Transitioning through education can be tough. Each stage, from primary to secondary, and secondary to third-level, has its own challenges.
Leaving it behind, however, might be the biggest challenge of all. Sure, there’s the option of a postgraduate degree, but after that, graduates have to find work.
These days, most third-level have career services which encourage students to think about their career as they progress through college, and so many students will already have an idea about their next steps.
But in order to find a job and career that makes you happy, it’s vital that graduates think strategically.
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What does this mean and how can graduates do it?
Understanding career planning
“Career planning means that graduates choose not just the right job or role coming out of college, but also think long-term about where they want to go,” says Caroline Kennedy, head of career development at the National College of Ireland.
“Ideally students will be thinking about this from first year, but of course life isn’t always like that.”
Values
“What is important to you in a job?,” asks Kennedy.
“You may not yet be thinking of the job, and indeed the job might not yet exist, so in deciding what you want from a job, consider your values.”
These may include, for example, either a preference for collaboration or working alone. It may include opportunities for innovation, chances for personal growth and development, creativity, equality and diversity, sustainability and teamwork, to name a few.
While salary is inevitably important during a cost of living and accommodation crisis, few graduates outside of a very narrow pool with particular qualifications will start off on big money, so it’s important that graduates also consider the type of role and type of company that best matches your skills, experience, desires and personality.
An excellent free online tool, ViaCharacter.org, can help you identify what is most important to you in the workplace.
Be proactive
This is perhaps the single most important thing that graduates can do to help plan and build their career.
“You could put a five-year plan in place – although you should think of this as a framework, not a plan,” says Sinéad Brady, career psychologist and author of Total Reset: Quit Living to Work and Start Working to Live.
“If you are not proactive and engaged with that plan, including reviewing what, why and how you are doing it, then your plan is not a living document. Ultimately, being strategic means being proactive, not just working in your career but also on your career.
“You want to avoid stagnation. You could have the best boss or company in the world, but working there is one part of your career. The other part is career growth, development and learning. If you are working on your career, you are getting through to-do lists and hitting performance reviews.
“So knocking it out of the park for your company is great, but you also need to focus on what you are doing, what is next, what you are focused on and whether you are interview-ready on an ongoing basis.
“Go to events, careers talks, network events, and career services in the organisation you’re working for, if they have them.”
Jobs and placements
In the often frenetic rush to get a job, graduates often throw out CVs for every job they see on LinkedIn, without giving it much thought, says Kennedy.
“Proactively thinking about it, however, means you are more likely to get the job you want.
“With this in mind, placements provide a chance to see what companies are like and whether this type of career might suit you. And it’s also an opportunity to start building up your network. The problem with leaving it all too late is that a network takes time to build.”
Review and prepare
“How much time do you want to put into career planning? It can be as much or as little as you wish,” says Brady.
“You can decide that you’ll focus on this when you need to – but then spend hours and weeks in a panic trying to get your CV and your skills up-to-date.
“Or you can do a monthly review, looking at what went well, where there were challenges and you dealt with them, what was in your control and who in your workplace you could ask for help.
“You might be working well in your career but not networking, not meeting people and not updating your LinkedIn. Setting aside some time for this, even just 15 minutes, can help. Being proactive is strategic. If you want to progress, there’s more to consider than your job title and your money; growth is about what you learn, who you are connecting with, how you are developing and how you are building out your network.”
Reach out
After a placement, the next best thing to do is set up informational interviews with people, Kennedy says.
“So if you know what kind of role or company that you might be interested in, look at their employees on LinkedIn and see what courses and education they have taken,” she suggests.
“Before this role, what areas did they work in? Then you can reach out to them and say, for instance: ‘I saw that you studied psychology at NCI and then made an interesting career move – would you be available to talk to me?’ It can be done quite quickly and you can use LinkedIn to contact them.
“If creativity is important to you, ask them if there are opportunities to be creative in the role.”
Wouldn’t many people find this unbearably daunting?
“Yes, it is difficult, particularly if you contact them out of the blue,” says Kennedy.
“Perhaps you could contact alumni from your course. Make it about them, emphasising that you’re interested in the career moves they made and how they went about it.
“Don’t straight out ask for a referral; this doesn’t work; you are hoping they may like you and decide to advocate for you, so approach it with a learning lens, not a selling yourself lens. Most importantly, thank them. You are trying to build a rapport and get information to help you decide what you want. Meanwhile, keep up with the company’s web and social pages.”
Kennedy adds that many larger organisations offer work shadowing, where you can spend half a day with someone in a role that you might like to find out more about.
Network
Both Brady and Kennedy say that networking is a vital part of career development.
Staying in touch with your college alumni network can be useful, as they can provide mentorship advice, support in moving to a new role or simply people to support you.
Brady advises graduates to join a professional network relevant to your career area, as well as getting involved in strategic committees at work, which could cover event planning, or environment, social responsibility and governnace, or perhaps equality, diversity and inclusion. Ultimately, this means building up networking opportunities both inside and outside your organisation.
“In Ireland, most jobs are made through networking,” says Kennedy. “The best time to build that network is when you don’t need it at all.
“Networking can help if, for instance, you’ve been travelling and living abroad for a few years and – having kept up with your network – decide to return to Ireland.”
You are building your network with every work or career interaction so – besides being the decent thing to do – it’s a good idea to be supportive, kind and respectful to everyone you meet, not just your so-called higher-ups.
Mentoring
Closely related to networking is mentoring, and it’s a vital part of career growth.
“Mentoring is priceless,” says Kennedy.
“If you have a person or people that you can go to and bounce ideas off, it makes all the difference. These are people who like you, know you and will advocate for you. You could have four or five pairs of eyes looking out for opportunities.”
A mentor will, ideally, meet you on a regular basis, perhaps once every month or two depending on what you agree. Approaching someone to ask them for mentorship can feel hard, but Kennedy says that it can be simple as reaching out on LinkedIn and being grateful for their time; it may later develop into a more formal arrangement. Many people will be flattered that you asked them, and it’s also a good chance for the mentor to ensure their own skills are sharp and up-to-date.
The mentor could be someone more senior in the workplace, someone outside your workplace but in your industry, or even someone at a slight remove.
Some workplaces, meanwhile, will have formal mentorship programmes in place.
Develop and learn
“Progression without growth can lead to stagnation,” says Kennedy. “It can lead to you not being ready for the next step.
“By mid-career, you want experience in leading people – which often comes up in job applications. So if you want to progress, then you also want to ensure that you have that leadership growth in some way, whether through your networks, through mentoring or through being on organising committees at work.”
Wouldn’t companies be afraid that staff who grow and develop might leave them?
“It is a major warning flag if a boss or organisation does not want you working on your career, only in your career. It is not sustainable for you, as we all know what happens with business bottom lines and how you can easily become a number to them.”
Brady says that being proactive with your career growth does not even necessarily mean you move on. Rather, you might grow in your role, grow in a leadership position, and keep up your technical skills.
“The really good organisations want you to be curious and to look around. It’s a red flag if they don’t give you that space.”
Exit
What if you hate the job, hate the company, hate your tasks?
“Always have an exit strategy,” says Brady.
“Have it from day one of that promotion, or the new role, or whatever the role that you’re in evolves. Perhaps it will be when you learned or achieved a certain amount, and then you want to look around to see what’s next.
Have red lines in the sand too, Brady says.
“If unpaid hours of overtime is the tempo of work, have your lines in the sand. Of course, sometimes you do need people to give a little bit more in work, but it should only be for a defined, short period of time. If you are noticing that it keeps happening, have someone to keep you accountable. I have clients that come to me on a yearly basis, to review, reflect and reset. It’s about taking your career from the hands of your employer and ensuring that you are empowered.”
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