Staying Motivated During The Search For Career Opportunities

By Amber,

Written by Megan

Searching for jobs can be a difficult task, regardless of whether this is for part-time work, placement opportunities or graduate opportunities. Sometimes the task of this can come across as time consuming with all the different applications to fill in, disappointing if you don’t land the role you were hoping for, and overall, just very demotivating.

So, what can we do to combat this feeling?

Here at the Career Studio, we recommend keeping your end goal in mind! After all, the amount of hard work that you put in is to reach what made you want to pursue this career in the first place. To do this, there are a few points to keep in mind whilst on your journey:

Set yourself an in-between goal: This can be as big or as small as you like. The aim is to give yourself something to work towards when your end goal seems too far away or not possible just yet. If you do set yourself a big goal, think of little steps that you can take to work towards this. This can be something as small as creating a draft CV, outlining a list of companies you may potentially want to work for, or making an appointment with the Career Studio to discuss what options you may have.

Keep track of steps you have completed, and those that are still on your to-do list: By doing this, you can be super organized and it will make seeing how much you have accomplished that much easier, and if you can do those, you can easily do the others. After completing these tasks, reward yourself! This will help with a sense of achievement, which will further motivate you to do more.

Listen to podcasts, read articles and follow other news related to your industry: This will help keep you passionate about your future career, and can also provide good conversational topics for you to discuss whilst networking on LinkedIn and Twitter, or when you reach interview stage.

Think about what you will need for the application process: Things such as a CV, cover letter, a professional LinkedIn and Twitter account play a huge role in looking and applying for jobs, so make sure these are all up to date and to a great standard. Unsure of how to do this? The Career Studio is here for you to provide advice and help you feel more confident – email us at careers@staffs.ac.uk

Alternatively, you can go to MyCareer to book your appointment: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/careers/mycareer

The road may seem long but keeping these points in mind will get you there in the end if you just keep going!

HEALTHY HABITS FOR JOB SEEKERS

By jp4,

Written by Jane

Do you need Healthy Habits when looking for a job?

ABSOLUTELY!!

Image result for healthy habits for students and Careers

The Career Studio recommends that students STOP biting their nails and adopt new FABULOUS Career seeking habits:

Time – Set aside 30 minutes each week and start thinking about your career goals, achievements, and aspirations.  Where do you want to be in 6-12 months, 2 years or even 5 years? Create a journal – writing ideas down often make your thoughts a reality

Industry News – Start looking on Twitter for companies within your desired industry and FOLLOW them – liking the jobs they advertise, the projects they’re working on, there discoveries and the competitions they’re winning – Do a ‘Like’ a day!

Look at job adverts for future possibilities (Placement/Graduate/Part time/Summer Internships) Feel prepared and recognise your academic strengths and your key skills, if you identify a skills gap do some research to find a FREE course! – Do it Weekly!

Give yourself quiet time to reflect on what you’ve read or researched – What are your career possibilities and ask yourself how they can be achieved…. BE REALISTIC.

When you achieve smalls steps, smile and give yourself praise!

Be organised and start thinking about your application materials, your CV, your LinkedIn account, covering letters etc… – The Career Studio can give you the confidence to move forward. Consider the career events you could attend?

Be Prepared – successful candidates introduce good habits and start to address different skills – you could consider the following:

Be dependable          Willingness to ask questions

Always do your Best  Be Kind            Image result for healthy habits for students and Careers

Smile and have a positive attitude      Be organised.

Learn to take criticism well and use it to your advantage.

  Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know. 

Its OK to think about your next steps!

Got a query? Approach the Career Studio, our peer to peer coach approach is for you to find out more information and feel confident – email us at careers@staffs.ac.uk

Click on MyCareer to book your appointment: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/careers/mycareer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking For Opportunities 2021

By Amber,

Written by Amber

Looking for opportunities, whether that be placements, part-time work or graduate positions, and feeling like you are walking into the unknown? Well, here are the facts you need to know before getting started.

 

What we know

Research conducted by Prospects (2020) suggests that the student job market is being significantly influenced by the global pandemic. This is already having an impact on individuals with nearly two thirds of respondents feeling negatively about their career prospects. Unfortunately, this is understandable with the findings reflecting the losses of jobs, placements and internships for students.

So, what are the main concerns?

As you can imagine, the most common concern reported was there being less job vacancies in a chosen or relevant industry, with less placement/internship opportunities being the next significant concern.

However, it isn’t all bad. 18% of respondents stated they felt positive about their career prospects with the pandemic giving them more time to make plans and fully research their options.

 

 

What we can do

Whether you feel positively or negatively about your career prospects we can help. For those feeling positive about having some extra time to make plans, why not make an appointment to see a career coach to talk about those career plans or options and come up with an action plan.

Alternatively, if you are feeling negatively about your career prospects, let us help you change your mind or at least feel a bit more positive about it. It all starts with discussing what your goals are and then we can look at your options. For those of you who are actively seeking employment make sure you check My Career. Then once you have found an opportunity, we can help you by checking your CV, going over application forms or processes, and helping you prepare for interview. Whatever the outcome we are still here for you.    

 

 

What’s on offer

Current graduate opportunities we are advertising include:

 

 

Remember, we’re here for you every step of the way! Contact us for further support or book an appointment via My Career. Check back next week when we highlight the placement opportunities that are currently available.

 

To speak to one of our Career Coaches get in touch:

Email: careers@staffs.ac.uk

Twitter: @CareersAtStaffs

Instagram: @CareersAtStaffs

Facebook: Staffordshire University​ Career & Personal Development

LinkedIn: @CareersAtStaffs

Career Chat: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/students/careers/careers-studio/chat-to-our-careers-coaches