During the later years of school and higher education, there is a lot of pressure to decide on what you want to do when you graduate. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re in a slingshot, but once you’ve been pulled back and let go, you’ve landed somewhere and you don’t know where to go from there. However, if you look carefully, you can find career development support from a variety of different places.
Look to Your School
Many institutions offer their graduates and alumni career support. Universities, colleges and even business schools like Hult offer support during your time studying with them, but few know that this support extends into your graduate life. They offer advice, interview role play and much more. These institutions offer you career support because they have a vested interest in your success after attending their school, as employment figures are often something that is cited to entice prospective students. This should be a free service.
Independent Career Support
Whether you’re looking for a new job and you’re not sure where to start, or you’re unable to get past the first interview, and you graduated a long time ago, then you can still get support. There are many companies and consultants that offer career development support and who are sympathetic to a range of challenges that you might be facing. Search for career support or career counsellors online and you’ll find a wealth of people and companies willing to help, for a price.
Universities and schools may offer interview skills courses and CV reviews too that you can attend in person or follow on online.
Blogs and Online Support
Blogs, like this one, as well as job listings websites will give lots of advice about how to improve your career prospects, improve interview skills and help you get the job that you really want. They will often have advice from successful business people and brands about how to get jobs or start new careers, and succeed and be happy within them.
Professional Career Development Loans
If you know what you want to do, but you don’t have the qualifications to back it up, then you could consider going back to university or college to get them. However, finding the funds can be difficult, which is why you’ll need a career development loan. They are bank loans that are used to pay for courses and training to help with your career or get you into work. Loans are usually offered at a low interest rate, and you can borrow £300 – £10,000.
So don’t worry about finding support when you graduate as there is lots out there, and don’t feel like you’re floundering at the first – just by reading this article you’ve taken the first step to a better career.
Some good tips on career choice via http://www.luzerne.edu/
