Taha Project.docx

A.E.KALSEKAR DEGREE COLLEGE

NAME:- Sayed taha sadique SUBJECT:- Foundation Course STD:- SYBBI ROLL NO:- 12 PROJECT TOPIC:- career growth after graduation GUIDED BY:- FARAH KHAN

INTRODUCTION:You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Steve Jobs

Many students don't have much time to spend in career planning during their degree course. You may be too busy working to earn money to pay your way through university, or perhaps you are a mature student with a young family that you need to support. You may be too busy to regularly visit the Careers Service. These pages will allow you to do much of this career planning via the web.

Choosing a career involves 4 main stages: 

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

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Self Awaren ess Opportu nity Awaren ess Decisio n Making Taking Action

Sometimes these stages will overlap and sometimes you have to return to a previous stage Be aware the cycle is not always as linear and consistent as it is presented here.

Self Awareness The first stage of Career Choice is Self Awareness. This involves looking at your SKILLS, VALUES, INTERESTS and PERSONALITY and analysing where your strengths and weaknesses lie. This is important both in choosing the right career and also for success in applications and interviews where you will find many

questions which test whether you have been through this process. You can start with looking at your SKILLS here. You can now also look at your INTERESTS, VALUES and PERSONA L STYLES on the web.

Choosing a career involves 4 main stages:









Self Awaren ess Opportu nity Awaren ess Decisio n Making Taking Action

Sometimes these stages will overlap and sometimes you have to return to a previous stage Be aware the cycle is not always as linear and consistent as it is presented here. Self Awareness :The first stage of Career Choice is Self Awareness. This involves looking at your SKILLS, VALUES, INTERESTS and PERSONALITY and analysing where your strengths and weaknesses lie. This is important both in choosing the right career and also for success in applications and interviews where you will find many questions which test whether you have been through this process.

You can start with looking at your SKILLS here. You can now also look at your INTERESTS, VALUES and PERSONA L STYLES on the web. Opportunity Awareness Once you have done some preliminary self analysis, the next stage is to gather information on the opportunities open to you. There is a range of resources to help you here: There is a range of general careers talks each term which are listed here There may also be specific careers education programmes for your degree subject, usually during your second year of study. Information on what you can do with your degree subjectMany jobs are open to graduates of any degree subject, and it's important not to only focus on the jobs related to your degree, but if you are doing a vocational degree, or simply want to find out what previous Kent graduates in your subject have gone on to do, the following resources should help.

Making Decisions :The computer programs below allow you to put in a number of factors on what you want in a career (such as helping others, promotion prospects) and will give suggestions of possible careers which might match these. Regard these as useful suggestions rather than gospel truth, but they should bring up some possibilities that you haven't considered before.

Prospects Planner www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Pplanner is a powerful program to help you choose a graduate career. It allows you to answer questions about your values and interests and then to relate these to a database of hundreds of occupations to get suggestions on appropriate careers.

Alternatively Careers Explorer is a quick and simple program which will also suggest graduate careers

Talk to graduates already working in your chosen career area. You can use the Kent Alumni Careers Network to contact a graduate directly. Work shadowing (spending a day with) a person in the career you are considering is the next best thing to actually doing a job, to find out what it is like. If you have done this, you will come across as much better prepared at interviews.Ostrich

Of course, the other important part in making decisions is discussing it with other people. Friends, family and tutors can all play an important part here . The Duty Careers Adviser is available every day without an appointment for a short discussion and can often help to inject reality into your ideas for example, pointing out that you may need to fund your way through a postgraduate course to enter your chosen career

TAKING ACTION :This is the final process of career planning. It involves:

Finding out about the EMPLOYERS that offer the types of jobs you are interested in. Search our VACANCY DATABASE Preparing APPLICATIONS and attending INTERVIEWS Perhaps taking APTITUDE TESTS and attending SELECTION CENTRES

First look at the Timeline, which gives you an idea of what you should be doing when during your time at UKC in terms of Career Planning.

Sometimes you may have to return to previous stages in the process, for example,

if you are not able to get into your first choice career.

AFTER GRADUATION WHAT’S NEXT :If you’re a recent graduate, you have lots of reasons to be cheerful. For a start, you have walked across stage, balancing a board on your head while wearing a trip-hazard, as ceremony demands. Degree in hand, you’re ready to embark on your postuniversity life. The employment market is finally showing signs of renewed life. While some areas (including the public sector and local government) are still struggling,

others, such as accountancy and construction, are on the up. Office for National Statistics data currently puts unemployment at 7.4 per cent, its lowest rate since 2009. You’re also part of a graduating cohort with unique skills. “Recent graduates are among the most technologically savvy and digitally connected classes in history,” says Natalie Waterworth, cofounder of talentedheads.com, a career guidance website. She explains that employers are looking for IT-literate candidates who can adapt quickly to the changing work environment, which gives you a distinct advantage. “Being malleable is a

valuable skill that graduates of 2014 possess.

The first step is to be prepared, mentally, for the task ahead. “You’ll need patience and a thick skin,” says Mike Hill, chief executive officer of Graduate Prospects. “Very few people get the first job they apply for, or are interviewed for. The key thing is to learn from those experiences.”

At the very beginning of the process, Hill recommends getting a part-time job if at all possible, “if only to take away the panic that sees you applying for 10 jobs a week. It’ll give you the chance to put together well thought-through applications once a week instead – that’s still 50 a year.” There are other advantages, such as filling in any gaps between graduation and interview that may otherwise open up on your CV.

Focus is important, too. Fetters believes that graduates who fire off applications in all directions do themselves a disservice.

“By looking for work in fields and industries in which you don’t have experience, you’re more likely to get rejections. By narrowing your search you can focus your energy on the jobs you really want.”

Build your experience

Unfortunately knock-backs and rejection are an inevitable part of the job seeking process and while feeling disheartened is natural, Minneci suggests a few ways to avoid the negative feelings taking over.

These include finding a mentor and developing your professional network, and asking questions when things don’t go according to plan. “If you’ve been unsuccessful in an interview, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback – it’s the best way to

learn and you can then put what you’re told into practice.”

Another area to focus your energies on is seeking relevant work experience and internships, which remain – despite the controversy around unpaid graduate labour – great ways to develop workplace knowledge, transferable skills and useful contacts, especially if interview feedback points to a lack of relevant experience.

Careers advisers are good sounding boards when it comes to seeking full-time and work experience positions or you could try online resources such as milkround.com and graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk.

Fetters emphasises the importance of your existing connections. “Make the most of your personal network,” he says. “Friends of friends, and even parents of friends, may be able to create important links between you and potential employers.”

It’s all about getting a foot in the door. Even if your conversations don’t lead to a placement or a job, you’ll be learning what you need to do to progress. “Don’t be nervous about asking for help, as persistence often pays off,” says Fetters.

We’ve probably all heard a few cautionary tales around work experience, so proceed carefully. “Take as much work experience and as many internships as you can, but be wary of those who are out to exploit people in weak positions,” says Hill.

Weigh up the pros and cons of unpaid work and be realistic, he advises – a few weeks of work shadowing may be worthwhile, but six months making sales calls for nothing is a different matter. “If you do a proper job you should be properly paid. You should go into these things with your eyes open and don’t forget to use social media to check an organisation’s reputation.”

It can be a gruelling process, but the end results are worth it, and not only as a means to woo employers. “Work experience and internships are a great way to help find the right career,” says Minneci. “Finding out what you’re passionate about is really important and helps you decide what you want to do.”

Ultimately, workplace experience will make your CV stand out and shows that you can apply yourself in a range of different roles and fields. Plus, it’s a chance to develop skills in teamwork, management and leadership, all of which are important attributes to display at interview. “It also demonstrates to a future employer that you’ve looked to build your strengths,” says Minneci, “that you take your career seriously and, of course, that you’re hard working.”

Further study:-

If work isn’t the place for you just yet, further study is another avenue you could explore, whether for personal satisfaction or career advancement – although it pays to remember that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Postgraduate study opens the door to deeper understanding of a subject and a radically different study experience, and there are professional advantages too, according to Garnett.

“A postgraduate qualification helps to differentiate students in the employment market and can be a useful ‘badge’ throughout their career.”

If you’re heading further down the education route with a view to boosting your career prospects, it’s important to know from the outset how you expect the course to help you. This will help when you set out the benefits to employers later on, says Garnett.

“Most employers will want to see a well thought-out plan. The course ought to be at least broadly aligned with a small number of career goals to make it easier to justify and explain.”

You might also want to consider shorter courses. Many universities offer massive open online courses (Moocs), often free, which may enhance your knowledge and keep the grey cells ticking over. Languages are another valuable tool that employers value, or you could brush up your digital skills – sites such as Codeacademy and Skillshare offer cheap (or free) courses. “Extra-curricular self-guided study like this demonstrates to employers that you are keen, willing to learn, and ambitious,” says Waterworth, “and it only takes a few hours.”

Whether you’re investigating work, study or even a travel break, the question of “what next?” after graduation is an exciting one – but it’s natural to be daunted by all that

freedom, too. While you’re pondering, a little tender loving care isn’t a bad idea, Hill suggests. “Look after yourself. Don’t get a tattoo on your forehead just because you’re unemployed. When you go to an interview, you’ve got to make an impact when you walk in, so stay well and keep fit.”

Beyond that, it’s worth bearing in mind that life after graduation isn’t a sprint.

With perhaps 50 years of working life alone ahead of you, this is a long-distance event. Don’t be afraid to change track, or even enter the odd cul-de-sac, says Hill; you never know where the opportunities may lie, or where they might lead you. “Life has twists and turns you can never foresee.”

Build your experience

Unfortunately knock-backs and rejection are an inevitable part of the job seeking process and while feeling disheartened is natural, Minneci suggests a few ways to avoid the negative feelings taking over.

These include finding a mentor and developing your professional network, and asking questions when things don’t go according to plan. “If you’ve been unsuccessful in an interview, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback – it’s the best way to learn and you can then put what you’re told into practice.”

Another area to focus your energies on is seeking relevant work experience and internships, which remain – despite the controversy around unpaid graduate labour – great ways to develop workplace knowledge, transferable skills and useful contacts, especially if interview feedback points to a lack of relevant experience.