The carefree summer is now behind us and autumn is the season when many people undertake career changes, including graduate students the plunge into the professional world is just beginning. This new step undoubtedly brings with it a host of questions, occasions for excitement, and sometimes even worry. Do you want to work in your field but don't know where to start? Worried that you don't have enough experience? Don't know what field you want to pursue? Worried that you are not prepared enough for the interview? In this article, we share with you, young talents, useful tips for easier and more successful career guidance.
Don't let someone else determine your career path
It's easy to get lost in the advice and suggestions of your friends, parents, and acquaintances. Of course, there's nothing wrong with listening to them, but don't ignore your own desires, goals, and dreams. Instead, take time to reflect on how you envision your dream workplace. Answer the following questions. Is the pay or the type of work more important to you? What are the qualities you possess that have led to your past successes? Which skills would you like to use and develop every day?
Preparing such a list and answering these questions will surely help you create a clearer picture of where and how you want to develop. Then you will be ready to move on to the next steps.
Get to know the career portals and vacancies in your field
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of websites and platforms where you can explore the variety of open positions in different industries. Some of them offer positions from almost all segments of the job market, others specialize entirely in one (IT for example). We've prepared an easy-to-navigate list of some of the most popular and visited platforms:
… and many others.
Use social networks as a networking tool
Social networks allow you to stay in touch with friends and family, as well as make new friends. LinkedIn, for example, besides being a job discovery platform, is also the perfect tool to connect with professionals in your field. Your presence with an updated profile and CV on this social network is practically mandatory.
Facebook can also be used successfully in the pursuit of your professional goals. Keep in touch with friends and colleagues from the university. They may know someone in the industry you are looking for and can help with introductions.
Manage your personal brand
You are in charge of what impact and impression your name will make when others hear it. Your personal brand is how you present yourself to others and how you want to be perceived. This can be anything from your walk, your expression, your handshake, the way you dress, the ringtone on your phone, or your email etiquette. All of these things define you, and subsequently they define you.
First interview = get-to-know interview
When you apply for a job, employers get limited information about you in the form of a CV, which they choose whether they want to find out more about you. Similarly, when you apply, you have limited information about the company and the nature of the job. Therefore, the interview is just as important for you as it is for the company itself.
Before the interview, be sure to familiarize yourself with the company and the industry in which it operates so that you have the opportunity to ask relevant and important questions. The more questions you ask, the more control you will have over the process. Don't necessarily take the interview as a job application, but as a personal exploration in order to find out if this company and field are a good fit for you, to get as complete an idea as possible if it fits your concept for further development. Ask questions that make it easy to get a sense of exactly what your role in the company will be, what the company's core values and work culture are, what the specifics of the industry are, and who the main competitors are.
Do detailed research on the company before the interview
In order to ensure that your arsenal of interview questions is as well stocked as possible, you need to prepare in advance. This includes detailed research into the company, its website, and social media; what products and services they offer; who will be interviewing you and what their role is; what culture they present to the outside world. Finding out as much information as possible before the interview will not only help you look prepared but also help you get much more value from the process yourself and build your best judgment of the employer.
Remember - you choose your boss
Your supervisor is the person you will spend much of your time working with. He is the one who will support and train you in your profession. Therefore, it is important that you feel comfortable with him or her and enjoy interacting with them. By doing so, you will successfully ensure a relaxed and supportive work environment.
Create relationships before you need them
Don't wait until the moment comes when you need something to start substantive communication with your team leader or other key executive. Instead, invest time in getting to know your colleagues and supervisors so that you can use the relationships you've made when the going gets tough or when you need to.
Demand more responsibilities
Not only at the beginning of your career path but also in general, it is crucial to be proactive and seek more responsibilities than you already have. When you're done with the tasks of your new job, don't wait until someone gives you new ones, you seek them out. When you show yourself that you are willing and able to take on more than the tasks given to you, you become more responsible and trustworthy in the eyes of your supervisors and teams. Taking on more responsibilities also opens up the possibility of greater rewards and positions in the future.
Allow the skills you possess to make you the right person for the company
Your skills and who you know are undoubtedly important, but who you actually know can be just as significant. Becoming the person in the office who is most familiar with making presentations, working with databases, working out formulas in Excel, or anything else adds to your credibility in the company. Not only that but by promoting these skills of yours, you create more "demand" for your involvement in a variety of projects with people at different levels in the organization that you don't normally have access to. Being competent in several different areas and building extensive knowledge and skills in them would be a huge help to you, especially at the beginning of your career path.
Measure your success outside the workplace
Remember that work isn't the only thing by which to measure your success. Success is your happiness, your satisfaction, your well-being. The job search process can be complicated and draining at times, but with the right preparation and a positive mindset, you will quickly find your direction.
