourself Up

The following exercise encourages you to think about your key skills and attributes.

It will boost your awareness of your strengths and areas for development so you can:

• Improve your chances of achieving your ideal job
• Promote yourself more effectively
• Assess ways in increasing your employability

Mapping Out Your Skills

1. List the positive experiences and achievements in your career to date. If you are already in work this is not too difficult, but think too about experiences in part-time work, voluntary work and work undertaken for social purposes, e.g. for clubs, community groups or similar organisations.
2. Look at the list of words in the skills portfolio below and recognise skills and attributes that have resulted from the initial list you have created.
3. Put yourself in the shoes of three people in turn – friends/family, tutors/lecturers, and people you have worked for, people you work with, or other work-related contacts how would their views of you differ?
4. Make sure you write these skills down and ensure they appear on your CV and at interview.

Collecting The Evidence

1. Take a reality check. Make sure you have enough evidence for each skill area. Try to create a list of positive examples that demonstrate your level of competence, e.g. raised £10,000 fundraising for RAG, represented the student body on union council, or participate in delivering proactive campaigns to the student body.
2. Refine your list if you cannot provide enough physical or verbal evidence.
3. Keep a record of all your positive feedback and achievements and make sure it remains up to date.

Reviewing Your Skills

1. Look at the resulting list mentioned above and think about which of these skills you would like to use a great deal more of in the future – these are your core portfolio of skills, i.e. the things you're good at and enjoy.
2. Revisit the skill you either haven't highlighted or do not have enough evidence of. Highlight those you feel are crucial to maintaining your employability in the short and medium term. These are your areas for future development.
3. Think about whether you have the right balance of self-reliance, people, generalist and specialist skills to stay employable.
4. Ensure your key skills are emphasised on your CV and in interviews.

You Have More Than You Think

You'll be amazed at how many skills you posses once you start to look at yourself in a wider perspective. That means taking into account the kind of things you get involved in, in and away from your normal academic lifestyle.

Think about all the aspects of your life including your family, social life and other non-work-related activities and you'll be surprised how many skills you really have.

The Universities Career Development centre can assist you with producing or updating your CV. Check out there website for information on this and much much more, at http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/cv.htm

Descriptive Words for your Skills Portfolio

People Skills

Teamworking

Supportive, facilitator, organised, co-ordinator, deliverer, imaginative, delegator, open-minded.

Leadership

Dynamic, motivator, team-builder, confidence booster, energetic, capable, outward-looking, accountable, visionary.

Interpersonal Skills

Listener, adviser, counsellor, politically aware, initiator, professional, co-operative, constructive, assertive.

Customer Orientation

Welcoming, friendly, caring, approachable, constructive, accommodating, tactful, diplomatic, tolerant.

Oral Communication

Educator, trainer, communicator, presenter, promoter, influencer, humorous, empathetic, telephone skills.

Foreign Language

Specific language skills, cultural awareness, international experiences, written and oral expertise, sensitivity.

Self-Reliance Skills

Self-Awareness/Confidence

Purposeful, focused, reflective, perceptive, honest, Self-belief, objective, realistic, balanced.

Self-Promotion Skills

Positive, persuasive, pleasant, proactive, persistent, ambitious, opportunistic, promoter.

Initiative And Proactivity

Resourceful, energetic, drive, flexible, self-starter, self-reliant, initiative, self-disciplined.

Networking Skills

Initiator, trustful, personable, relationship-builder, persistent, developer, resourceful, respected.

Willing To Learn

Motivated, adaptable, enthusiastic, active, keen learner, inquisitive, continual improver.

Action Planning

Decision-maker, planner, organised, negotiator, responsive, evaluator, forward thinking, target-driven, able to prioritise.

Generalist Skills

Problem-Solving

Achiever, successful, results-orientated, project management, creative, practical, logical, astute, agile mind.

IT/Computer Literacy

IT skills, software packages, common sense, task-orientated, progressive, specific, office skills, keyboard skills.

Flexibility

Multi-disciplinary, flexible, versatile, multi-skilled, willing, obliging, mobile, adaptable.

Numeracy Skills

Accurate, logical, problem-solver, detailed, methodical, consistent, quick thinker, analytical, thorough.

Business Acumen

Competitive, entrepreneurial, enterprising, commercial, foresight, budgeter, risk taker, effective written communication.

Commitment

Dedicated, trustworthy, conscientious, reliable, loyal, punctual, knowledgeable, experienced.

Specialist Skills

Company-Specific Skills

Specialist knowledge, e.g. product or market knowledge; specialist skills, e.g. IT packages; unique language skills, e.g. Chinese; specialist interpersonal skills, e.g. public speaker.

Technical Skills

Professional, sector-based or functional skills, e.g. journalism, research, aerospace engineering, tax accounting, counselling, creative design, economist, personnel, sales, marketing.

Understanding

Specialist understanding of an organisation's goals, Commercial Goals priorities and future direction (combination of self- Of Company reliance, business acumen and people skills).

Ask Yourself Why

Purpose: Try to identify the main purpose of your ideal job. How does work relate to your wider life ambitions? Does it provide you with satisfaction – or simply finance other interests, which give you more of a buzz? Basically, do you live to work or work to live?

Roles: What kind of work do you see yourself doing to satisfy this purpose? What suits your temperament best? Do you prefer working with people, ideas or practical things?

Organisation: Do you see yourself working in the private sector or for a public body – in industry or an office? Would you feel more relaxed in a large organisation or a small private firm?

Career Motivation: This is the big one – and it's very closely related to 'purpose' (Above). What really motivates you? Do you see yourself working for someone else – or working for yourself? A settled job, a series of roles in a particular area – or a special project of some kind? How important is security against the need to strike out into new fields?

Environment: What energises you most – a steady pace or the stimulation of deadlines? Do you prefer dealing with ideas or working in a hands-on way? Think about the kind of work you enjoy most, the way you interact with others, the social context, the learning environment you prefer, the working relationships (and hours) you enjoy most.

Sector: What kind of employment sector suits you best? – Your choices might range from communications to engineering and from professional services to retail or leisure. You also need to cheek if there are signs of growth in your target sector and where the main opportunities lie.

Skills: Finally you need to ask what key skills, qualifications and experience you need for your ideal job – remember to look at if from the employer's perspective. Look at the skills you've identified in the Skills Portfolio above and see how they compare to what you really need.

Bridging the Gap

First time round, you may have a very blurred an unrealistic picture of your ideal job. You can make things clearer by:

Continually revisiting the PROCESS (above) either by yourself or with a friend or colleague asking you questions.

Sending off for as many different job specifications as possible. Highlight the requirements you would meet and enjoy. You will then have a bank of activities which interest you.

• Creating as many different opportunities as possible to find and test out your ideal job.
• Looking at the stepping-stones that will get you there, e.g. voluntary work, temporary work or a particular project.
• Discarding the kind of roles you hate.

Following your instincts – and looking for clues in your past.

Proactive Top Tips

• Be positive and realistic. Dedicate time to the process ands recognise it's a long-term investment.
• Be prepared to take a few stepping stones to your ideal job. You may need to take a temporary or lower-grade job to create the right networks. Remember it's easier to get a job when you're in one already.
• Identify two or three people working in your chosen field and ask them how to research the market, who to speak to, where to find information and what questions to ask. For useful networking skills check out: http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/careernetworking.htm
• Get as many people as possible looking for you. Sign up with a recruitment agency, let previous employers and current contacts know you're available and send out speculative letters.
• Scan your local paper for signs of growth, e.g. companies that are expanding, new developments, government tenders and awards. Make contact before new jobs are advertised.
• Keep in touch with changes in your chosen field by reviewing journals, trade magazines, newsletters, electronic media – databases, teletext, internet, CD Roms and attending conferences and trade fairs.
• Look at work-shadowing opportunities. Find out whether companies have open days / visits. Look at where they promote their products or services. Use career fairs and employer presentations to find out what job roles involve.
• Always do your groundwork before sending off speculative letters. Know who you're targeting, what you're asking for, develop a persuasive covering letter and follow up with a phone call. Be persistent and play the percentage game.
• Volunteer to work unpaid or on a trail basis (particularly useful in small business which see recruiting new staff as risky). Use any opportunity (e.g. a specific project) to show your abilities – and make sure your client spreads the word to colleagues and their networks.
• Get on the inside track by keeping in touch with people in your chosen filed/organisation. Tap into their information networks, e.g. internal vacancy lists, newsletters, press announcements etc. Check out the following website for a head start: http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/index.html
• Draw up a list of organisations to target. Get names from the Yellow Pages, Trade Association Directories, Professional Journals, Chambers of Commerce, National Training Organisations (NTOs), Local Business Associations, Business Links and Government Training Organisations. Make a speculative application or give them a phone call.
• Learn from experience – your own and other people's. Seek as much feedback as possible I order to improve your technique. Buy a book on creative thinking or innovative job search techniques. Make the most of traditional options. Remember that thousands of people complain about rejection – but it's usually an excuse to avoid making the effort to try the ideas we've been looking at. Most people want things on a plate. Make up your mind to be different and show initiative.
• Highlight gaps - what new skills, qualifications, and experience do you need to achieve or grow into my ideal job? How realistic is it and what do (learn on the job, invest in a course, find a new project?) what timescale?
• Assess compromises: what are the benefits/limitations of this career path? Do any compromises need to be made? Are the pay levels sufficient?

It's important not to forget that creating your own opportunities is an ongoing process. You can also be using these ideas all the time to grow your own job – not just when you're looking for a new one.

Don't forget the Tradition Option

As well as being proactive, it's vital to ensure you make the most of tradition options.

Some key tips include:

• Find out which days your local and national newspapers advertises particular kinds of jobs.
• Don't be put off by job titles and salaries – scan job adverts in detail to find out exactly what they entail. If in doubt, ask for more information.
• Approach The Universities Career Development centre or your local careers service. Make specific contacts and develop relationships with staff that may be able to help you in your job search. If they can't help you, ask them who can.
• Get yourself onto as many useful mailing lists as possible.
• Keep up to date with the directories, publications, journals and magazines through which employers recruit and make sure you surf the internet.

Investigate a possible personal or career development course.

Ahead of The Game

It's useful to improve your job focus by looking ahead.

You could:

• Put yourself in the shoes of employers' recruiting for positions you find interesting. What skills and experience are they looking for? Now reflect on where you are now and what experience you would require.
• Ask friends and colleagues what they see you achieving in career terms. This may open up new options you haven't thought of.
• Think of people whose jobs or lifestyles you really admire and discover how they managed their careers.
• You may also wish to investigate psychological testing such as Myers-Briggs. The University offer a free online psychological assessment, which can be found at: http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/psychometrictestintro.htm

Selling Yourself

Once you've located a likely job or opportunity, you need to persuade someone that you're the right person for it. In other words you need to sell yourself.

Your CV:

There is no such thing as a perfect CV. Its chances of success or failure depend completely on how far it meets the criteria, background and bias of the person reading it – your prospective employee.

That's why you will always need to adapt your CV to every employee you approach. It will then be focused on meeting their needs – not yours.

Your CV needs to encapsulate your up-to-date portfolio of skills and experience. It must capture you as a living and breathing person. And that means keeping it handy and up to date – not gathering dust in the back of a drawer. Don't forget to keep reviewing and improving your CV, because like all career development, it needs to be dynamic, ongoing process.

For further help and assistance in creating a CV that sells click onto http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/cv.htm

Alongside your CV don't over look the impact of a strong covering letter and application form. For further guidance on how to fill these out take a look at the following:
http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/coveringletters.htm http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/applicationforms.htm

You:

Did you realise you are being interviewed each day? Whenever you make a phone call, stop for a chat or work with a colleague, people are forming opinions of your skills.

All the time you have opportunities to build relationships and subtly sell your skills and qualities to the people around you. When you make a presentation, a speech or participate in a conference or seminar, you are raising your profile even higher.

Yet marketing or selling ourselves rarely comes naturally. Learning to sell yourself is a crucial skill and needs developing over time – so use every opportunity for practice.

At Interviews:

Everything you learn about selling yourself in person will pay of when it comes to interviews. But there are also special skills you can develop to boost your performance.

You also need to ensure you're thoroughly prepared and organised every time you go for an interview. For more information and preparation techniques check out: http://www.derby.ac.uk/careers/students/interviews.htm

Still Not Happening?

Feeling Lazy: Set yourself regular, short-term tasks. Concentrate on achieving an early success. Make your first attempts easy and achievable. Get someone to help – friend, colleague or family member.

Lacking Self-Confidence: Seek positive feedback. Try to stretch yourself. Look for sale opportunities to try new things out. Try an assertiveness course. Take active steps to boost your self-confidence. Don't undersell yourself. Ensure you have a clear focus and review your current performance.

Fear Of Failure / Rejection: learn from your failures as well as success. Understand rejection is a regular occurrence. Don't take it personally. Major negative incidents are often catalysts for positive change in the medium/long term.

Poor Time Management: Look at your major time-stealers and see how they can be reduced. Give yourself realistic time each week to achieve your objectives. Allow time for reflection and have a clear action plan so that you can prioritise.

No Focus Or Direction: Start by increasing your self-awareness. This takes some time, and you may need to find a helping hand. Try lots of different experiences and eliminate the ones you dislike. Keep open-minded and flexible, but over time try to focus your thoughts.

Comfort Zone: recognise we all have our own comfort-zone, a pattern of behaviour in which we feel relaxed. When you stop learning new things in your job, it may be time to move on. Try continually to stretch yourself by volunteering for presentations, taking on new positions or setting up something from scratch.

A Lack Of Relevant Experience: Identify where your gaps are. Find activities to fill them – paid, voluntary, or projects. Creatively explore all options and seize opportunities. Apply your skills in different contexts.

Motivation: Find out what really motivates you. It's also just as important to find and discard things that de-motivate you. You certainly don't want to spend the next 40 years in a job you hate. Try out as many things as early as possible in your career, and give yourself regular rewards.

Limited Time/Support: Build your own support network and look into getting a mentor. Try to work in teams as well as by yourself. Recognise the signs of a career rut –'I'm too busy', 'Too many other important things to think about'.

Scared Of Taking Risks: Don't worry about making the wrong decisions; you may have to test different options out before finding the ideal one. Be aware of the inertia stopping you moving forward – 'it's all I know', 'It's what I'm comfortable with' (job security, support mechanisms, colleagues, benefits package, company culture) – but also be true to yourself.

Sources of Advice and Information

If you do find yourself falling a victim of such crimes or in a welfare predicament and need to talk to a professional and qualified advisor in confidence please contact The Source – UDSU's Independent Student Advice Service.

• The Source – UDSU's Independent Student Advice Service — 01332 591509
• Career Development Centre Derby — 01332 591316
• Career Development Centre Buxton — 01298 28324
• Connexions Direct — 08080013219
• Prospects — 44 (0) 1612775200

This information is also available in large print, Braille and audiotape on request.

Disclaimer: This information provides general guidance on Career tools. The information given should not be regarded or relied upon as a complete or authoritative statement of University policy or procedures. The Source will not accept any liability for any claims or inconvenience as a result of the use of information provided.