Find a career
Finding the right career for you can be challenging, but it can also be exciting. There is no perfect way to identify the right career choice for you, but it helps to consider the following:
- who are you are as a professional, student and in your personal life?
- what opportunities are out there for you?
- how can you build experience?
- how can you effectively set and achieve goals?
Throughout your time at York St John University, you will likely engage in activities and experiences that will help you identify what you could enjoy about work. Reflecting on these will help you identify job roles that will suit you. As a result, you can build your skills and experience to aim towards your desired career path.
Consider more than just your degree subject when thinking about your future career. Employers in the UK are generally more interested in your skills, behaviours and potential, than just the title of your degree. It is not always about what you studied, but what you learned and how you apply it.
Understanding yourself
More commonly known as self-awareness, developing this skill to understand who you are, and what you want from a career, will unlock plenty of opportunities and make the decision-making process easier to navigate. To successfully develop your self-awareness, you must regularly reflect on:
- your interests and passions.
- your values and the things you care deeply about.
- your skills, strengths, and competencies, and
- how you want to be perceived by others.
Cultural expectations around work may differ from what you are used to. Think about what work means to you in your home country and how that might differ in the UK. For example, hierarchy, communication styles, and workplace behaviours can vary. Adapting does not mean changing who you are - it can also mean understanding the context and showing flexibility.
Finding opportunities
Finding opportunities does not just mean finding a job. It can be:
- knowing where to look for a part-time job while studying.
- identifying where and how you find graduate, or entry-level roles that can kickstart your career.
- discovering unpaid opportunities, such as volunteering, work experience, and work shadowing, that can help you build your network and gain more experience.
- learning about alternative opportunities that will help your career development, such as:
- Internships
- graduate schemes
- sector-specific opportunities, and
- overseas opportunities, including in your home country.
Building experience and skills
It is becoming more common to see graduate employers asking for relevant experience from their applicants. This can add challenges in an already competitive job market. Work experience can help bridge that gap, through skill acquisition and network building. When building your portfolio of experience and skills, consider the following:
- the transferrable skills that you are developing.
- the skills, competencies, and behaviours needed through Labour Market research.
- the networks you can build through the experience.
- how the experience benefits your career progression.
Include examples from coursework, part-time jobs, group projects, volunteering, or societies, especially if you have led or contributed actively. UK employers highly value initiative and problem-solving.
Setting goals
Setting goals can feel overwhelming, but it becomes easier with practice. Try to think in terms of both short-term and long-term:
- short-term goals might include completing a CV, attending a careers event, or applying for a volunteering role.
- long-term goals might include graduating, applying for a graduate visa (for example, Graduate Route) or working towards a career in a specific sector.
International students
If you are thinking of staying in the UK after graduation, make sure to start early in exploring options such as the Graduate Route visa or companies that offer sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa. Not all employers are familiar with visa routes. Being clear and confident about your eligibility can make a big difference.
For more information, please head to the following resources:
Student Circus: International Student Careers Manual
Handshake: Future Planning: Setting goals
National Careers Service: Skills Assessment
National Careers Service: Explore Careers
Sometimes, figuring out your career direction or next steps can feel like a lot to manage alone, but you don’t have to! The Careers and Student Opportunities team is here to support you at every stage of your journey. You can book a 1-to-1 appointment with the Careers team.
How to book via Handshake:
- Log in to Handshake using your York St John University email.
- Go to the "Career Centre" tab.
- Select "Appointments" and choose "Book an Appointment".
- If you are a London Campus student select London Careers Appointments and Choose “London Careers Clinic Sessions”.
- If you are a York Campus student select York Careers Appointments and select the type of the appointment that best suits your needs.
- Pick a time that works best for you and confirm your appointment.