Leaving higher education can sometimes be a bit of a leap of faith. You must jump and hope that the skills and experiences you’ve picked up during education carry you across to the other side, from education to work.
Future planning can act as a safety harness, providing you with a path to follow as opposed to going into the working world aimlessly.
What is career planning?
Career planning is the practice of mapping out your professional future in a way that applies milestones and targets so that you can realistically hope to achieve the goals you’ve set out.
Career planning can be as long-term as planning up until retirement or as short-term as looking to achieve a promotion in your current job.
During career planning, it’s important to remain realistic and set both short-term and long-term goals so that you can achieve a regular sense of achievement, which can help to keep you motivated.
Graduate career planning
Graduate career planning is a type of career planning unique to those who are about to graduate or have recently graduated.
This type of career planning differs because it requires planning just to get on the career ladder.
This completely blank canvas can be seen as both a pro and a con because, on the one hand, it makes it harder to plan the second step if you don’t know the first step, but on the other hand, it can make you more adaptable and willing to take more chances that are afforded to you.
How to plan your career as a graduate
Now that we understand what career planning is, it’s about time we discussed how to do it. Grab something to take notes on and read on to see our introductory tips for career planning as a graduate.
Discover your passions
Allowing your passions to be in the driving seat of your career is a surefire way to ensure that you are motivated to progress and that you do something that you enjoy. This doesn’t have to be something you do as a hobby, it could be something such as enjoying helping people or having a passion for environmental concerns. This could be the first place you start and could help you choose a career path that’s right for you.
Highlight your skills
When looking to plan out your career, you should first attempt to highlight the skills you already possess. Identify the hard skills you’ve honed during your time in education that are backed up by qualifications, but also assess what soft skills you’ve developed that will help you land a job and progress through the ranks.
Uncover what you want to learn
As well as identifying your strengths, take time to highlight your weaknesses. Weaknesses aren’t negatives; they’re a great opportunity to learn and grow, something that is essential during a long and successful career. Look at training opportunities you’d like to take in order to achieve the goals that you’ve set out.
Research your options
Based on your passions and the skills you do or do not have; you can now begin to assess your options. If you’re someone who loves working with people, then moving into a predominantly remote industry probably isn’t your best bet for a happy and successful career. Do plenty of research into careers that are available for someone with your qualifications and soft skills before you look into the intricate details of career planning.
Set out goals
When you start career planning, it’s important to set realistic goals that you can aim for. Realistic career goals are defined as achievable, measurable, and based on your current resources and capabilities, so if you’ve just graduated from university, a realistic next step might be an entry-level role rather than jumping in at the management level.
Develop your skills
There’s no better time to develop your skills than today. Remember, a career plan is dynamic, so as you tick off skills in your development plan through courses, books, or experience, you can add more that will open new doors for you. Take time to hone and develop existing skills in addition to those you’re lacking to ensure that your skills are always sharp and ready to implement.
Build a network
Having a network of people at various points in their career will not only give you inspiration on how to tailor your career trajectory, but it will also give you valuable mentors to learn from. Use professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn or in-person events to find people within your field and utilise them to develop your professional prospects.
To find out more about careers at SEFE please visit our homepage. The views, opinions and positions expressed within this article are those of our third-party content providers alone and do not represent those of SEFE. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. SEFE accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or representations.
