April 23, 2018, by Carla
Your Most Frequently Asked Careers Questions, Answered
By Jen Balloch, Employability Education Projects Officer: Faculty of Science
There are a number of different reasons you may choose to visit the Careers and Employability Service. You might have found an opportunity you want to apply for and need some help or advice on the recruitment process. Equally, you might be at the beginning of planning your career and would like some help in knowing where to start.
The key thing to remember is that we are here for you no matter what stage you’re at.
If you’re worried about what to ask, or just unsure whether we might be able to help you find the answers you’re looking for, you might find it useful to hear some of our most frequently asked careers questions. Maybe you need these answering too?
Q: I’m not really sure what to do when I graduate, can you help?
A: The simple answer is yes we can.
However, we won’t tell you what career we think you should do. What we will do is help you take some steps to explore your skills, and also what opportunities are available. Taking the time to do some self-reflection is an important way to assess your abilities, what you’re good at, and the type of activities that energise you. Plus, it helps you to think about your personality and the types of environments you thrive in.
You may be wondering why this is important. Well, think about it like this: the more you know about yourself and what makes you tick, the easier it will be to research sectors, industries and job roles because you will know how to narrow your search. When you’ve identified opportunities of interest, you will be able to talk confidently about what you will bring to the company and demonstrate your enthusiasm in an enlightened way. It also means that ultimately, when start a new job, you are much more likely to excel and be happy because you will be playing to your natural strengths.
So how do we help you to think about all of this? A good place to start is to take a couple of questionnaires to understand more about your motivations, personality and strengths. This will provide you with plenty of talking points to shape a productive conversation when you book your one-to-one with a careers adviser. Get an appointment here.
Q. What can I do with my degree?
A. Research is the key to success.
Taking time to understand what opportunities are open to you will help you focus your job search. An initial starting point might be to talk to a careers adviser to explore what alumni from your course have gone on to do. This will help you direct your own research and think about some of the job roles you may wish to pursue.
Another place to do some research is on the ‘choosing your career‘ pages of the Careers and Employability Service website. Here you will find lots of information ranging from how to start your research, what to do with your degree, and different types of jobs. It’s a great place to begin if you feel a bit lost and unsure.
Q. I’m applying to X company, can you review what I’ve done so far?
A. Another simple answer: YES!
We are here to help with any part of the recruitment process, whether you would like your CV, cover letter or application reviewed. We can also help you with interview preparation and host events, such as mock assessment centres. You can book appointments on My Career and explore upcoming events here.
There’s also lots of online resources available exclusively to Nottingham students. You get free access to Graduates First, where you can practise psychometric tests and free access to Sonru’s video interview software.
Ready to come and chat? Wherever you’re based, you can find a convenient appointment near you. We have teams on Jubilee, Sutton Bonington and University Park campuses, the Medical School and University hospital sites. Find out more.
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