Make a start

Career planning can be daunting and it can be difficult to decide what your next steps should be.

Your employability timeline gives an idea of what you might be doing in an ideal situation, but you may not have time for everything! See below for ideas of what you could be doing at each level of study. Even if you just do one or two things each year, you will be taking great steps forward!

You might find that life can take unexpected twists and turns, which can lead to great opportunities. The theory of ‘Planned Happenstance’ suggests that negotiating a career path is a life-long process. If you are open to idea and expect the unexpected you can make the most of your opportunities.

Picture of Lao Tzu with the quote 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step'

Year One

This is your time to make the most of university and get involved in as much as you can. Taking part in any activities beyond your course will help you to learn something about yourself and will look great in future applications.

You won’t be able to do everything but try to do at least a couple of things from the list below:

Join a club or society
Apply to be a course rep
Work part time.
Sign up for the Worcester Award
Start looking into careers
Apply for summer internships or vacation work
Book a careers appointment to talk about your plans or for help with part time work applications

Year Two

This is your time to continue to widen your experience and also to start thinking about your own skills and interests in relation to future work. If you currently don’t have too much to put on your CV you’ve still got plenty of time to do something about it!

This can also be a time to review some of your long held plans, and some people have doubts at this stage. Don’t worry, this is all perfectly normal, and indeed part of what being at university experience is about!

Get a different part time job to widen your experience
Apply for work placement modules as part of your course
Consider applying for study abroad
Attend the Careers, Placements and Study Abroad fair in October
Think about your abilities and values
Book a career appointment to talk to a careers adviser
Complete your Worcester Silver Award
Research your career options

Year Three

You may be ready by now to start your job search and make applications. On the other hand you may still be very unsure about what you will be doing when you leave. Come along to speak to Careers. We can help you with specific applications, but also to make a start even if you have no idea about what to do next. Below are some ideas of what you can be doing to start your journey.

Finalise your CV
Apply for graduate schemes before Christmas
Complete your Worcester Award Gold or Platinum
Compile your LinkedIn profile and start networking
Speak to your Personal Academic tutor about your plans
Apply for postgraduate study
Look for job opportunities in your sector and start an applications plan

Graduates

University of Worcester graduates can use the Careers and Employability Service as a graduate for three years and beyond. You can continue to book appointments, attend workshops and events such as the Careers Fair, or send in your enquiries through myCareer.

As you start you first job you will start to think about how your career will develop, what the first few years of your career might look like, how to move on, and what to do if things don’t go according to plan.

Useful resources

Further advice and information

Managing your career after you leave university [PDF]

Dealing with employability anxiety [PDF]

Recent destinations of Worcester graduates [Careers Service]

Send us a message on myCareer