Witten by Natalie Williams
There are many steps that I have started to utilise to prepare myself for my future career that I want to share to help you guys too! There is no time like the present to start preparing for your future career, these steps can help you land a job, ensure you don’t feel like you’re drowning after leaving university and stepping into the workforce and make those much-needed connections with other professionals.
Some steps you can plan for your future:
Continuous learning and developing of skills outside of your degree
There are many ways to go about this such as through attending workshops, free LinkedIn Learning courses, conferences, reading articles or attending webinars on topics of interest. This may not be at the top of your priority list with assessments and attending classes on your mind. But these may lead to other steps such as finding a mentor, networking and you might find yourself with a beautiful opportunity that you didn’t have before.
Work in your future profession whilst you study
Not only is this a great insight to what your future career may be like, you will start to develop the skills that you will utilise later in your career. You will also start to feel like your future career is closer and you are a “doctor, dentist, teacher, physiotherapist, engineer” something that plagues new graduates. You may be able to find a mentor at your workplace that will help you whilst you study and work in your career
Connecting with a mentor
A mentor within your future profession can provide great insight into the role, provide tips when applying for jobs and help you learn along the way during your degree. Finding a mentor can be very challenging, but the best ways to find one is through the uni’s mentoring programs, searching the profession, could be at your workplace, at a conference or workshop, or you find them online and reach out to them.
Ensuring your resume and CV is current
You never know when you will need to attach your resume or CV when applying for scholarships or positions (work – related or leadership). Having your CV and resume updated as soon as jobs change, or you enter a new leadership position ensures that when you need to attach your CV/resume that you don’t have to spend more time editing or changing it. The Careers and Skills team can help you do this with one on one appointments, or they also have self-guided resources.
Networking
When attending events such as conferences, workshops or webinars take the chance to network and socialise with others there. You will never know what those conversions may lead to maybe a mentorship, job opportunity or a friend in the profession.
Try some of these tips or check out the Charles Sturt careers portal for all the resources you need.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
