Making Choices: An Introduction to Career Planning Career Development Centre University of Ulster

Aim: To provide an introduction to career planning

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the session you will:  Understand the process of career decision making  Undertake some self-assessment  Be aware of your values and their importance in career decision making  Gain an overview of the opportunities available post graduation  Identify major influences and trends in the graduate labour market

Employability “ A set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that make an individual more likely to secure and be successful in their chosen occupation(s) to the benefits of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy”

Employability “To be employed is to be at risk. To be employable is to be secure” Throughout your working life you need to be flexible, understand your capabilities and sell them to employers.

Employability – the hard facts  A university degree is not enough to make you employable  You need a range of skills that you can articulate to employers  There are more students obtaining degrees than there are “graduate” jobs  It is still worthwhile obtaining a degree. Without it you are not even on the starting blocks. 

The Career Planning Process Self assessment Where am I now? Opportunity assessment Where do I want to be? Taking action How do I get There?

Self Assessment  Important to find job satisfaction by matching personality, skills, interests and values to the occupation chosen.  Employers think hard about “fit” between an individual and the company.  Understanding yourself is an important step towards presenting yourself well through applications and at interview.

Self assessment “It is essential that you make an appropriate choice-it’s difficult to succeed in a job to which you aren’t suited or committed” ( PricewaterhouseCoopers) “This is no place for timid people who fold under pressure” (Civil Service Fast Stream)

Values “Those elements in your life you find personally important”  Core beliefs against which you measure your choices whether consciously or not.  Your values can help you understand where you might find a role in society and are often a strong motivator for work

What Do Young People Want From a Job?  Meaningful work (84%)  Job security (82%)  Having time for personal or family activities (79%)  A company that displays corporate responsibility (72%)  Showing social and environmental responsibility (58%)  Able to earn lots of money (50%)  Able to wear casual clothes (27%) (The Guardian)

Company Values Look at the emphasis placed on how they:  Care for their customers  Treat their employees  Achieve and distribute their profits  Develop and grow their business  Demonstrate social responsibility

What Do Graduates Do?  Higher degree-research/taught  Vocational course- teaching/social work  Training programme  Employment  Stop-gap job  Voluntary work  Time out

The Field of Employment  Jobs directly related to your degree  Jobs indirectly related to your degree  Jobs open to any graduate

Jobs Open to Any Graduate  Accountancy  Administration  Banking  Civil Service  Computing/IT  Human Resource Management

Employment Options  Linear Progression- continuing in your subject area  Changing Emphasis- using your skills in a different area  Taking a New Direction- retraining or using your skills in an area unrelated to your degree

The Graduate Labour Market  Impact of globalisation and new technologies  Demand for a flexible and mobile workforce  Growth of service industries and decline of manufacturing  Importance of SMEs  Expansion of higher education  Increased competition in job market  Decline of graduate recruitment programmes

What is a Graduate Job?  Traditional established professions  Modern graduate jobs-newer professions  New graduate jobs-occupations now requiring a degree  Niche graduate jobs-specialist areas where the majority of employees do not have degrees  Non-graduate jobs

Starting Your Career Planning  Begin with yourself-your interests, abilities, skills and ambitions.  Consider your values  Research your options  Be aware of the labour market  Set realistic goals  Start your planning early in your university career