
May 29, 2025, by Jackie Thompson
How being a care-experienced individual has prepared you for the workplace without you even knowing!
By Anna Longo, second-year psychology student
Photo by Imagine Buddy on Unsplash
When considering career options and job applications, one of your first thoughts might be: “what do I have that employers actually want?”. Even without loads of work experience on your CV, as someone who is care-experienced you have skills that employers will value. By re-framing your lived experience, you will see that you have loads to offer and can use this to your advantage.
Resilience and bounce-back ability
Making it to university despite the challenges that being care-experienced comes with is evidence of determination and perseverance. Navigating personal and academic ups and downs demonstrates how you’ve bounced back from your lived experience to be here now – this is EXACTLY what employers are looking for – they want to see that you can overcome difficulties. Personally, I have felt overwhelmed at multiple points at uni, whether this be with juggling deadlines, revising for exams, or catching up on missed lectures. However, the fact I have kept going helps me to realise how important the resilience I do have is.
Adaptability and independence
The transition to university life is huge, and this is especially so for care-experienced students. It may include having to navigate finance, accommodation or housing decisions alone. However, without even realising it, I found that my lived experience had already prepared me to be self-dependent and adjust to the new situations I was faced with all at once. I see now that this is a skill: the ability to quickly adapt to changing environments. And, it’s something that employers look out for as its key to being able to work independently.
Self-motivation and taking responsibility
Arguably, one of the most important qualities for your future career is the ability to use your initiative and make progress without constant supervision. You are likely to have experience of this. Without external encouragement to complete assignments or tasks, and to achieve what’s needed, you’ve had to find that drive within yourself – but through this you have developed a skill that’s in demand from employers. So, previous negative experiences can be turned into a transferable strength, one that others may not have developed to the same degree.
Communication and the ability to build interpersonal relationships
Another key skill valued by employers is good communication and the ability to effectively cooperate with others. As someone who is a care-experienced, the support network around you might not be ‘typical’, but no matter what it looks like, you will have found ways to form meaningful connections and used this ability to navigate a variety of social situations. For example, attending Freshers’ events, joining new societies, or even meeting new people in your lectures – all of which demonstrate how you’ve built connections to create a sense of belonging and a supportive network. This experience will translate to the workplace; your strong interpersonal skills will support your career success.
Your unique advantage
Employers will value the mindset and drive that you bring to the workplace. Attributes such as resilience, independence and self-motivation give you an advantage. Your experience isn’t a setback but a kickstart. Focusing on the skills you’ve gained can help you to reframe negative experiences into unique strengths and provide an invaluable career toolkit.
We’re here to help! If you are care-experienced or estranged from your family and you’d like to chat about anything job or career related, please email Hannah Woolley at hannah.woolley@nottingham.ac.uk
No comments yet, fill out a comment to be the first
Leave a Reply