Don’t know what kind of career to pursue after university? It’s OK. Plenty of students and grads have no idea what job to do after graduation. As there are so many options out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We get it. That’s why we’ve put together advice to help you figure things out.
If you don’t know what job to do, try the following tips:
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1. Think about your values
So, you don’t know what job you want? Identifying your values is a great place to start. It’s hard to be happy when you’re doing things you don’t believe in. Working out what matters most will help you choose a job you’ll love.
Values are highly subjective and personal. There’s no right or wrong here. Start writing a list of attributes that matter to you now and what you imagine will become important in the future. For example, perhaps a balance between your professional and personal life is your top priority. Alternatively, maybe you’d rather work more hours to earn more money. It’s up to you. Everyone values different things. Just be honest with yourself.
Of course, some values will change throughout your career. However, you can only base your decisions on how you feel now.
To get you started, here are ten example values:
- Achievement
- Compassion
- Helping others
- Adventure
- Structure
- Routine
- Success
- Money
- Risk
- Excitement
Now, take the above and list them in order of how important each one is to you.
By thinking about what matters to you, you’re ready to look at the different types of roles and organisations out there and assess your values against them. It should help you identify what could be a good fit. For example, if you’ve put risk at the top, a career in a start-up might suit you – although it’ll likely be a less good fit if you also value structure and routine. It’s all about weighing up the pros and cons.
2. Identify your skills
We’re all better at some things than others. Identifying what you’re best at will help you discover what type of career will suit you. Plus, knowing what you’re good at and not so good at will make it easier to answer strengths and weaknesses questions in job interviews.
Consider your skills and how they’d fit within a business function. For example, if you’ve got great organisational skills and love processes, you sound well suited to an operational role. If you’re good at influencing others and confidently chatting with strangers, you’ll probably thrive in a role that involves networking and liaising with colleagues and clients.
If you can’t work out what you’re good at, ask others for their feedback. Ask the people around you their thoughts on what you do well – and not so well. Ask them to provide you with examples.
Friends, family, sports teammates, society members, coursemates and colleagues will all give you valuable insights into where you perform best. For tips on how to approach others for their opinions, read our guide on how to ask for feedback (and how to take it).
Need some help recognising and developing your skills?
Sometimes, it’s hard to know where your strengths lie. However, it’s an important step in your journey to finding a career that’ll make you happy. Check out our guide on how to work out what you’re good at and how to build on those skills.
3. Break down roles and sectors
It’s easy to become fixated on a particular company or sector – such as finance or marketing – instead of the actual job role, eg. analyst or graphic designer.
However, there are creative advertising roles in finance businesses and analytical roles in marketing organisations. By considering role types, you’ll find a wider range of options, which might help you find a job you’ll love. So, if you want to work with numbers, stay open to roles outside of finance. Equally, if you want to express your creativity, remember there are opportunities beyond marketing.
Take the time to think about what you’ll enjoy doing on a day-to-day basis. It’s also worth thinking about the workplace culture you’d like to be part of. Perhaps, you love number-crunching but want a better work-life balance than you’d typically get as an investment banker.
Have a look at our career path guides for more information on different sectors and the varied roles available.
4. Meet people
Talking to others is one of the best ways to find out more about a particular career.
Get networking and ask people questions like:
- What’s your favourite thing about your job?
- What do you enjoy the least?
- How did you get into your current role?
- What does your role lead to?
- What skills do you need to excel?
Finding out those answers will help you identify whether you’d enjoy following a similar path.
Take advantage of career events, meet and greets with graduates and any opportunities where you’ll be introduced to new people. Even if you don’t meet people face-to-face, use LinkedIn to message potential future colleagues for advice.
To make the most out of making new connections, read our networking advice.
5. Experiment
You can’t know what jobs you’d enjoy until you try them. Be brave and experiment with different choices. You might be surprised by what you like.
It’s a question of experimentation as you test your values and skills against roles, learning what you like – and what you don’t.
It’s OK if it takes a while for you to settle. You can’t rush building your career, so don’t get too frustrated if it takes longer than planned. You’ll pick up plenty of transferable skills while you’re figuring things out. Some people find their perfect career route straight after graduating, or even before, but many don’t – and that’s perfectly OK.
We know it’s easier said than done but try not to compare yourself to others. Everyone works out what they want to do at their own pace. There’s no right or wrong, and the more experience you build up, the clearer it’ll all become. Besides, who says you can only have one career? Lots of successful people have had several.
6. Let go of perfectionism
Imperfect action beats perfect inaction.
Perhaps, you’ve been mulling over an application for an internship. Maybe you’ve been thinking about trying a new business venture. Or you've been pondering taking up a new hobby to build your skills. When you’re thinking about doing something new, sometimes the hardest thing to do is start.
The key to success is to take action. It’s better to apply for that internship and not get the role than never send off your CV. If you’re able to start your own business, go for it! And if you’ve got your eye on a new hobby, give it a go. Nobody’s expecting you to be perfect. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll learn. So, what are you waiting for?
Key takeaways
It’s tough when you don’t know what job you want to do. However, remember that it’s OK to not know what career will suit you. As a student or recent grad, it’s early days in your career and it’s normal to not have it all figured out yet. Plenty of people change paths far later in life and still find fulfilling work. Give yourself the time you need to work out what you’d like to do and you’ll go far.
If you recognise your values and skills, think about the type of roles you’d enjoy and stay open to meeting people and trying new things, you’ll make a great start at carving your career path. Just remember to let go of perfectionism and embrace imperfect actions. If you get started, you’ll get ahead. Good luck!
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