Published: 3 March 2022
Sometimes it can feel like there’s so much careers advice it’s hard to know where to start, what to focus on and which tip will help you get closest to your career goals.
While it can be tricky navigating the very noisy world of employability guidance, it’s important to remember that it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.
Some help will be more suited to one person than another. It might fit your particular situation, but easily it could not.
Instead of trying to follow all the advice below, try picking just one or two which match your experience and aims the most and see where that can take you.
Leave your comfort zone
Getting stuck doing the things you find the easiest or most familiar is a sure way to get nowhere fast. Break the mould and try something you’re not certain about.
Treat everyone the same
Try thinking of the people you come across in everyday life as a door to a new opportunity. That way you’ll give everyone the same amount of attention rather than picking only the people who get help in your career.
Show up early
Be the first person in the office, sit at the front of the class and be visible. Showing up is often half the battle because if you’re not in the room you can’t make an impression.
Be a lifelong learner
As a student, you know the benefit of a good education. But don’t let that stop once you graduate from the University of Sunderland in London. Instead, spend your life gaining knowledge and you’ll find you get further.
Rethink your career plan
Once a year, sit down and go through your career plan to see where you’ve come over the past 12 months. This will help you readjust your ideas going forward and make you feel more confident when you realise just how much you’ve achieved already.
Look for value in feedback
Getting feedback, whether that’s from an assignment or at work, can be hugely helpful in working out what areas you need to improve. Thinking about critique on a deep level will mean you get the most out of it and move forward with a proper plan in place.
Persevere
It’s really easy to quit when the going gets tough. But it’s the people who push through the hard times, try to learn from them and reach for their goals that do succeed. Push aside the negative thoughts and keep going, you are on the right path.
Be reliant
Actually doing what you say you’ll do is a rare trait in a world that tends to over promise and under deliver. Be an example of a person who sticks to their word, achieves their targets and become someone your bosses rely on.
Ask questions
Part of being a lifelong learner is knowing what questions to ask. Having a curiosity for everything in your life is important, so make sure you think through what you want to know carefully and ask about it in a way which will firstly get you the answers you need and secondly show that you’re a dedicated thinker.
We know there’s a lot of advice here, which is why it’s important not to try and do everything all at once.
Taking on more than you need to is a great way to make life difficult for yourself. Instead, try building up to each of the above slowly, one at a time.
By the end, you’ll make yourself a highly employable, engaged and interesting person to work with.
Whatever you decide to do in the future, the University of Sunderland in London Careers and Employability Service is here to help.
To have a one-to-one chat with them, book a meeting through Compass or email them at careers-london@sunderland.ac.uk. Find out more by following #WeAreSunLon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.