Wondering where to start with your career search? Here’s 6 things you can do…
1. Try a career quiz
Not sure where to start? If you don’t know what job you’d like to do in the future, try a career quiz. By answering questions about what kind of person you are and how you feel about different job related tasks, you’ll see which jobs and industries could be a good fit for you. Seeing what careers might suit you will give you a starting point for your job search.
Try this career quiz2. Take a deep dive into jobs
Once you’ve got an idea of what careers might suit you, explore them in more detail with career guides. They’ll give you lots of information about specific job roles, including your potential salary and working hours, the skills and qualifications you’ll need, what you’ll be expected to do, and how you could progress in the industry.
Lots of jobs have pros and cons, and how much they mean to you will differ. Looking at the reality of the job roles that interest you will help you decide if that job is really for you.
Explore careers and jobs3. Discover pathway options
Did you know that there isn’t only one way into a job? Many people think that they have to go to university and get a degree to get into an industry, but it isn’t always the case, and it doesn’t suit everyone.
While having a university degree is great for some jobs, especially if they are more academic, there are so many ways to gain experience and knowledge for work.
Explore your options and make a pros and cons list for each one. Some examples of different pathways are entry level roles, apprenticeships, internships, university, and even going self employed.
4. Explore Youth Friendly Employers
If you’re still unsure about what you want to do, or you want to explore working in a specific industry, take a look at our Youth Friendly Employers. Organisations like Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, the Environment Agency and Pret have profiles on this website where you can find out more about how they can help you into work.
Employers like Haven, Surrey County Council and Buckinghamshire Council even have short virtual work experience courses so that you can explore what it’s like to work with them, and how to start your career in their organisation.
5. Find local jobs and training
Work experience, internship programmes, entry level roles and apprenticeships are great ways to start getting experience in an actual job and learn. Use job sites like Indeed and even LinkedIn to find opportunities to kickstart your career.
You can use our opportunity finder to find jobs and training opportunities in your area.
6. Don’t worry about perfection
The most important thing to remember when searching for interesting careers is that there might not be one perfect option for you. Many people find a job they love later in life after doing other jobs they enjoyed too. Focus on building your experience and knowledge in an area that you find interesting, and you’ll always have opportunities to try different things, and even different types of jobs, throughout your career journey.
