Have you ever wanted to ask our Careers Consultants a question? Well, we did just that – putting to our Careers Consultants what advice they wish they had as students!
1. Take your time
Our Associate Director of Careers Education, Vanessa Freeman, says if she could go back, she would tell herself to not panic and take her time.
‘Don’t panic! Because I had no family support, I went for job security and made quick decisions. In hindsight I could have taken a bit more time to look at my options. I also thought I needed an idea when I visited the careers service, I wish I’d asked them to help me figure things out a bit more.’
As Vanessa points out, you don’t need a clear direction to benefit from the services available at King’s Careers! No matter what stage you are at in your career journey, we offer guidance and resources to help you gain clarity.
2. Look at company culture
Reflecting on what advice she would have found valuable as a student, Careers Consultant Emma Knox highlights the importance of company culture when searching for jobs.
‘Learning to look at jobs more holistically, and learning how to weigh up different aspects of what a role might offer- not just going for the ones with the best salaries or a top brand employer. Company culture and ethos is so much more important and can really affect how you view yourself and your capabilities early on. Being valued and developing skills and knowledge has been much more important when I reflect back than what company and what salary.’
Factors such as culture, values and opportunities for development are all examples of criteria that can be important to consider when evaluating a company and role early in your career.
3. Find your own path to success (and remember, it doesn’t have to be linear!)
Careers Education Team Leader Jai Shah says that he would tell his former self that there are different paths to success, taking a gradual approach.
‘You create your career as you grow into it. Success is not instant and there are many routes to achieve your version of success. So whilst your starting point might feel further from your end destination than you want, step by step you are more than capable of finding the best route for you.’
As Jai notes, careers don’t need to take a linear path, and there is more that one way to reach your ultimate goal! Careers Consultant Yinka Adesina also notes that careers can take a non-linear direction when giving advice to her younger self.
‘I wish someone had told me: “Your path is unique, and that’s your strength.” You don’t have to follow a linear career path unless that’s what you want. Get curious, explore, try new things, and embrace different opportunities. You’ll be surprised what you can achieve! Our backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are all valuable assets to help us navigate any challenges we face. Find mentors who see your potential and will cheer you on when the path to career success gets rough. Own your journey, embrace your difference, and blaze a trail that others can follow.’
The steps you take in your careers are unique to you and don’t need to be the same as anyone else. Additionally, finding professional mentors who can help guide your journey can also be a valuable tool, as Yinka suggests.
4. Take agency in your career
Finally, Careers Consultant Donald Lush notes the advice he would give his former self is that you can take agency in your career.
‘That I could be in control much more than I realised. I had no idea that I could set a direction for myself, work out how it all could work and then put that plan into action. It really meant rethinking myself as someone who had confidence in themselves and the ability to understand what opportunities were out there and I that I could make them work. It was a pretty radical reinvention!’
Building confidence and putting a plan into action is an important step in navigating the beginning stages of your career. We have tools available on KEATS to help you discover both what you can do and how to make decisions in your career.
As our Careers Consultants shared, remember that you can take your time during your career search, explore companies that align with your values, set a direction and forge your own path.
If you want more advice from directly from our Careers Consultants, you can book a one-to-one appointment, as well as accessing all our digital resources to help you on your path to career success.
By Sam Pinter-Thompson, Student Engagement & Communications Assistant